What are artists’ associate programmes and what do they offer within the broad landscape of artists’ professional development? What should artists consider before applying? Based on extensive research into sixty arts organisations across England, Scotland and Wales, this guide by Dany Louise offers artists help in thinking through the various options available to them.
An abridged version of Dany Louise’s follow-up report on small visual arts organisations cut by Arts Council England, six months after her ‘Ladders for development’ enquiry. She asks: how have these organisations fared and what do their futures hold? Read the full version of this report with updates on all surveyed organisations: www.a-n.co.uk/realising_the_value
‘Ladders for development’ argues that the visual arts sector should pull together and support small visual arts organisations cut by Arts Council England because they “punch above their weight” and provide vital development of future artists. Six months on, Dany Louise interviews these arts organisations again, to find out how they’ve fared and what their futures hold.
The key finding of this study reveals that shockingly few individual artists apply for funding in their own right, and even fewer are successful. What this means is that there is little direct funding being given to artists to pursue and develop their own projects, under their own control – under 20% of available funding for the visual arts in England, 14% for Northern Ireland and around 18% for Scotland and Wales in 2009-2010.
Is there enough funding going to individual artists and are the application processes user-friendly? These were questions a-n set out to answer in the fourth issue of what was then Artists Newsletter in 1980. Now, thirty one years later, we asked Dany Louise to do this research again, examining the current state of play for grants to individual artists as offered by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland – including comparators of volumes of artists applying and success rates – and to ascertain whether a “fair share” has been getting into the hands of artists to develop their practice.
New evidence exposing, quantifying and discussing the likely impact on the visual arts of Arts Council England’s decisions on fifteen previously Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs) visual arts organisations unsuccessful in their NPO application. PDF file [200kbs]
New evidence exposing, quantifying and discussing the likely impact on the visual arts of Arts Council England’s decisions on fifteen previously Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs) visual arts organisations unsuccessful in their NPO application. It shows that a disproportionate number of artists’ membership and development agencies and practice-based organisations lost core funding, despite ACE’s aim of creating a balanced national portfolio and makes recommendations for sustaining their work as part of a strengthened arts ecology.
Dany Louise’s response to State of the Arts conference
Jean Grant believes in Art Action Change
Dany Louise reports on the Urban Ecologies seminar in Liverpool, and highlights recent projects which have successfully engaged with urban issues whilst balancing artistic aims and community involvement.