October 2007

Editorial

By: a-n

This month’s a-n Collection: Country living puts a spotlight on artistic activity in rural locations. Rosemary Shirley’s central essay tackles assumptions about artistic practice taking place outside urban conurbations, and highlights projects that embrace the many and varied experiences of the ‘rural’ and engage with everyday life1. The associated ‘Rural initiatives’ feature in this issue highlights some of the rural arts organisations with whom we have relationships, drawing attention to their aspirations and activities.

Isolation and lack of visibility are often cited as issues for artists and arts organisations working outside of the UK’s main urban centres, so the positioning of Country living and this month’s a-n Magazine at Frieze Art Fair2 in London offer a counterbalance to the dominance of urban culture within the art world.

Frieze is also the launch pad for Interface3, a-n’s major new web development and focal point around the presentation of contemporary visual arts. Incorporating the new improved Reviews unedited that allows you to post up your own new critical writing on contemporary art exhibitions, performances, artists’ publications and public art works that you’ve seen and now has a feedback function so you can comment on other reviews posted.

Taking a non-hierarchical approach to what is covered, and raising the level of critical debate around artwork is something we know is important for artists. Through its growing community of Reviews unedited contributors, Interface is connected to a vibrant and diverse arts landscape and reflects a healthy array of activity across the UK and beyond. Maintaining the synergy and mutuality between practitioners and galleries and commissioners is at the core of our fees and payments research, with sample day rates for 07/08 now published on our website4.


Gillian Nicol
a-n Editor

1 The full collection including Rosemary Shirley’s newly commissioned articles, research references and complementary texts selected from a-n’s archive can be read at www.a-n.co.uk/country_living
2 Meet a-n people on stand M15 at the Frieze Art Fair, 11-14 October, and also at Zoo – AIR members can get discounted entry tickets to Frieze and Zoo art fairs, login to www.a-n.co.uk/AIR for full details.
3 www.a-n.co.uk/interface brings together What’s on and Reviews and fully integrates Reviews unedited, our open, unfiltered platform for critical writing, as well as providing a new much-needed signpost to new writers and a range of interesting venues.
4 www.a-n.co.uk/fees_&_payments

a-n

First published: a-n Magazine October 2007

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