We’re looking for artists and makers to join our Artist Advisory Group

Are you an artist or maker based in either North East Lincolnshire or the West Midlands? Would you like to share your views and experiences on accessing support and professional development, building a sustainable livelihood or barriers to equality, diversity and inclusion? We would like to hear from you.

We are creating our first ever Artist Advisory Group to help us be informed and to better understand the challenges and opportunities that exist for artists and makers to develop sustainable careers in England. It will be a safe space to come together where honest opinions and experiences can be shared, without judgement. Your contributions will play a vital role in developing and delivering our strategies to support artists and creatives around the UK.

The aim of our Arts Advisory Group is to help us understand the challenges and opportunities to develop sustainable careers for visual artists and makers living in Arts Council England Priority Places and Levelling Up for Culture Places. This is why we’re focusing initially on North East Lincolnshire and West Midlands.

We’d love to hear a mix of different perspectives that will enable us to develop artist-centred policies to amplify our support for artists and their livelihoods. To allow for a wide range of voices to be heard, membership of our Advisory Group will be refreshed on an annual basis and we’ll focus on two different locations each year.

Are you a professional artist or maker who is:

  • currently considered underrepresented in the arts and crafts field – i.e. you’re facing barriers, marginalisation, and inequality to opportunities due to physical health/disability, sensory impairment, learning disabilities, mental health issues, neurodivergence, sexuality, gender, or ethnicity.
  • working across one or more contemporary visual art and craft practices, with a focus on producing works of art or craft that are made available for sale to members of the public on a routine basis.
  • living and/or working in one of the following two locations in England:
    • North East Lincolnshire
    • West Midlands

Register your interest to join our Artist Advisory Group via link to the online application form below. The form includes the option to submit your motivation in either written, audio or video format.

The deadline for application has passed.

What we can offer you:

  • Compensation of £75 per group discussion meeting (this does not include the online introductory session). Group discussion meetings will last about 2 hours, on average.
  • Travel costs for any in-person group discussion meetings.
  • Refreshments and snacks at in-person group discussion meetings.
  • Cover for additional out of pocket expenses, including any costs relating to access needs.
  • A chance to be part of a network of artists in your local area.
  • The opportunity to be profiled as part of our Artist Advisory Group on our website and social media channels.

What we ask in return:

  • You will be able to attend an initial online introductory session, 4 x group discussion meetings (online or in-person in your local area) across a 12-month period, starting from July 2024.
  • You will contribute to meaningful group discussions with your insight, experiences, ideas, and opinions in an open and transparent way, via dialogue with peers and the Creative United team – advising on four core strategic themes:
    • Building sustainable art practices and artists’ livelihoods
    • Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the arts
    • Access to skills and opportunities
    • Community and ecosystems
  • You will complete mini surveys, across a 12-month period, in between quarterly group meetings.