Supported by Nations Trust Bank Private Banking, the virtual ‘#SupportLocalArt: The Talk Series’ is the latest initiative taken under the Bank’s partnership with Saskia Fernando Gallery. The online event series is dedicated to providing a holistic platform for the Sri Lankan art community to share their stories, concerns, and solutions to the chronic underfunding of the local art scene, especially during the pandemic.

“Art is a passion for most of our Private Banking clients and it is also a very attractive way for them to diversify their financial portfolios. Since 2019, our partnership with Saskia Fernando Gallery has allowed us to offer exclusive Art Advisory Services to our members and help them enrich their passion as well as generate revenue through their art collections. We’re now also able to support and uplift the local art community by giving them a voice through this timely and valuable talk series hosted by Saskia Fernando Gallery,” said Sanjaya Senarath, Chief Marketing Officer at Nations Trust.

The first session titled ‘#SupportLocalArtTalk: The Patron’ featuring four of Sri Lanka's most prominent art patrons and moderated by Saskia Fernando, was held in July via Zoom and livestreamed on the Saskia Fernando Gallery Facebook page. Discussing the varied forms of art patronage alongside their unique experiences and projects, from the corporate to the individual patron, was Anojie Amerasinghe, Patron and Social Entrepreneur, Ajit Gunawardene, Founding Committee Chair of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka, Nadija Tambiah, Head of John Keells Foundation, Member of the Executive Committee of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka and Udayshanth Fernando, Chairman of Paradise Road Group of Companies and Head of Udayshanth Fernando Foundation.

Upcoming events of the ‘#SupportLocalArt: The Talk Series’ will feature art institutions as well as artists to help debunk misconceptions about funding in the art community and also engage in discussions to figure out solutions and support needed by the art community to come out of the pandemic.

The recording of the first panel discussion, ‘#SupportLocalArtTalk: The Patron’ can be found at www.saskiafernandogallery.com/video/36-supportlocalarttalk-the-patron-a-conversation-on-art-patronage/.