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a-n funding announcement March 2011
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'AIRTIME Belfast, February 2010'.
AIRTIME events are open to all artists – and final year art students – and are free practical and inspirational events providing advice, networking and camaraderie.
a-n is accepted as Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Read announcment from Susan Jones, Director of Programmes. [Text version]
a-n is happy to have been accepted into Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisations, as announced today. The award falls short by 3.2% of the amount requested as an investment funding.
Whilst our 30-year track-record of innovation and achievement has been acknowledged, we are disappointed that the levels of investment requested in the first two years are reduced. In the run-up to the decision-making ACE exhorted arts organisations to improve their business model, by both nurturing new income strands and streamlining costs through careful stewardship and partnership working. Our R&D along with strategic partnership with Artquest on A+ were forecasted in our bid.
We were heartened by ACE's own assessment in 2010 of our business capability:
"a-n is a well managed and focused arts organisation with a healthy earned income-to-grant in aid ratio, good reserves policy and strong understanding of the external arts and political and economic environment in which it operates".
Our business model is adaptive and resilient with 75-25% earned income to grant-in-aid, a large audience paying for digital and publishing products, and a partnership approach and pooled resources creating additional services such as the popular AIRTIME events for artists and new graduates.
By creating greater opportunity for interaction - ranging from blogs, self-posted listings and reviews to events, dialogues and confidential forums, a-n has extended its audience considerably over recent years. Over 800 final year art and design students have already been given a free online subscription this year - supporting them in the run up to their shows and after graduation as they make the transition to artist in probably the harshest ever economic climate.
Receiving the news, a-n Director of Programmes Susan Jones said:
"It's good to have Arts Council England investment at a time when delivering our mission - to raise the profile and recognition of artists within society - is more important than ever. Artists have suffered badly over the three years of this economic climate. We urge all arts organisations who rely on the creativity of artists to realise their ambitions for audiences for the arts to take every opportunity to support artists both financially and artistically. We shall - notwithstanding the ACE shortfall - seek to maintain our income levels to artists through regular and freelance employment, fees for writing, contributing and research and professional development support. And we will also do everything we can to keep our subscription and membership prices affordable to all."
Susan Jones
Director of Programmes
a-n The Artists Information Company
susan.jones@a-n.co.uk
www.a-n.co.uk
First published: a-n.co.uk March 2011
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