Creative & Cultural Skills
23 November 2009

A major workforce development plan for the visual arts sector has been launched at the new Nottingham Contemporary gallery in the East Midlands.

Developed by employers and practitioners in the visual arts sector, the Visual Arts Blueprint, published by Creative & Cultural Skills in partnership with Arts Council England, puts in place an action plan to tackle the skills needs of the visual arts sector across its 37,480-strong workforce.

The Visual Arts Blueprint calls on the sector for an increased commitment to continuing professional development and training, specifically leadership and business skills. It also highlights the urgent need to diversify a workforce which is 95% white and facing ever-increasing global competitiveness.

There is also emphasis within the Blueprint on the need to ensure that the visual arts sector interacts well with the education system, ensuring that qualifications are fit-for-purpose and that students thoroughly understand what it means to work in the industry.

The Visual Arts Blueprint was developed through extensive consultation with those in the sector, ranging from individual artists, art development agencies, and public and commercial galleries from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The drafting of the document was overseen by an Advisory Panel made up of key representatives from the sector.

Tom Bewick, Group Chief Executive, Creative & Cultural Skills, said:

“The Visual Arts Blueprint springs directly from research and consultation with visual arts employers. It is a crucial call to action for the sector. Although the visual arts contribute £1.9billion GVA to the UK economy each year, we are in danger of losing our place as one of the world’s leading visual arts hubs unless skills needs are addressed directly. We want to make sure that everyone in the visual arts sector is aware of the full range of opportunities open to them, and is supported consistently and coherently throughout their training and professional life.”

Vivienne Bennett, Director, Visual Arts Strategy at Arts Council England, said:

“Workforce development is absolutely vital for the visual arts in the UK. Now that we have mapped out many of the potential solutions for strengthening professional resources and pathways, it is important that we can come together as a sector to deliver a range of schemes and new ways of working to improve our professional and creative lives.”

Stephen Beddoe, Programme Manager, Artquest and member of the Visual Arts Skills Advisory Panel, said:

“The Blueprint is important to practising artists and freelance practitioners in that it begins to clearly articulate the complexity and diversity of approaches that make up the sector. It is a road map allowing us to better understand (and appreciate) the fact that practice and professionalism are absolutely interlinked. It is a Blueprint that all in the sector can sign up to.”

Download the Visual Arts Blueprint.

Ends
For more information on this press release please contact Catherine Large, Director of External Relations at Creative & Cultural Skills:
Catherine.Large@ccskills.org.uk or 020 7015 1828.

Notes to editors:

Creative & Cultural Skills

Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries in the UK. Our remit covers the areas of: advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and performing, literary and visual arts. For more information please visit www.ccskills.org.uk.

The Visual Arts Blueprint is one of a family of action plans spanning the creative sectors, stemming from research undertaken by Creative & Cultural Skills into the skills needs of the creative and cultural industries. This research – the Creative Blueprint, Creative & Cultural Skills’ Sector Skills Agreement with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills – surveyed over 2,000 employers across the creative and cultural industries, examining skills issues. All our Blueprints are available on our website at www.ccskills.org.uk.

Key statistics from the Visual Arts Blueprint:

• The visual arts sector employs 37,480 people, of which 46% are freelance
• There are 28,490 visual artists in the UK
• 95% of people working in the visual arts sector are white, and 50% are female
• The visual arts sector contributes £1.9 billion (GVA) to the national economy per year
• 22% of the visual arts workforce is based in London, 7% in Scotland, 7% in Wales and 1% in Northern Ireland
• 38% of visual arts employees have first degrees
• 75% of visual arts businesses employ fewer than five people
• 19% of visual arts employees have a postgraduate qualification

Our priorities as an organisation are outlined in our Strategic Plan 2005-2010. Please contact Creative & Cultural Skills for a copy or visit www.ccskills.org.uk.

Nottingham Contemporary

Nottingham Contemporary is a brand new art gallery in the historic centre of Nottingham. It opened its doors on 14 November 2009 with exhibitions of the work of David Hockney and Frances Stark. For more information please see www.nottinghamcontemporary.org.