What kind of a year has 2013 been for you?
It’s been a great year for a-n because we have been in and amongst artists perhaps more than ever. Through professional development events, consultations and co-development sessions, conferences and online debates, we’ve all learned a lot about what it’s really like to be practising these days, so we can better respond to artists’ needs and aspirations in the next years.
What do you wish hadn’t happened this year?
Having my bag stolen in London made me realise how vulnerable an individual can be when faced with bureaucracy. I was stranded 300 miles from home – left with no money, cards or mobile. “Nothing to do with us,” said stony-faced ticket staff at Kings Cross. Is this the result of ‘austerity times’, or a sign we’re losing our ability to behave like human beings?
What do you wish had happened this year, but didn’t?
I had a picture in my mind’s eye of bankers rushing to donate their bonuses to an awards scheme for practitioners at transformative points in their careers. However, the Artists Fund – a new venture under development by a-n, Artquest, Axisweb and DACS – would be an ideal place to accept their donations in 2014.
What would you characterise as your major achievement this year and why?
DHA has produced significant evidence for a-n/AIR about artists’ livelihoods and their financial relationships with publicly-funded galleries, which will inform the Paying Artists campaign. The insights of the AIR Council have been crucial – it is these artists who’ve driven the study and are shaping the advocacy and campaign.
Is there anything you’d like to have done this year but haven’t?
I believe that more visual artists – particularly those working over many years in socially-engaged and participatory practices – should be recognised in the country’s honours for public service. It’s a strategy I planned to activate in 2013 but didn’t manage to – so roll on 2014!
What would make 2014 a better year than 2013?
Seeing delegations of artists embedded into major conferences and policy fora – such as the Warwick Commission and Arts Council England’s/British Council’s No Boundaries. The future’s not someplace we’re going to but what we create ourselves – and without artists there’s no art.
