Publications

Evidence-based recommendations on: Identifying the ‘new practices’ model, Valuing peer networks, Redefining public accountability, Supporting location and community and New ‘brand image’ for artists.

Identifying the ‘new practices’ model

Artists’ practices are increasingly characterised by self-determination and personalisation, the creative friction of working between public services and private enterprise and through multiple engagements across peer networks and audiences, whilst continuously pursuing artistic development.

Evidence

• Modularisation and assignmentbased practices that underpin secondary and art education and the contract nature of professional work opportunities mean that future artists will work project-by-project, rather than pursuing a continuous practice.

• Higher graduate debt linked with citizens taking personal responsibility for pensions and protection of the environment will impact on artists’ future expectations of professional conditions and remuneration.

• The complexity and diversity of contemporary practice will impact on traditional patronage models that control markets through predetermining and limiting choice and closely prescribing hierarchies of participation.

• Artists’ working practices will encompass a mix of selfemployment, employment, under employment, small business enterprise, punctuated by professional study as part of a continuous professional development, to align with family and social circumstances.

Measures

• Seek wide distribution across culture and education sectors of up-to-date examples of the many business and social models for artists’ development, including their multiple markets and career routes.

• Join in with campaigns that seek improvements to employment law and business legislation that will better protect artists’ intellectual property and professional status, and authenticate their career paths and their social and economic value.

Valuing peer networks

To thrive, artists need continual access to a range of peer support networks that provide essential critical interchange and a culture of experimentation that drives up quality.

Evidence

• Peer networks offer a significant resource for co-mentoring and professional support through critique, and provide mechanisms to foreground experimental approaches to presentation and distribution of contemporary art.

• Artists’ networks that encompass the wide spectrum of artistic practice offer a routes for distribution of ‘light-touch’, small-scale grants that with peer-review provide effective accountability for public funds.

• Technological developments offer new solutions for virtual presentation of artists’ ideas and work whilst enabling multiple communications amongst many artists through forums and blogs, providing critical context for practice, and deeper democracy and artistic autonomy for artists.

Measures

• New funding designated to nurture new cultural leaders within arts management should also be made available to artists, in recognition of their significant role as social entrepreneurs and catalysts for cultural change.

• Increased and consistent support to artists’ networks that deliver peer review, enables artists to regularly take stock of their work and identify development plans and training needs, similar to opportunities available to employees through annual Job Performance Reviews, acknowledging requirements for continuous professional development.

Redefining public accountability

New approaches are needed to address public measurement and accountability, as current mechanisms place a disproportionate burden of work on small-scale practice-driven initiatives, are expensive to administer and slow to respond to change.

Evidence

• Contemporary artists’ practice is complex, diverse and encompasses a range of motivations and aspirations, with artists’ processes and art work moving across public and commercial environments and social agendas.

• Grant schemes that provide direct support for artists’ changing practices, and operate as ‘light touch’ are value for money as they maximize public resources for practice and minimise administrative costs.

• Government focus for arts to address social inclusion is at the detriment of support for the risk and experiment that is crucial for quality within the visual arts.

Measures

• Identify parameters and measurement criteria for a new evaluation model designed both to satisfy accountability requirements for small-scale visual arts funding recipients and to minimize administration, through selfcompletion using state-of-the art online and interactive tools, enabling fast transfer to analysts, to meaningfully contribute to evidence of the impact of culture.

• Campaign for greater transparency across the publicly-funded arts sector, to ensure artists are amongst the first to know about and contribute to ideas and plans that will impact on their livelihoods and working environment.

Supporting location and community

Resources for regional development and regeneration designed to support local economies and community pride should seek to focus on people rather than buildings and to provide a range of different kinds of benefits for future artists, alongside the traditional solutions of group studios and public art.

Evidence

• Future resources for artists need to be permeable, flexible and capable of being individually shaped, in acknowledgement of a trends for a self-directed, personalised practice.

• Rather than considering them as an endlessly renewable resource to deliver aspects cultural policy, artists should be valued and supported because they are in themselves a dynamic community that offers platforms for heightened participation in regional and local social and economic development.

• Definition of what constitutes ‘shared’ resources for future artists needs to extend beyond traditional notions of studio buildings for selected artists to include access to a wide range of temporary resources and specialist facilities that support the diversity of artists’ practices and experimental approaches to presentation and distribution.

Measures

• Gather evidence about the financial and social circumstances of art and design students and their processes, and resource needs to directly inform thinking around future infrastructures to support artists.

• Invest in dynamic channels of communication that enable those involved in the planning and presentation of contemporary visual arts to engage frequently in open dialogue with artists, recognising that artists are a knowledgeable professional sector through which to gain insights about evolving practices and new kinds of engagement with people.

New ‘brand image’ for artists

Whilst public perception of artists is more positive than artists and arts professionals believe, levels of public awareness of living artists and understanding of their aspirations and practices is poor.

