how it works

As an organisation, newplatform.art assists in creating a symbiotic relationship between artists, art schools, community arts groups and commercial organisations. The scheme benefits emerging artists and allows commercial organisations and their clients to develop cross sector relationships and encourages a knowledge exchange between the corporate and creative worlds. This provides an ideal corporate social responsibility (CSR) opportunity for those organisations to nurture new creative talent, support artists in need from a diverse range of backgrounds and at the same time providing both staff and client engagement.

for early career artists

newplatform.art comes at a time where funding cuts and a lack of creative opportunities mean artists are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain and evolve their practices. By participating in newplatform.art, commercial and other organisations select artists of promise from one or more partner art schools or community art organisations.
Selected artists will be:

• invited to show work in the organisation for one year;
• awarded a financial grant to display their work;
• offered a programme of professional development workshops, creative entrepreneurship opportunities and pro bono support from professional artists during the year that their work is on display at the corporate’s offices;
• offered the potential opportunity to participate in a commission-free auction at the end of the year;
• exposed to new audiences and gain an understanding of the corporate sector thereby experiencing new potential markets.

art schools and community arts groups

Art schools are under pressure to attract the best talent and to provide real value and opportunity from their courses. Community art groups support other early career artists. By participating in the newplatform.art programme, art schools and community arts organisations will:

• receive increased exposure as part of an innovative, national scheme;
• develop industry links and more extensive supporter networks;
• increase and showcase tangible professional development commitments.

for businesses and corporate organisations

newplatform.art provides commercial organisations with a dynamic, changing art collection, without the responsibility of ownership of a permanent collection, and a sustainable CSR programme which engages staff and clients. newplatform.art provides the structure, support and logistics to enable commercial organisations to display, support and engage.

newplatform.art will offer participating businesses a toolkit consisting of:

• support partnering with local art schools and community arts organisations;
• support in artwork selection and curation;
• exhibition install advice and contacts;
• supporting diverse, emerging artists through charitable grants;
• access to an educational programme and professional mentoring workshops for supported artists;
• support in devising workspaces which engage and stimulate staff creativity;
• implementation of an innovative & sustainable corporate social responsibility (CSR) project;
• advising on staff and client engagement;
• budget management and PR.

The flexibility of the model means that it can be adapted according to the needs and resources of the organisation, so that each can run their own custom-built contemporary art programme. The umbrella structure of newplatform.art allows participants to benefit from shared costs, drawing on nine years of experience in devising and delivering a recognised professional development programme, making this a very cost effective option.

The adaptable nature of the model, involving partnerships with many community arts organisations, enables newplatform.art to satisfy different CSR agendas, to support artists, whether they are in leading art schools, community art groups, mental health settings, prisons or other community hubs.

This scheme gives the staff of the organisation a unique opportunity to engage with the visual arts and play a crucial role in supporting the professional development of emerging artists. This represents CSR at its very best.

why organisations like NPA are needed

The Higher Education Statistics Agency statistics for in 2016 reveal that 64,115 students graduated from higher education in the creatives arts and design field. Whilst many will move into further education and into arts related jobs, a significant number have the ambition to become independent self sustaining artists. Many with creative talent are unable to contemplate art school, often for purely financial reasons. Emerging artists, whether they have recently left art school or are making their own way in the art world, are struggling to survive. newplatform.art helps those artists to learn business and other skills to enable them to make their way in the world to avoid being unfairly exploited, and enables their art practices to sustain them financially.

Creating partnerships with arts organisatons and art schools enables newplatform.art to create meaningful relationships with the commercial world and improve the dialogue between the two sectors.