Visual Arts Network
The Visual Arts Network is a membership organisation with charitable status, founded in 1999. The Visual Arts Network's aims are:
- To provide an umbrella network for visual artists, designers and makers, arts promoters and educators, groups and galleries and people who are interested in participating in and developing visual arts related activities and opportunities in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin through subscription membership.
- To raise the profile of the visual arts in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and beyond and promote the value of visual art in the community as a whole.
- To, promote, support and enhance involvement and participation in the visual arts including visual arts education by developing public access, interest and understanding of visual arts in the county of Shropshire and its environs.
- To continue to be a lobbying platform for visual arts working with other arts groups, organisations.
VAN is a non-selective network, its membership made up of artists and non-artists supportive of its aims. VAN's voluntary committee is formally constituted to manage day to day running of the network. VAN's strength is in its membership and relies on its members coming forward with projects and ideas. It is important that members show an active interest and involvement in VAN projects to keep it alive and well.
VAN has been a driving force for cultural development and is directly and indirectly responsible for the inception of many different arts related projects in the region and has significantly kick started the growth of the arts in Shrewsbury and initiated the Open Studios in Shropshire.
VAN's achievements have included the launch a permanent, Gallery and Studio base, available for hire, at the Market Hall Shrewsbury, as part of the Galleries Live initiative. The Gallery aims to show work by Artists, Designers and Makers from Shropshire Telford and Wrekin and beyond. The aim is to provide a forum in which the community may see and participate in the visual arts in a setting not normally associated with the Arts.
The community based network encourages inclusion of the whole county in visual art activity and access across Shropshire and is actively making links with other networking groups in the region.
To find out more about VAN visit the website at: www.vanetwork.co.uk
To join the Visual Art Network contact VAN, email admin@vanetwork.co.uk or complete subscription online via the website or Carola Fielden [Chair] email carolasw@talktalk.net. Non artists welcome.