Evidence

• There are misconceptions about artists, compounded by media representation, that characterize artists as fragile, vulnerable, unworldly creatures who need to be ‘protected’ by mediators.

• Analysis of artists’ use of public funds demonstrates they are honest and trustworthy and tend to plough all resources into their projects, supporting local economies and communities.
• Because artists’ adoption of a ‘lifestyle’ approach places artistic success over financial gain, the tendency for artists to be exploited by employers unaware of costs attached to a freelance practice needs to counteracted by wide-spread adoption of good practice frameworks by the public sector.

Measures

• Advocate for a percentage of jobs in public sector arts organisations to be made available to practising artists as part-time posts, in order to provide more artists with financial security and access to professional development, acknowledging that in return more institutions would gain first-hand knowledge of contemporary practices and benefit from artists’ creative thinking within their operations.

• Test the arguments for designating artists as ‘key workers’, worthy of special measures, for example for subsidised housing or workspace, tax benefits, and greater access professional development and cultural leadership opportunities.

Contributors to Future forecast

Lubna Azhar Faisal Abdu’allah Jeremy Akerman Jananne Al-Ani David A Bailey Ricardo Basbaum Chris Batt Alison Baverstock Dave Beech Tom Bewick John Beagles Anne Bean Stephen Beddoe Catherine Bertola Zarina Bhimji Angie Binns Carolyn Black Robin Bootes Sara Bowler Jason E Bowman James Boyle Daniel Brine Chris Brown Brad Butler Lucy Byatt Helen Cadwallader Joanna Callaghan Camilla Canellas Juliana Capes The Centre of Attention Chance Projects JJ Charlesworth Martin Clark Katherine Clarke Sarah Cole Paul Collard Michael Connor Jo Coupe Michael Cousin Michaela Crimmin Peter Cross Alison Crowther Neil Cummings Rose Cupit Jonathan Davis Mark Davison Shezad Dawood Lucy Day Robin Deacon Juan delGado Jeremy Deller Toby Dennett Naomi Dines Claire Doherty Lorrice Douglas Emily Druiff Steve Dutton Barnaby Drabble Nisha Duggal Sonya Dyer Tim Eastop Steven Eastwood Nina Edge Sian Ede Laura Eldret Anne Elliot Sheena Etches Deej Fabyc Denieke Ferguson Leo Fitzmaurice Michael Forbes Christopher Frayling Jonathan Freedland Functionsuite Rachel Garfield Adam Gee Shreela Ghosh Paul Glinkowski Tom Goddard Laura Godfrey Isaacs Janine Goldsworthy Manick Govinda Beryl Graham Simon Grennan Megan Griffith Rob Grose S Mark Gubb Pippa Hale Kerry Harker John Hartley Nav Haq Keith Hayman Gill Hedley Hewitt and Jordan Greg Hilty Lubaina Himid Adam Holmes-Davies Sophie Hope Brigid Howarth Anthony Howell Ian Hunter Mark Hutchinson Suzanne Hutton Mir Jansen Deborah Jenkins Susan Jones Roland Keating Deirdre Kelly John Kent Rob Kesseler Indra Khanna Jayne Knight Barbara Koenen Langlands and Bell Kelly Large Richard Layzell Kwong Lee Aviva Leeman Graham Leicester Alison Lloyd Robert Loder Marceline Loudon Kirsteen Macdonald Sandie Macrae Rohini Malik Okon James Marriott Russell Martin Rachael Matthew Tass Mavrogordato David Medalla Anne Meikle Dr Malcolm Miles Munira Mirza Chris Murray Sandy Nairne Adam Nankervis Simeon Nelson Lucy Newman Cleeve Cllr Guy Nicholson Gillian Nicol Rob Olins Gary O’Dwyer Liz O’Sullivan Richard Padwick Stephen Palmer Edith Marie Pasquier James Peto Michael Pinsky Guyan Porter David Powell Public works Rebecca Reid Peter Ride Damien Robinson Nis Romer Bruce Rosensweet Maureen Royal Janine Sack Esther Salamon Mhora Samuel Mark Segal Tom Shakespeare Anthony Shapland Becky Shaw Sally Shaw Nicholas Sharp Susannah Silver Janek Simon Mick Smith Richard Smith-Bingham Louise Short Alastair Snow Imogen Stidworthy Andre Stitt Paul Stone Tristan Surtees & Charles Blanc Erika Tan Sally Taylor Holly Tebbutt Simon Tegala Emilia Telese Mayling To Renee Turner Yvette Vaughan-Jones Martin Vincent Robin Vogel Penny Vowles Gavin Wade Sara Wajid Una Walker Joe Walsh Sarah Warden Jonathan Waring Fiddian Warman Louise Wardle Karen Watson Jane Watt Mark Waugh Liz Whitehouse Mark Wilsher Jo Wilson Louise Wirz Gareth Woollam Steve Wright Jen Wu Jan Younghusband Simon Zimmerman

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First published: Future focus June 2006