Our Priorities

  • Sector development EDI

    To lead by example and ensure all working practices are scrutinized and challenged for their accessibility and inherent bias.

  • CVAN representation

    To act as the regional representative of the national CVAN England network.

  • Research programme

    To actively promote and commission sector specific research based on a circular model with the practitioners.

  • Anti racism

    To lead by example in working towards becoming an anti racist organization.

  • Artist profiles

    To promote and advocate for artists and organizations operating in the region that demonstrate excellence with our core principles.

  • Artist status

    To capture the impact of economic, environmental and political events on the sector generating empirical data.

  • Climate Crisis

    To acknowledge that art and culture can help in the response to the Climate Crisis, and this is intrinsically linked to equity of opportunity.

  • Innovative Placemaking

    To support and celebrate the Artist led networks in our region.

    To work with local areas to embed art making in the public realm.

  • Knowledge Share events

    Knowledge Share events

    Provide opportunities for the sector to meet and learn from peer to peer models and targeted specialists based on demand/need.

  • Organisational stability

    To ensure the governance of the organisation operates within the Articles of Association which are relevant to its operation, which will be legal and viable.

    To pursue relationships with organizations with appropriate principles to further our objectives.

    Develop diverse income streams.

  • Regions network ecology

    Identify opportunities for collaborative working with the priority Places and Levelling up areas in the Y&H region.

  • Publications

    To ensure the findings from the regions artist based research is made accessible by generating publications for dissemination both online and in print, recognising digital poverty.

Black Lives Matter

A call for a response from the visual arts sector in support of the black lives matter movement.

This is a message of solidarity with Black Lives Matter to condemn racism, and a commitment to improve YVAN’s practices for anyone who is currently discriminated against by the arts because of their skin colour.

We acknowledge that YVAN has a journey to make to become the organisation where artists of colour see and feel their culture and presence is truly represented in
its programme and governance. This is a journey of change — it is long overdue.

YVAN is committed to taking this forward to ensure the visual arts in Yorkshire is contemporary, inclusive and diverse; that it opens up opportunities in fair and transparent ways; and challenges itself and network of partners to examine the unconscious bias and prejudice against Black culture and BIPOC communities that permeate the arts and its institutions.

We ask all of those working in leadership roles to now break this status quo through education, policy and programme to make visible the changes required.

 We ask our colleagues and artists of colour to watch this space whilst we begin reassessing our practices and actioning our commitment to levering institutional change in the arts sector.

We are concerned about making value statements as an ally of the Black Lives Matter movement without showing a related programme of activity that is authentic. We commit to do this in ways that foster wider dialogue and debate.

YVAN works towards being an anti- racist organisation for the visual arts in the Yorkshire region. YVAN continues to demonstrate its commitment to Equity, Diversity and Well-Being through its governance and programme structures.

We need to hear your thoughts please contact ceo@yvan.org.uk


Statement from the Chair and Directors of Yorkshire and Humber Visual Arts Network: Sue Ball (Exec Chair), Louise Atkinson, Michael Barnes-Wynters, Alice Bradshaw, Sharon Gill, Helen Nakhwal, Liz Ainge, Laura Biddle, Emma Frost, Adele Howitt and Chris Twigg