Useful resources for freelance artists, designers and for anyone thinking about a career in the arts and cultural sector.
General
ACID Anti Copying in Design
ACID is the UK’s leading design and intellectual property campaigning organisation, based in Malvern. They are a trade association for designers and manufacturers; a not-for-profit organisation funded by membership fees. Their aim is to provide cost effective tips, advice and guidelines to help our members protect their intellectual property to achieve growth through a proactive IP strategy.
A-N the Artist’s Information Company
a-n is the largest artists’ membership organisation in the UK, they are based in London and Newcastle. They support artists and those who work with them in many practical ways, acting on behalf of their members and the visual arts sector to improve artists’ livelihoods. a-n’s mission is to stimulate and support contemporary visual arts practice and affirm the value of artists in society.
Artsadmin
An agency supporting artists to produce, interdisciplinary work for local, national and international audiences. They support artists at every stage of their development with free advice and opportunities. At Toynbee Studios in London, Artsadmin has established a centre for the creation, rehearsal and presentation of new work. They lead projects that explore, communicate and take practical action against issues around climate change and the environment.
Artquest
Advice, information and opportunities for visual artists. Artquest is a programme of University of the Arts London supported by Arts Council England. They aim to increase understanding amongst artists about the art world, helping them find work, make work, sell work and network. Their target audience is graduate professional artists at any stage in their careers, working in any medium.
Artists Access to Art Colleges
The AA2A project provides placements for visual artists and designer makers in Higher and Further Education institutions across England.
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is a public body that distributes government and lottery funding for the arts in England
Axisweb
Axisweb is a Wakefield based independent charity who provide a platform to support and profile artists.
Crafts Council
The Crafts Council is a national agency for the development of contemporary crafts.
Creative and Cultural Skills
Creative & Cultural Skills gives young people opportunities to work and learn in the creative industries. They are an independent charity that provides careers advice and guidance, promotes apprenticeships, and delivers activities for young people through the National Skills Academy network of industry and education supporters.
Creative Future
A national arts charity supporting under-represented artists. Creative Future aim to be a bridge from the margins to the mainstream and to inspire aspiration and artistic excellence amongst under-represented artists and writers. They provide training, mentoring and the chance to publish or exhibit to talented people who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, health, identity or other social circumstance.
DACS
DACS campaigns for artists’ rights, championing their sustained contribution to the creative economy. They collect and distribute royalties to visual artists and their estates through Payback, Artist’s Resale Right, Copyright Licensing and Artimage.
Dash
A Shrewsbury based Disability led visual arts organisation, Dash commission work by disabled visual artists, run workshops, mentoring and training for artists.
Museum Freelance
Museum Freelance is volunteer-run network set up to support and champion freelancers and consultants working with museums, galleries, archives, libraries, and heritage sites.
New Art West Midlands
A contemporary visual arts network for the West Midlands. New Art West Midlands organise an annual exhibition of selected work from recent graduates from six regional art schools.
Paying Artists
Paying Artists aims to secure payment for artists who exhibit in publicly-funded galleries
Arts and health
Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance
Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance are a sector support organisation for the cultural sector, funded by Arts Council England.
Report – Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing, July 2017
Published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts Health and Wellbeing. The aim of the report is to improve awareness of the benefits that the arts can bring to health and wellbeing and to stimulate progress towards making these benefits a reality in the UK
Report – Artists Practising Well by Nicola Naismith, March 2019
A research report exploring affective Support for Creative Practitioners working in Health and Wellbeing settings.
Artists working in education
Arts Connect
Arts Connect is the Arts Council Bridge organisation for the West Midlands, connecting the cultural sector and the education sector to give children and young people access to arts and cultural opportunities.
An advocacy and training network for Gallery education
Arts and The Environment
Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World
A Devon based charity exploring new understandings of our place within nature, through the arts
Creative Carbon Scotland
An interactive community of Scottish arts organisations of Scottish arts organisations working to reduce their environmental impact.
Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing – @S4sSensibility
A collaborative research project between the University of Exeter and Wolverhampton University School of Arts exploring how we can contribute to finding solutions by encourage everyone to THINK, FEEL and ACT more sustainably in relation to the clothes we wear.
Invisible Dust
Invisible Dust works with artists and scientists to produce unique and exciting works of contemporary art and new scientific ideas exploring our environment and climate change and making the invisible visible
Julie’s Bicycle
Julie’s Bicycle is a London based charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Staging Change
Staging Change is a network of performers and makers working towards a green theatre and entertainment industry.
Public Art Sustainability Assessment Tool
An initiative by Chrysalis Arts to promote good sustainable practice in public art. It is available for artists, commissioners and anyone else who may be involved in the development, creation, maintenance and decommissioning of public art.
Report – Sustaining Great Art and Culture: Arts Council Environmental Report 2017-18 by Julie’s Bicycle
Report – Towards a Circular Economy briefing paper by Julie’s Bicycle, September 2018
Participatory/community arts
Artworks Alliance
Artworks Alliance is a network that aims to create better participatory arts through research, training and evaluation.
Creative People & Places
Creative People and Places (CPP) is an action research programme funded through Arts Council England with the aim of bringing high quality arts opportunities to areas where it has been identified via a postal and online survey that less people are taking part in the arts.
The CPPs in the Midlands region currently include Creative Black Country (in Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall) and Appetite in Stoke on Trent.
Photography
Grain
Grain are a Midlands based arts organisation who develop ambitious contemporary photography projects and professional development opportunities for artists and photographers.
The Photographic Collections Network
The Photographic Collections Network protects and shares the UK’s diverse photographic collections and archives for everyone.
Redeye Photography Network
Manchester based Redeye is a not-for-profit Community Benefit Society set up to support photographers at every level, and build networks across photography.
© Moya Lloyd May 2019