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CVAN England

29th May 2024


Reframed:

A new policy agenda for the visual arts

 

CVAN England sets out an important agenda for change in the visual arts, calling on all policy makers to improve their understanding of the specific needs of the sector, and those who work within it. 

 

We all know and understand the importance and contribution of the visual arts to the creative industries (the UK art market is worth $10.9 billion, the world’s third largest) but there are very real challenges facing the sector, challenges which hamper growth and diminish the power of the sector to meet its creative, social and economic goals.

Artists are some of the lowest paid workers in the creative industries, meaning that a career in the visual arts is unattainable and unsustainable for many. Poor practises and conditions of employment – no contracts, late payments – make work and quality of life uncertain and uneven, as well as affecting the ability of artists to afford materials. It’s not surprising that low pay is the reason more than a third of the workforce are considering quitting the sector.

 

The goal must be to achieve stability and resilience of the sector and those who work within it. We must reset the policy agenda.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed further the precarity of visual arts workers, the majority of whom are freelancers. Declining levels of funding and investment in the sector has also resulted in less investment in innovation and engagement; and the UK’s departure from the EU has meant fewer job opportunities for many. All of this is set in the context of a challenging economic climate compounded by a cost of living crisis resulting in a sector unable to resist any future economic shock. 

CVAN, however, remains ambitious for the visual arts. In Reframed we set out our priorities and solutions to addressing these issues. 

 

Now is the time to reset the policy agenda and ensure that we achieve resilience and growth for the sector, as well as protect the wellbeing of our creative communities and cement our world-class standing on the global stage. 

 

 

CVAN’s Reframed policy priorities:

 

  1. INVEST IN ART AND ARTISTS.
  • Commission an independent review into investment in culture.
  • Provide new funding to support the grassroots visual arts ecosystem.
  • Explore the potential of a Tourist Levy to fund culture.
  • Optimise the benefits of Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief.
  • Introduce legislation that will generate additional revenue for artists via The Smart Fund.

 

  1. SUPPORT THE VISUAL ARTS WORKFORCE TO THRIVE.
  • Introduce a Freelancer Commissioner.
  • Tackle late payments by encouraging the adoption of the Prompt Payment Code.
  • Promote the use of contracts for all work and improve contract clarity and transparency.
  • Publish artist pay policies and fee structures.
  • Expand Arts Council England’s ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ fund.
  • Convene an expert advisory group to explore the challenges facing disabled artists.
  • Protect artists from the threats posed by unregulated AI Text and Data Mining.

 

  1. CULTIVATE THE CREATIVE WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE.
  • Review the national curriculum to ensure a greater focus on creative subjects.
  • Reform the EBaccalaureate to include creative subjects.
  • Overhaul the Progress 8 accountability measure to ensure the inclusion of creative subjects.
  • Expand the Ofsted inspection framework to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum is achieved.
  • Provide subsidised visits for school pupils to cultural venues, including galleries and museums.
  • Reinstate the Creative Partnerships programme to increase school links with artists.
  • Reverse real-terms cuts to specialist Higher Education Institution funding.

 

  1. ENSURE THE SECTOR HAS THE RIGHT RESOURCES FOR THE JOB.
  • Implement a long-term strategy to increase affordable studio space for artists.
  • Optimise the use of planning rules to better protect and grow affordable workspace for artists.
  • Boost capital investment for individual galleries and visual arts spaces.
  • Open up access to ‘meanwhile’ spaces for artists through planning reforms.
  • Provide financial support for maintaining and retrofitting existing buildings.
  • Provide a business rate exemption for galleries and artist studios.

 

  1. ENABLE ARTISTIC EXCHANGE ACROSS BORDERS.
  • Rejoin Creative Europe.
  • Implement a new creative and cultural agreement with the EU, enabling reciprocal freedom of movement for artists and other creative workers.

 

  1. CREATE A COMMON LANGUAGE OF VISUAL ARTS VALUE.
  • Formally define the visual arts sector and develop a baseline set of metrics.
  • Work with the visual arts sector to embed the Culture and Heritage Capital Framework.

 

You can explore the wider context and details of each priority in much more depth in the full document Reframed: A new policy agenda for the visual arts.

To contact your regional MP, download a pro-forma letter here.

 

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