Passing It On: Lessons Learnt from the Fair and Equitable pilot phase

Our partner network CVAN’s Fair and Equitable programme had ambitious aims for the pilot year (September 2021 – October 2022). This document shares some of the lessons learnt, as well as outlining processes, activities and recommendations, with the aim of passing this knowledge and insight on to artists, arts workers and organisations in the visual arts sector. The evaluation has been compiled from the pilot programme team Dr Cecilia Wee and Rukhsana Jahangir. 

The pilot year intended to work with experts to set the conditions and vision for the Fair and Equitable programme as it progressed.

The CVAN network is grateful for the work undertaken by our colleagues. Heartfelt thanks go to the team, Dr Cecilia Wee, Rukhsana Jahangir, Veionella Spaine and Monique Jivram. They designed an open and creative space for enquiry, dialogue and challenge that could deal with complex experiences.

This document should be read alongside the Fair and Equitable programme research report: Fostering Equity in the Visual Arts Sector, available as a 60-page report and eight-page bite-sized summary here.

The pilot year of the Fair and Equitable programme took place between September 2021 and October 2022 and was funded by Arts Council England and The Art Fund. 

The pilot phase was an opportunity for CVAN to test approaches to working with: 

• the nine CVAN regions 
• artists and arts workers from marginalised and underrepresented communities 
• the wider visual arts sector – to share findings, information, recommendations, and resources 

The Fair and Equitable programme comes at a crucial time for the visual arts sector in England and the broader arts and cultural sector in the UK. Significant economic, environmental, social, and political shifts offer opportunities and challenges for the visual arts to transform and become a more representative, inclusive, and equitable sector. It aims to value existing work by artists and arts workers from marginalised and underrepresented communities and to ensure that the rich and vital voices of these artists and arts workers can thrive. 

Intersectionality is at the heart of the Fair and Equitable programme’s approach, leading from the lived experiences and knowledge of artists and arts workers who experience multiple barriers. 

Objectives of the Fair and Equitable programme pilot year (2021-2022): 

• To ensure that artists and arts workers from marginalised communities feel their voices and perspectives are heard, acknowledging that the experiences they face may be systemic and cannot be individualised 
• To ensure that artists and arts workers who participate in CVAN’s professional development programme find it a rewarding opportunity and feel that they are listened to, and that their insights are valued and acted on 
• To demonstrate that artists and arts workers from marginalised communities and arts workers in organisations can turn to CVAN’s work as a resource of information and evidence 
• To support people working within organisations to improve their skills in establishing an equitable practice 
• To support CVAN regions to become more connected to artists and arts workers from marginalised communities