AIR

Arts Council England has embarked on an extensive exercise to consult stakeholders including artists on their policies and priorities for the future.

The consultation document now published online outlines five long-term goals that will drive ACE's development work, inform its funding priorities and strengthen relationships with artists, organisations and audiences. The goals are:

• Talent and artistic excellence are thriving and celebrated
• The arts leadership and workforce are diverse and highly skilled
• More people value and enjoy the arts
• Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts
• The arts sector is sustainable, resilient and innovative

The consultation also includes proposals on new, more flexible, funding programmes to help deliver these goals

Amongst the goals put forward is that: "Talent and artistic excellence should be thriving and celebrated", with success indicated if there was sustained national and international critical acclaim for the arts in this country and for innovation in live and virtual environments, more high-quality arts broadcasting on terrestrial and digital platforms, more England-based artists achieving international recognition, more artists encouraged and inspired to produce work in England and a larger number of diverse artists working with and shaping the programmes of established organisations.

Significantly perhaps, within the discussion on the goal seeking to create "an arts leadership and workforce that are diverse and highly skilled", there is scant indication that artists themselves can be regarded as leaders, as investment would be largely channeled to organisations and it is only the influence of the arts council that might ensure that other agencies provide those kind of 'progression routes' for artists

To have your say in this important consultation process, that will result in the policy agenda for the arts in England for the future, you can either contribute online at www.artscouncil.org.uk/consultation or seek out one of the regional consultation meetings running through February and March.

The consultation will run until 14 April 2010 with the framework published in late 2010.

First published: a-n.co.uk January 2010