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faq

24.06.10

FAQs

What does VA do?

We strengthen intercultural dialogue through the arts, which means providing information, intelligence and opportunities that enable artists, cultural professionals and arts organizations to build contacts and relationships internationally, and to share skills to build capacity for working internationally.

For more information, see About us.

 

Who funds VA?

Our main funders are the Arts Council England, Scottish Arts Council, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and British Council.

For more information on other organisations we work in partnership with, please see our Partner with us page.

 

Are you part of the British Council?

No. VA became an independent charity in 2001 having formerly been a department of the British Council, though we still work in partnership with the Council to deliver particular programmes of work.

 

What countries/regions of the world does Visiting Arts work with specifically?

We provide information and advice on as many countries and regions as possible through our network of cultural professionals with specialist knowledge.

While we try not to limit ourselves in our information provision, we have to be selective on where we work for our projects due to our finite resources, so we tend to work in countries that are identified as priorities by our board, funders and stakeholders. We also decide on country focuses based on feedback regarding areas of interested we get from contacts in the UK sector, the contacts and relationships we develop overseas through conversations and meetings with artists, cultural professionals, arts organisations, funders and diplomatic bodies.

Countries we have had a substantial working relationship with during the last three years are:
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Mali, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, Brazil, USA, Palestine, Korea…

 

Does VA produce and curate work directly?

We do not produce or curate work ourselves - instead we work with UK-based promoters, curators and presenters who want to engage with international artists and present their work to UK audiences. We do this through providing information, advice, networking/contact-making opportunities, platforms for debate and critical discussion about international work, and the initiation and promotion of collaborations through our skills exchange programmes and in-country research opportunities.

See here for more information on our current projects.

 

Where can I get funding for international projects and/or work coming into the UK?

You can use the funding section of our website for advice and information on different funding sources. Unfortunately VA is not in a position to fund third party initiatives.

 

Where can I get travel grants for research and development?

See our funding section for information on funding bodies that can support this kind of international work. Unfortunately VA is not in a position to fund travel outside of our own programmes.

 

VA is the UK Cultural Contact Point – does this mean you give EU Funds?

The UK Cultural Contact Point (CCP) is a consultation service offering advice and support to organisations wanting to put in an application for funding to the EU Culture Programme. The CCP is not a funder and therefore VA is not in a position to award EU funds. For more information see the CCP page of our website or visit www.Culturefund.eu.

 

What advice does Visiting Arts offer?

Visiting Arts offers a broad range of advice on our website in the following areas:

 

How can I get involved with Visiting Arts?

If you are an artist or cultural professional interested in participating in any of our projects please keep up to date with our current opportunities which are publicised through our opportunities page, our e-newsletter and on our facebook and  twitter  feeds.
If you are interested in partnering with us to deliver one of our projects, such as the 1mile² residency programme, you can contact the relevant staff member in charge of the project.

If you’d like to host one of our network meetings, or discuss the possibility of creating a network meeting event around a piece of international work you’re presenting, please contact: adam.knights@visitingarts.org.uk or sioned.hughes@visitingarts.org.uk.

If you are interested in partnering with us to develop a new project, providing it aligns with our mission, you can contact the relevant art form manager – see staff members. You can identify the relevant member of staff judging by which VA programmes they have managed and/or regions of the world in which they have experience.

If you would like to discuss supporting VA through financial contributions you can contact our finance director, sri.rajaratnam@visitingarts.org.uk.

 

I have a specific project I’d like to talk to VA about – who should I speak to?

Find the relevant staff member on our staff contact pages. You can identify the relevant member of staff judging by which VA programmes they have managed and/or regions of the world in which they have experience.

 

I can’t find the right person to speak to – do you have a general email for enquiries?

information@visitingarts.org.uk

 

Can I promote my own project/event through VA?

If we feel your work appropriately aligns with our mission we can include a short story in our e-newsletter or our website. To enquire further, please contact andy.kyriakides@visitingarts.org.uk. Also feel free to friend us at our facebook page and share your project.

If your project/event is associated with and/or a direct outcome of one of our programmes we would be happy to publicise it through our website and e-newsletter.

 

Can I join one of the VA networks?

To discuss joining one of our performing arts networks or one of our visual arts networks you can contact Adam Knights, arts projects manager at adam.knights@visitingarts.org.uk.

To discuss joining our Cultural Attachés network you can contact Sioned Hughes, professional development manager at sioned.hughes@visitingarts.org.uk.

 

Can I apply for an internship at VA?

VA advertises intern opportunities through our website, e-newsletter  and twitter page. Our internships normally run over a 3 month period and are roughly seasonal, with two to three new positions being made available three to four times a year. Unfortunately we rarely accept internships outside of our planned intern programme, but we are open to secondments from different organisations throughout the year.

Make sure you follow our twitter feed and sign up to our e-newsletter to stay up to date with our projects and opportunities.

 

How do I register as a user on the VA website?

Signing up is quick and easy – just click on the Register link in the top right hand corner of this page and follow the instructions.

 

Why should I register?

Registering will enable you to customise the VA homepage to include content that suits your needs and preferences. It will also allow you to create tailored RSS feeds for information that you choose to prioritise, making sure that you’re always up to date with the latest information that you require from VA’s projects and our advice and downloads section.

 

Where do I get help on how to use this website?

See our webpage on How to use the Visiting Arts website.

 

I have a technical issue with the website – who do I contact?

Andy.kyriakides@visitingarts.org.uk

 

Does Visiting Arts have a presence on any social networking sites?

VA have a twitter account and a Facebook page.

 

What's happened to the old Visiting Arts website

We're keeping the old website up for a while as an archive, although it won't be updated. You can access it by clicking here

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