Theme 1: The sector’s diversity and relationships

Priority 1 Place
Profile and advocate for the role of artists and arts organisations in place-making initiatives, highlighting innovative practice and case studies in urban, rural and coastal settings.

Priority 2 Regional Snapshot
Build an information resource, available through YVAN website, that provides an overview of the visual arts sector in Yorkshire & Humber, and supports active input to national CVAN debates and planning, providing updates and briefing to sector in Yorkshire & Humber.

Theme 2: Professional and creative development

Priority 1 Sector development
Collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University to deliver a pilot programme providing continuing professional development support for individual artists and small-scale, artist-led collectives and organisations, addressing (but not limited to) recent graduates and early career practitioners.

Priority 2 Artists’ Status
Profile and advocate for initiatives to improve the terms and conditions of artistic practice, making the case for the needs of individual practitioners, and supporting the development of commercial art market in the region.

Theme 3: Collaborative planning and action

Priority 1 Nourish
Deliver programme of Nourish conversations with the sector to test and improve the Regional Snapshot, and identify issues arising for action. Alternate between four sub-regional sessions in one year, and a regional conference the following.

Priority 2 Partnerships
Develop new and maintain current partnerships to collaborate on events, research and initiatives to support and nurture visual arts on a regional, national and international scale.

Theme 4: Sustainability

Priority 1 Organisational resilience
Consolidating YVAN’s governance and ensuring effective management, identifying and securing diverse sources of income to support programme delivery. Establishing robust evaluation to ensure learning from operation and activities informs YVAN’s development.

Priority 2 Sustainable practice
Profile and advocate for initiatives and events that develop innovative approaches to explore sustainability and visual arts practice.