ARTISTS TALKING

Artists talking foregrounds conversations around contemporary artists practice. It aims to be a significant place for critical engagement and discourse on the wide spectrum of activities that make up contemporary arts practice. It is designed to widen understanding of artists' working lives and a means of positioning and platforming the firsthand experiences of artists. It forms part of a-n's role to widen participation in and heighten awareness of the contexts, value, issues and applications of contemporary visual arts practice.

It includes:

• Projects unedited: Artists discussing their practice and experiences through personal blogs about the projects they're working on, as they happen, wherever they happen; revealing how things unfold from idea to realisation.
• Artists' stories: Editorially commissioned features on significant and emerging artists, includes artists' firsthand experiences alongside interview-based profiles.
• Image bank: Over 8000 images from over 3000 UK and international artists whose work has been editorially featured in any of a-n's publications or websites since 2000.
• Latest news and articles on Artists' talking homepage managed by Andrew Bryant.

For artists

• Start a project blog - any artist can blog about a project in progress, share insights into your practice and gain visibility for your work. Blog about the development of a residency, commission, exhibition, installation, collaboration, public art project, live art or other venture.
• Join the community - network with other bloggers by posting comments on their blogs.
• Research practice - explore what are your peers doing through Projects unedited blogs, Artists' stories and Image bank. How do they approach their work and what issues are important to them?
• Keep in touch - sign up for RSS feeds to alert you when new content is posted to Artists talking, you can sign up to all blogs or specific ones you are interested in.

For arts organisers

• Window on contemporary practice - first-hand commentary on issues and concerns for practising artists in Projects unedited as the blogs unfold.
• Research artists and view work - use Artists' stories and Image bank to explore a wealth of diverse and interesting artists who have been editorially featured by a-n, many with web addresses so you can make direct contact.
• Buy banner or button adverts for maximum visibility - online advertising with click-through to your own site can be purchased to promote your organisation on Artists talking. Contact ads@a-n.co.uk
• Keep in touch - sign up for RSS feeds to alert you when new content is posted to Artists talking, you can sign up to all blogs or specific ones you are interested in.

For the media

• Find out about the real issues and concerns driving artists' practice and affecting their working lives.
• Research artists working across the breadth of contemporary visual and applied arts practice including: diverse artforms, a wide range of career stages from final year art students to established practitioners and artists working towards residencies, commissions, exhibitions and on other projects.
• Keep in touch - sign up for RSS feeds to alert you when new content is posted to Artists talking, you can sign up to all blogs or specific ones you are interested in.

First published: a-n.co.uk September 2007