My article ‘Artists are their own agents of change’ has been published on Guardian Culture Professionals. In it I address the themes of two of the key events on the visual arts calendar – Arts Council England’s State of the Arts at the Lowry, Salford, aimed at senior arts professionals, and OpenAIR at Firstsite, Colchester, aimed at visual artists.

I suggest that in order for artists to start ‘shaping the world’ they need to ‘effect change’ closer to home. I believe there needs to be a fundamental change in the perceived value of artists to society, but this needs to come from within the sector itself. It means addressing issues such as late payments, unpaid internships, copyright infringements, unlawful evictions, and failure to comply with the basic terms and conditions of a contract.

How can wider society raise the value of artists if the arts sector continues to devalue them? Too many artists I know continue to be exploited by the very people who should have their backs – this needs to change.

To read the entire article click here »

Read my report from OpenAIR here »