No art is an island

Developing new international markets and investment for the arts and artists is critical to unlocking the creative potential of the UK. Creativity is, after all, widely regarded as a key to economic recovery. To unlock this creativity internationally, our artists and cultural entrepreneurs are expected to be “mobile” and able to work beyond physical, economic and technological borders. Like any other sector, international business demands that barriers are removed.
As a partnership between the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) and the British Council, Wales Arts International supports artists and organisations to work internationally, whilst also working with the Welsh Assembly Government to increase the profile of Wales and Welsh culture on the world stage. Our International Opportunities fund is aimed at assisting artists to develop and bring new investment to their work from outside Wales. However, we have discovered that to fully support our artists to work internationally, merely expecting return on investment in purely financial terms is pointless. The return may be years down the line. That’s why information and direct advice are paramount.
In Wales, our reputation as a creative nation is growing, but our economy has been struggling since the demise of heavy industry and the recent diminishing of manufacturing. One of the privileges of working for Wales internationally is that we see on a daily basis how our small nation is bursting with artistic talent and creative potential that it has only partly been discovered by the world. To develop this potential we need to remember that no art is an island: international ideas, influences and partnerships are essential.
Wales Arts International is a member of the ‘Practics’ EU pilot project that supports the mobility of artists in Europe. The four EU info points, one of which is in Wales, help artists and cultural workers to overcome obstacles in pursuing international careers. More of our artists and organisations are looking for practical support and information about a wide range of issues from visas to taxation, and from permits to employment law. At a recent European partnership meeting in Cardiff, arts organisations from Wales heard a range of topical presentations from our partners from key cultural organisations across Europe including how legal advice is provided by Kunstenloket to the arts sector in Belgium, how Trans Artists runs its successful residencies programme in the Netherlands and how Pearle engages with European networks to represent members’ interests. There are many issues that can be addressed through partnership working and learning.
We are proud of the relationships that our artists are developing worldwide. Alongside these burgeoning international careers, our artists are a great cultural relations asset, as seen in our recent work in China in partnership with British Council and Welsh Assembly Government. An exchange programme for visual artists from Wales and China saw Mary Lloyd Jones, Iwan Bala and Christine Mills exhibiting their work in Chongqing, Beijing and Guangzhou. With the same partnership, National Dance Company of Wales’ recent tour of China certainly raised the profile of the company and of Wales. The tour’s media campaign reached 35 million people, nearly 12 times the entire population of Wales!