A specific artform has been named as a priority by Arts Council England (ACE) for the first time since the organisation began to set national strategy in 2001. ‘Visual arts’ has been identified as one of four development priorities alongside ‘digital opportunity’, ‘children and young people’ and ‘London 2012’. ACE’s new plan, ‘Great art for everyone’, outlines what Chief Executive Alan Davey calls its “mission for the next three years, ten years and beyond” and its intention to invest in excess of £1.6bn of public money. The plan has drawn heavily on the Arts Debate, a programme of research and consultation begun in October 2006, and has also been informed by the McMaster Review (see AP161), the Creative Britain Strategy (see AP165) and the McIntosh review of ACE’s investment strategy (see AP176). ACE’s performance will be judged against a set of national objectives, agreed with the DCMS, which encapsulate much of the strategising carried out by ACE over the past ten years: excellence, reach, engagement, diversity and innovation.
Developments in digital technology will include a three-year research programme into public engagement, digital markets and digital artforms, and “encouraging digital innovation through new partnerships such as Channel 4’s 4IP initiative”. 4IP is part of C4’s ‘Next on 4’ strategy, investing £50m in a creative fund “that aims to re-invent how publicly-valuable content is conceived, funded and delivered for British audiences on new media platforms”. The visual arts will be developed in line with ‘Turning Point’, a ten-year strategy published in 2006, which brought together an advisory group to outline actions including working with the DCMS on national and regional action plans and a national visual arts conference.
ACE will also continue its emphasis on work with children and young people (aged up to 25) via national initiatives including Creative Partnerships, Find Your Talent (see AP164), Arts Award and Artsmark, and in partnership organisations such as Youth Music (which will continue to receive £10m a year from the Lottery), the education and training sectors and the Youth Justice Board. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is identified as “an unprecedented opportunity for the UK to reinforce our reputation as a world leader in culture”. ACE repeats its intention to pay £5m into the Legacy Trust, while also “enabling Grants for the arts to support innovative projects inspired by the Olympics, particularly ones that engage children and young people”. There will also be an emphasis on developing “the festival, street theatre and circus sectors, to host ambitious, high-impact outdoor events”. Unlike previous strategy documents (see below), the plan names a range of specific regional arts projects including the Creative Campus at Aldeburgh in Suffolk and the Nottingham Contemporary and New Arts Exchange, as part of the national vision.
'Ambitions for the arts 2003–2006’
• supporting the artist
• enabling organisations to thrive, not just survive
• championing cultural diversity
• offering opportunities for young people
• encouraging growth
• living up to our values
‘Our agenda for the arts 2006–2008’
• taking part in the arts
• children and young people
• the creative economy
• vibrant communities
• internationalism
• celebrating diversity
‘Great art for everyone 2008–2011’
Development priorities
• digital opportunity
• visual arts
• children and young people
• London 2012
National objectives
• Excellence – high quality art and arts experience
• Reach – more people attending and taking part
• Engagement – opportunities to get involved
• Diversity – arts that reflect the diversity of
• contemporary England
• Innovation – artists have the freedom and are
• challenged to innovate