AIR

AIR: Artists’ Interaction & Representation is a representative body for practising visual and applied artists.

AIR's mission is to be the voice of practising visual and applied artists. Through discussion and debate, AIR will identify and explore the issues that impact on artists' practice in order to campaign for artistic, legislative and economic measures to enhance artists' working lives and advance their professional status. AIR seeks to promote the central role of the artist within a diverse and sustainable cultural landscape.

• To enable interaction amongst artists to support representation and advocacy
• To gather intelligence about visual arts practice and artists' careers to influence policy-making
• To provide practical and professional benefits for artists
• To collaborate and cooperate with artists' representative and campaigning groups in the UK and internationally.
• To enable students to establish a career as practising visual or applied artists.

AIR is enabled by and enables a-n The Artists Information Company. a-n's programmes are enabled by artists who form its largest stakeholder group, contributing some £384,000 annually in subscription income. A copy of the company's constitution (Memorandum and Articles of Association) is available by post on request.

AIR is open to partnership and collaboration with artists' organisations nationally and internationally.

In 2009 AIR became a member of the European Council of Artists (ECA), to bring the views of its members into this Pan-European, all art form arena. AIR seeks to develop partnerships and exchange with artists' organisations internationally. This includes collaborating with CARFAC (Canadian Artist Representation), sharing knowledge of good practice and learning from their successful lobbying and research strategies.

From its inception, AIR stated that it would not actively recruit in areas of the UK where effective artists' bodies already exist. Rather, AIR seeks to work in harmony with Scottish Artists' Union and Visual Artists Ireland, to share knowledge and through dialogue collectively identify where collaboration on research and campaigns would benefit all artists. DACS is a series partner on AIRTIME.

The costs of AIR's Council, representation, campaigning, events and communication structures are supported by income. AIR's relationship with a-n ensures AIR's administration and overhead costs are kept low. AIR benefits from a-n's reputation and non-profit status, that enables members to gain affordable access to additional professional services such as free Public and Products Liability insurance and Artists' Insurance Policy.

A union is one kind of model to achieve representation. AIR consulted with artists to understand the motivations behind why they joined lobbying groups, type of activities members were involved in and the consultation mechanisms.

Artists surveyed belonged to 125 different types of campaigning groups. In terms of motivators, 76% wanted to be part of a network of like-minded individuals and 62% joined because they felt strongly about the cause that the group represents.

Having examined the structures behind such groups that artists related to and AIR's need to have lobbying for better conditions for artists at its heart, a specific organisational structure was devised that was informed by good aspects of many organisations' practices. It was felt this would best support the level of interaction and participation by a very large volume of artists over a wide geographical area.

AIR's Council will comprise a combination of elected and nominated members to ensure it represents the diversity of practice and location of the AIR membership. Elections will be enabled online and verified by an independent body.

More information on the election process can be found here 

The contact email for AIR Advisers/Council is air.secretariat@a-n.co.uk Email queries are forwarded on and your query may, as appropriate, be taken to the next available meeting for discussion. 

There is no restriction on who within the AIR membership you can use to support your nomination.

The AIR Council will have fifteen members. Five members of the current AIR Advisory Group will stand down. The remaining seven have been co-opted to the new council. There are eight places to be filled by election.