AIR

AIR was established in 2007 as a membership body for practising visual and applied artists. Need for such a body amongst artists and research and development of AIR was enabled by a-n The Artists Information Company, drawing on its role as long-standing and well-respected artists’ information and support organisation. a-n provides the secretariat for AIR and its Advisory Group of Artists.

About a-n
a-n The Artists Information Company was founded in 1980. Through advocacy and information and from the perspective of artists, a-n's mission is to stimulate and support contemporary visual arts practice and affirm the value of artists in society. A not-for-profit company, a-n earns 80% of income from subscriptions and advertising sales with grant aid from Arts Council England or other public sources.

In the 1990s, a-n published a series of Artists' Handbooks on practical topics including copyright, fundraising, selling and exhibiting and the legally-sound Visual Arts Contracts. In more recent years, a-n was commissioned by Arts Council England to research and publish a Code of Practice for the Visual Arts and associated good practice resources including guidelines on rates of pay for artists, available to artists and employers.

Since 2005, digital delivery has been at the core of its operations. Alongside, the Knowledge Bank of practical resources and discursive articles, the Jobs and opportunities online service promotes over £26m of work annually, supporting good practice through links to contracts, fees and reports. The Professional practice resources and toolkits are widely used as learning resources through licence agreements with art schools.

About AIR
Aware of the lack of an effective representative body for artists since the demise of NAA several years previously, in 2005 a-n commissioned a review of the viability of an artist membership scheme under the auspices of a-n. The review was led by artist Paul Scott, Vice Chair of a-n's Board of Directors. As part of this review, an extensive artist survey was undertaken followed by a series of consultation meetings. The Artists Advisory Group (AAG) was set up of active artist subscribers from different regions, and this has guided the formation and development of AIR. Formally launched in October 2006, by April 2009 AIR had 11,600 artist members, making it the largest-ever artists' membership body in the UK.

a-n The Artists Information Company made an adjustment to its constitution to enable the artists' membership scheme and the AIR Artists' Advisory Group. Both Paul Scott and Mitra Memarzia from the AAG are full members of the Governing Board of a-n. The AIR AAG steers and leads AIR's development, including campaigns, benefits for members and widening the membership base.

AIR is proving attractive as a membership body to a wide range of visual artists - across career stage and art form. They are bound through a common approach to their practice rather than what their practice looks like.

AIR has been built from the track-record and high regard in which a-n was already held by artists and drew on a-n's existing, broadly-based artist subscriber base. It is ‘sponsored' by a-n in a similar way to new unions being set up are under the umbrella of/supported by the Trade Union Congress. Such support enables AIR to build its campaigning and advocacy role, paying fees to advisers for research and representation roles.

AIR is a 21st century artists' organisation that aims to build a wide membership through adopting imaginative and modern methods of communication and consultation. In planning AIR, research examined a range of traditional unions and how they were faring in terms of gaining and retaining membership - and what artists needed to support their practice.

AIR can quickly mobilise artists through e-communications, create effective consultations at short notice. A recent example has been artists' input to the national Creative and Cultural Skills Visual Arts Blueprint. A member of the AIR AAG sits on the CCS Visual Arts Committee. AIR also made an official response to the 2008 McMaster Review. Recent dialogues with Arts Council England and other Government departments indicate that AIR is now recognised an important body to be consulted within the visual arts.

The AIR TIME artists' events programme was developed by the AIR AAG. Held across the UK, part of its role is to introduce final-year art students and new graduates into AIR's domain, as part of welcoming the next generation to take an active part.

AIR members are consulted on what kinds of representation and communication they want in the future as part of the 2009 AIR member survey. This is seen as an important way of ensuring that AIR develops in the most appropriate way for its membership and that new services and benefits genuinely reflect a wide range of artists' and their changing needs.

AIR is working to become an authorised body for its members to receive copyright payments through DACS - an example of both collaboration with like-minded organsiations and a practical benefit for AIR members.

AIR seeks to work in collaboration with the Scottish Artists Union, Visual Artists Ireland and aims to cement links with other international artist organisations including the International Association of Art (IAA) and European Council of Artists (ECA). June 2009 will see a meeting with CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation).

AIR membership benefits
a-n+AIR membership combines practical support with personalised communications through a twelve-month package of professional benefits alongside a-n's publications and web-based resources. AIR benefits »

AIR Aim and objectives

Aim
To offer artists a platform for interaction and representation of their work and their practices.

Objectives
• To provide a place for artists to "join" their profession and access professional benefits
• To enable individual artists to identify the issues that matter to them artistically, practically and legislatively
• To be the voice of artists.

AIR will achieve its objectives through:
• offering relevant and timely services for its artist members
• developing a permeable infrastructure enabling members to shape activities and services
• making available tools for a self-service communications mix built around communities of interest so artists can join-in wherever they are
• delivering timely campaigns enabling a diversity of artists' voices to be heard keeping up to date about changes in cultural policy and lobbying for artists' interests
• keeping up-to-date with the key issues for practitioners now and in future, and identify new developments and changing trends in practice
•establishing relationships with UK and international professional associations.

First published: a-n.co.uk April 2009