https://ixia-info.org Ixia-Info Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:54:46 +0000 https://ixia-info.org en https://ixia-info.org/Header-mobile Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:20:45 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Header-mobile https://ixia-info.org/About Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:20:45 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/About New Public Art Commissioning Guidance (2025) New ixia board (2025) NPPF Reforms - ixia response (2024) Public Art Support Pilot (2023-25) Public Art &amp; Placemaking keynote for CLOA (2023) Diversity &amp; Inclusion in the Public Art Sector Event Review (2023) Board Members Survey Archive (2011-2018) Survey and Forums Report (2022) ixia background Links︎︎︎ Email ︎︎︎ Twitter ︎︎︎ LinkedIn ixia was established to promote and influence the development and implementation of public art policies, strategies and projects through creating and distributing knowledge to: arts and non-arts policy makers, public and private sector commissioners, curators, artists and the public. News ixia New Public Art Commissioning Guidanceixia is pleased to share a suite of four free guidance documents, created to support best practice in temporary and permanent public art commissioning and production. 01 Setting Up for Public Art Commissions 02 Public Art Commission Governance 03 Public Art Commissioning Roadmap 04 Public Art Examples These recommendations were produced following the evaluation of ixia’s Public Art Support Pilot programme in 2023-24 with Barnsley, Darlington and St Helens Councils, developed with and funded by Arts Council England. Together the guidance and recent examples of artist practice in the public realm offer insights and tips into the processes and approaches to successful public art commissioning. The recommendations include project scoping, artist recruitment, community engagement, funding and scheduling. A variety of approaches are shared, many with diversity, inclusion and social engagement at the heart. Peter Heslip, Director, Visual Arts and Brighton, Arts Council England: “England has a rich tradition of public art which make our towns and cities better places to live and work. Public art has the power to uplift and deepen our experience of places and help tell important stories. But with the fast pace of change in the local authority landscape it is more important than ever that our governmental partners can access the best expertise and advice for these projects to come off successfully. Arts Council England was so pleased to support and work with ixia on this project. We hope these new resources that set out robust approaches will support those embarking on new projects.” To download the documents, please visit this page To be kept informed of ixia’s development please drop us a line and we will add you to the mailing list. ixia is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Charity no. 1106457. Our Privacy Statement and Data Policy is available here. <img width="190" height="152" width_o="190" height_o="152" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5835948951be80b9d2441b31054ef005b70e8213c2f14de31496e1cf7e7e0d76/med_ixia-logo-resized1.jpg" data-mid="125084425" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/190/i/5835948951be80b9d2441b31054ef005b70e8213c2f14de31496e1cf7e7e0d76/med_ixia-logo-resized1.jpg" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img width="571" height="181" width_o="571" height_o="181" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fe4381464b42f58412c6c4b5c6969cb3aee458f5b3d0b7df99dfa7a27b66a6ad/grant_png_black.png" data-mid="223152925" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/571/i/fe4381464b42f58412c6c4b5c6969cb3aee458f5b3d0b7df99dfa7a27b66a6ad/grant_png_black.png" /> https://ixia-info.org/Board-Members Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:21:17 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Board-Members Tom Freshwater FRSA <img width="2208" height="2208" width_o="2208" height_o="2208" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d95a579b0535c94b44807c3d856045c7f253c2df3c856c1f932c173131872cc0/Tom-Freshwater.jpg" data-mid="125082978" border="0" data-scale="30" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d95a579b0535c94b44807c3d856045c7f253c2df3c856c1f932c173131872cc0/Tom-Freshwater.jpg" /> Tom has worked in museums, contemporary arts and heritage for over 20 years based on a fascination with how people connect to and understand the world through encounters with the past and creativity. He is Head of Partnerships and Programming for the National Trust, looking after national relationships such as Arts Council England and Sport England, as well as leading key activities such as Heritage Open Days in England, Europe’s largest heritage festival. He helped deliver major arts commissions such as Hew Locke and Mark Wallinger at Runnymede to mark 800 years of Magna Carta and established the Trust New Art commissioning programme in 2009. He has also led national programmes exploring hidden or marginalised histories such as LGBTQ heritage, women’s histories and popular protest in landscape. Previously Tom was Contemporary Arts Programme Manager for National Trust 2009-16; and has worked in a variety of curatorial, collections management and contemporary visual arts and arts development roles at universities, independent museum and local authority settings. He undertook a Clore Fellowship in 2019 and is an FRSA. Katy Beinart&nbsp; <img width="5528" height="5102" width_o="5528" height_o="5102" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/75d28ff7e66700ddf248f7697aaf4e43c5408d77ad611ab89fbb79eb0085f41f/Katy_B-6-copy.jpg" data-mid="178297883" border="0" data-scale="30" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/75d28ff7e66700ddf248f7697aaf4e43c5408d77ad611ab89fbb79eb0085f41f/Katy_B-6-copy.jpg" /> Katy