What kind of a year has 2012 been for you and your organisation?
An R&D year – game changing, enquiring, challenging, all interesting. We’ve been sifting through a huge amount of data and insight to pinpoint what the future for artists and practice will be like.
What has changed for the better and what, if anything, has changed for the worse?
Better: more artists have the kind of kit that gets them faster access to the information and insights they need – they can do more ‘on the run’, they are more in control. Worse: decline in paid work for artists, especially from exhibitions. It’s disgraceful that cuts in arts budgets are being handed down to artists. I heard through our blogs of an arts project expecting to pay just £150 for an artist for a mural – where did they dream up that figure?
What do you wish hadn’t happened this year?
All that rain, flooding, cold, early snow – I know we talk a lot about the weather, but it really does affect our cultural well-being and spirit.
What you do wish had happened this year, but didn’t?
I’d like to have seen more moves from the big art institutions fortunate to win arts funding to really support the practice-led – like welcoming artists’ initiatives into their spaces to programme exhibitions, artists being paid to give talks and provide professional development, etc. There’s always lots of talk in the abstract about the value of artists, but so few tangible resources put towards sustaining their art practices.
What would you characterise as your organisation’s major achievement this year?
We launched a-n News (of course!). It was skin of the teeth and it’s still in beta format. But more importantly, we’ve enabled thousands of artists to make, fund and find work. They’ve been winning prizes and awards, gaining exhibitions and commissions, visible at biennials, contributing to conferences, debates and campaigns – being a voice for artists.
Is there anything you’d like to have done but haven’t?
I started to serialise my ‘90s study of the scope and value of the artist-led, planning this as the first step in doing new research and think pieces on this theme. Hasn’t happened yet, but I’m hopeful for 2013.
What would make 2013 a better year than 2012?
More funding going direct to artists. It makes so much sense – small amounts going a long way and building the cultural assets of the future. a-n/AIR is, with Artquest, Axis and DACS, working hard to make the case for, and build, a new grant fund for artists – it’s early days but we are all really committed to making it happen, so I’m optimistic.
