Students

Graduating in 2010, new recruits to the creative profession face swinging cuts at Arts Council England and Arts Council of Wales - so how does AIR: Artists’ Interaction and Representation maintain its structure of support as its membership grows?

Jack Hutchinson explains

With over 14,500 members AIR: Artists Interaction and Representation is the largest membership body for visual artists and continues to lead campaigns for increased representation of artists' concerns to government and policy-makers. It seeks to represent its members' interests across the wide spectrum of arts enablers and employers, recognising the diverse practices and aspirations within contemporary visual artists' development.

A member of European Council of Artists, AIR also seeks to work in partnership with existing artists organisations including Scottish Artists Union and Visual Artists Ireland, to create a coherent and persuasive voice for artists across the UK and within Europe.

Forthcoming cuts in levels of university staffing means a reduction in jobs for the largest employer of artists: it also means a loss in varied tutorial exercise for students entering into their final year. AIR looks at how to support graduates joining the profession this summer and all other artists operating professionally.

Effective voice for students and professionals

This July we launched the Road map to artists' representation, setting out its framework for representation, designed to provide an effective voice for visual and applied artists in a challenging environment. The AIR Representation framework will provide transparent and open channels for communication and interaction, identifying and prioritising campaigns and facilitating elections to the AIR Council.

Activists in peer representation

AIR Activists - a national network for artists' self-representation - is designed to give support and opportunity for practitioners advocating the development of professional needs and concerns of others. Supporting the initiative, AIR founder-member and artist David Cotterrell said: "AIR is about creating solidarity amongst artists, now and in the future."

Does AIRTIME fit your term time?

AIR facilitates regular events called AIRTIME that are open to all artists and final year art students. These free practical and inspirational events provide advice, networking and camaraderie. Over eight hundred artists and final-years have already participated in events held across England and Wales.

The social media connection

We utilises social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook for quick mobilisation of our members for relevant campaigns. Therefore if you spot anything that you think AIR should be advocating, direct message us on Twitter and we will promote it. Similarly, if you want to comment and network with other AIR members, use the hashtag #AIRmembers to immediately connect [1].

Links

For more info on AIR and how to become an AIR Activist visit: www.air-artists.org

Download your free copy of the Road Map to Representation: www.a-n.co.uk/air/topic/646944

To find out more about AIRTIME and to book a place visit: www.a-n.co.uk/air/article/540738

Follow AIR on Twitter

Join the AIR Facebook group

Subscribe to the AIR Podcast on iTunes

[1] Hashtags are used on Twitter to build up search results and collate lists of interest. So the more you use a hash tag such as #AIRmembers, the more your voice will be seen and heard – the more links to you! A great way to keep in touch with the right people.

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