Foreword from the Chair and Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales These are challenging times for the publicly funded arts in Wales. This isn’t because people don’t care about them – the public are enjoying and taking part in the arts in large numbers. It isn’t because the work is poor – critical acclaim and international distinction tells us differently. The arts remain vulnerable because continuing economic pressures are forcing uncomfortable choices about which areas of civic life can argue the most persuasive case for support. Fortunately, the Welsh Government recognises and understands the value of arts and creativity. Even in these difficult times, the Government is increasing its funding to the Arts Council in 2017/18 by 3.5%. This vote of confidence in Wales’ artists and arts organisations is as welcome as it’s deserved. But economic austerity continues and this increases our responsibility to ensure that the benefits that the arts offer are available to all. If we want Wales to be fair, prosperous and confident, improving the quality of life of its people in all of the country’s communities, then we must make the choices that enable this to happen – hard choices that will require us to be clear about our priorities. We intend over the coming years to make some important changes – not recklessly or heedlessly, but because we feel that we must try harder to ensure that the benefits of the arts are available more fairly across Wales. It is time to tackle the lack of engagement, amongst those not traditionally able to take part in the arts and in those places where the chance to enjoy the arts is more limited. Because, whilst talent is everywhere, opportunity isn’t. So our mission must be to extend further and reach deeper, in genuine pursuit of our Mission – “making the arts central to the life and well-being of the nation”. It’s not a mission that we can deliver on our own. We have an energetic network of funded organisations (especially our Arts Portfolio Wales), local authorities who are committed to their communities, and a variety of organisations and individuals who give voluntarily of their time and effort to keep the arts alive across Wales. All have a role to play as we work together to make Wales a creatively active nation. The opportunity is in reach. We know that the arts have the potential to illuminate and give life to the wide range of strategies that underpin public life. From arts and health to cultural tourism, public art to town centre re-generation, the arts can bring meaning, authenticity and enjoyment to our everyday lives. They create and sustain jobs, enrich education services, bring people together, make Wales a better and more creatively active nation. These are surely things worth fighting for. Phil George Chair, Arts Council of Wales 2 Our Operational Plan this year reflects an important moment of change. Over the past 12 months we’ve undertaken a thorough examination of what we do and how we do it – what we’ve called our Organisational Review. The Review was designed to reduce our running costs, ensuring that as much money as possible goes directly into the arts. However, the outcome of our Review will be challenging. The cumulative impact of two Reviews in five years reduces our staff numbers by around 25%. This is significant. It means a tighter focus on our priorities and a simplification of the way we work. It’s all about ensuring that we remain relevant and fit for purpose – challenging in our targets, but realistic in what we feel we can achieve. During 2017/18 we’ll be implementing our new staff structure and making some changes to how we work. With National Lottery funding for the arts likely to reduce in coming years, we are going to have to sharpen up our priorities. Our revenue funded organisations – Arts Portfolio Wales – are already working hard to make themselves more resilient, lessening their dependence on public subsidy. We need to apply a similar approach to those projects and organisations supported through Lottery funding. But ultimately, such organisational and financial housekeeping – important though it is – must only be a means to an end. We exist to find and invest in exceptional arts, and do everything we can to bring this work within reach of as many people as possible How we’ll do this is explained in this Operational Plan. Nick Capaldi Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales 3 Contents Who we are 6 Values 7 What we do 8 Our Strategy 10 Our Operating Environment 14 Organising our work 21 Financial information 25 Appendices 1. Our targets for 2017/18 2. Governance Structure 3. Arts Portfolio Wales 4 Who we are We are the country’s official funding and development organisation for the arts. Our principal sponsor is the Welsh Government. We also distribute funding from the National Lottery and raise additional money where we can from other public and private sector sources. Working together with the Welsh Government, we support and promote the important contribution that the arts make to Wales. We want to foster an environment in which the arts are able to flourish – an environment which identifies and nurtures creative talent, wherever it’s found in Wales, to its full potential. Our work is informed by the principles that govern our work as a public body. Expert 1 We have within our staff advisers and networks the country’s largest single source of arts expertise. We aim to improve and develop that expertise by drawing on the knowledge and expertise of artists, arts organisations and partners. Effective 2 The public rightly demands that the institutions they finance to be efficient and cost effective. Those who we work with expect us to get the basics right and to ensure that we manage our affairs in a straightforward and business-like way. We aspire to the highest standards of customer service. Creative 3 The arts thrive on inspiration, innovation and creativity. We must share these characteristics, being imaginative and forward-looking in the way that we develop and deliver our work. Collaborative 4 We recognise the value of joint working across the public and private sectors. We value partnerships and are committed to developing supportive and respectful relationships. Open 5 We behave in an open, honest and transparent way. We treat all who we work with consistently and without bias. We publish information explaining what we do, and welcome suggestions about how we can improve. Accountable 6 We operate at “arm’s length” from government but within an agreed strategic framework. We make funding decisions based on the facts of each individual case and act in the best interests of the arts and our mission. We recognise, that as a public body we must account for our use of public funds. 5 Our Corporate Values and Values in Action Collaborative Open Accountable Creative Expert Effective 6 What we do we support and develop high quality arts activity – we invest public funding, using these funds to create opportunities for people to enjoy and take part in the arts we distribute Lottery funds – through applications to our Lottery funding programmes we’re able to fund projects that develop new arts activity, supporting individuals, communities and organisations we provide expert information and advice about the arts – we’re the national centre of a network of information and intelligence about the arts in Wales. We also have strong international links in the UK and beyond. Through our Council, our staff and our National Advisers we have the largest concentration of specialist arts expertise in Wales we raise the profile of the arts in Wales – we’re the national voice for the arts in Wales, promoting the quality, value and importance of the country’s artists and arts organisations we generate more money for the arts economy – we manage initiatives such as Collectorplan (our scheme to encourage more people to buy art); we secure European funding to grow the arts in Wales; and we have a presence at international events at home and abroad that open up new markets for Welsh artists we encourage innovation and experimentation – we promote projects and initiatives that transform the arts in Wales. From our arts education partnership with the Welsh Government (Creative Learning through the Arts) to technological change (Digital Research & Development), we are constantly looking for new ways for people to encounter and discover the arts we influence planners and decision-makers – the arts take place in many different settings. They can have a dramatic impact on the quality of people’s lives, and the places in which they live and work. The arts are also frequently at the heart of initiatives for economic and social regeneration. Our job is to ensure that the contribution that the arts can make is recognised 7 we develop international opportunities in the arts – through our specialist agency, Wales Arts International, we develop partnerships with cultural organisations such as the British Council, we promote internationally the contemporary culture of Wales, and we encourage international exchange and collaboration between artists and arts organisations we promote small-scale performances in local communities – our Night Out scheme provides financial incentives to encourage the promotion of high quality arts activity in local community venues across Wales 8 Our strategy Our Mission: Making the arts central to the life and wellbeing of the nation Our strategy is straightforward – it’s summed up in the three words drawn from our arts development strategy, Inspire… When we talk about Make, we mean artistic creation.