Turning Point is our 10-year strategy, launched in 2006, for strengthening the contemporary visual arts. It aims to increase the activity, reach and engagement of the visual arts and to secure a national network of venues and development agencies providing high-quality visual art programmes.
Between 2008 and 2011 we will lay the foundations for putting the rest of the Turning Point goals into practice. A key part of this will involve setting up regional strategy groups, with representatives from our regularly funded organisations, visual artists and others; these groups will give visual arts organisations a voice, share their knowledge and help them work better together.
We will foster innovation and excellence through a variety of projects, such as international exchanges and developing opportunities for new digital media in artistic practice, display and distribution, and audience development.
Our work includes:
- extending the Inspire fellowship for Black African, Caribbean, Chinese, South Asian and South-East Asian curators aimed at boosting their presence in museums and galleries
- a significant artwork as the centrepiece of the public art strategy for Portland/Weymouth – host of 2012 Olympic sporting events
- working with the National Trust to improve access to public art
- enhancing Liverpool’s reputation as a visual arts centre of excellence, both nationally and internationally
- launch of Firstsite in 2011 in Colchester, the largest contemporary art gallery in the east of England
- increasing artists’ commissions
- supporting artists through a number of workspace, market and career-development initiatives
- raising the curatorial and business skills of organisations and individuals in the visual arts
