About a-n

A+ positive thinking in the visual arts
A partnership programme initiated by a-n The Artists Information Company and Artquest, A+ will increase professional development opportunities for artists throughout the UK by pooling and maximising available resources.

At a time of economic uncertainty in the arts and public sector, A+ offers positive solutions by harnessing the expertise, experience and resources of visual artists and professional development organisations to achieve excellence in support of professional development.

A+ will be delivered through partnerships, enabling all those with an interest in professional development and artistic excellence to actively participate to achieve more for the arts through cooperative working.

This programme has been devised and developed by Artquest's Programme Manager Stephen Beddoe and Susan Jones, Director of Programmes at a-n. The two organisations have a long-standing working relationship, and this programme has emerged from intensive discussions to identify imaginative solutions to supporting the future livelihoods of the UK's diverse community of visual artists in these complex and difficult times. According to recent research by a-n and AIR, 72% of visual and applied artists are likely to be self employed, and the value of openly-offered work has not only reduced by 27% since 2007, but is continuing to decline in response to cut backs in arts, education and the public sector.

A+ aims to provide a strategic and credible grassroots response to the challenges artists and the visual arts sector face nowadays; to demonstrate resilient and sustainable models for future visual arts infrastructure and to enable direct delivery of key policy aspects including Arts Council England's 'Achieving Great Art for Everyone', and the ambitions of Turning Point and Creative and Cultural Skills 'Visual Arts Blueprint for Workforce Development'.

Artquest Director Stephen Beddoe commented: "At a time of great economic uncertainty in the cultural sector we feel A+ offers an opportunity to do the right thing at the right time. Whilst our organisations retain our own regional and national perspectives and priorities, we have identified this as a case where collaborative working will limit duplication in the sector and deliver on visual arts priorities within key initiatives. We look forward to working with a-n and also welcome participation from other visual arts organisations who share our aims, to deliver additional projects for the benefit of visual arts practitioners".

Through the A+ programme, interactive events, web-based initiatives, research and signposting will be offered to over 35,000 active visual arts practitioners already engaged with a-n and Artquest, and promoted further through their networks of practitioners and peer organisations internationally.

Artquest artists' programmes include 'Self Assembly', 'The Real World' and residency programmes in Amsterdam and Berlin as well as the Artquest, Artelier, Artroute and Artlaw websites. a-n delivers events such as AIRTIME (on behalf of AIR), 'Out There' and 'Quality on a budget' seminars for local authorities as well as professional development bursaries for artists' networks, alongside its websites and publications.

a-n and Artquest are long-standing partners on strategic initiatives. Founder members of the APD network of Artists' Professional Development Organisations, they have collaborated on delivering The Artists Development Toolkit, Fast Forward and Future Forecast. As Susan Jones said: "We are committed to partnership working as a way of ensuring a stronger and more effective visual arts infrastructure. We both recognise that arts resourcing is best employed in response to the characteristics and conditions within artists' communities".

Following launch announcements and presentation to interested groups in 2011,  A+  is now collaborating with networks and organisations in the production of sectoral evidence, learning and professional programmes and publication of online resources.

Arts organisations keen to collaborate on providing professional development with in A+ are invited to contact russell@artquest.org.uk or susan.jones@a-n.co.uk.

www.artquest.org.uk

www.a-n.co.uk

First published: a-n.co.uk May 2012