Beinart is an artist, researcher and educator, whose practice engages with the public realm and includes installation, public art, performance and socially engaged projects. She trained as an architect at UCL and Oxford Brookes before developing an artistic practice, exhibiting internationally and carrying out public art projects and commissions for organisations including the National Trust, Canal &amp; River Trust, UCL, Modern Art Oxford, Multistorey and the Library of Birmingham. Her work explores links between material culture, memory, migration, identity and place. She completed a practice-based PhD at University College London in 2019 and is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Brighton. Her recent Arts Council funded research project Acts of Transfer (with Lizzie Lloyd) focuses on the legacies of socially-engaged and public art practice. &nbsp; Suzanne Heath <img width="892" height="852" width_o="892" height_o="852" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f029893fa2abff4cc88cda9b6e1d8e68ad9302b5bab187c9fae79f4bc44dc6fe/Suzanne-Heath.jpeg" data-mid="125083108" border="0" data-scale="30" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/892/i/f029893fa2abff4cc88cda9b6e1d8e68ad9302b5bab187c9fae79f4bc44dc6fe/Suzanne-Heath.jpeg" /> Suzanne is an independent project manager, curator and consultant based in Bath. She specialises in developing and delivering art plans and projects in the public realm ranging from one-off events and temporary commissions to permanent visual artworks. Suzanne has worked in arts in the public realm since 2005 and her projects are always site-specific and rooted in place. Currently involved with projects across the South West, Suzanne works closely with universities, housing associations, developers, landscape architects, arts organisations, local authorities and local communities. In 2019-20 she taught at Bath Spa University on the BA (Hons) History of Art and Design course. Suzanne has worked in both the public and private sectors, project managing works for art consultancy Ginkgo Projects, Field Art Projects and arts in healthcare specialist Willis Newson. Between 2005 and 2010 Suzanne worked in Arts Development and as a Public Art Officer, managing cultural projects for local authorities in Cumbria and Lancashire. She has been based in the South West since 2010 and has subsequently worked on projects in Bristol, Bath, Devon, Somerset, London and South Gloucestershire. Cathy Newbery FRSA <img width="1325" height="1257" width_o="1325" height_o="1257" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/22f9a2efc9a8685ded70aa598e97dc33b148760bc1b94411a0e821d8890520ae/Cathy-Newbery.jpeg" data-mid="125082971" border="0" data-scale="30" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/22f9a2efc9a8685ded70aa598e97dc33b148760bc1b94411a0e821d8890520ae/Cathy-Newbery.jpeg" /> Cathy is a public art consultant &amp; curator based in North Cumbria. For over twenty years she has worked on collaborative projects for a variety of public spaces with artists, design professionals and the community in a local authority context to develop the debate around art and the environment. She is interested in the connections that can be made for creative approaches to local issues and is a founding member of Riversmeet, a community initiative for Cockermouth, Cumbria working on climate change issues. Currently Cathy works part time in the National Trust’s External Partnerships Team and freelance on a range of artist initiated projects and supporting local authorities to identify and develop opportunities for public art. Past projects include: Irwell Sculpture Trail, Panopticons, Trust New Art programme North for the National Trust (2017-2020). Odette Chalaby (associate member) <img width="1622" height="1623" width_o="1622" height_o="1623" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a24824bd50e4d99bbcbb0959c971de2b8e5ef819002bdb3995e6386c9e0c278a/Odette-Chalaby.jpeg" data-mid="131986882" border="0" data-scale="31" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a24824bd50e4d99bbcbb0959c971de2b8e5ef819002bdb3995e6386c9e0c278a/Odette-Chalaby.jpeg" /> Odette is a lawyer (pupil barrister) at No5 chambers specialising in planning and environmental law. Recent planning inquiries in which she has participated include a large housing development, a care home, and a solar farm. She has volunteered with a number of environmental law charities, including working on Plan B Earth’s Heathrow case, and she is an elected Trustee of the UK Environmental Law Association. Prior to legal training, Odette was a policy journalist at Apolitical, where she enjoyed writing about innovative urban design and city planning policies around the world. Her MA thesis (at SOAS UoL) was on public space and protest in the Middle East. She has a BA in politics, philosophy, and economics from Oxford University. Susie Gray (Co-opted Board Member) <img width="400" height="400" width_o="400" height_o="400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c2ac942affd2c862ea0d6191169c7e38e9be5758af3ee9ec5f810bd7162a0154/Susie-Gray.jpg" data-mid="125082976" border="0" data-scale="30" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/400/i/c2ac942affd2c862ea0d6191169c7e38e9be5758af3ee9ec5f810bd7162a0154/Susie-Gray.jpg" /> Susie has over 20 years’ experience in the arts and culture sector, embedding arts and culture within regeneration settings, within local communities and set up a young people’s creative programme in 2015 which is continuing to thrive.&nbsp; She is an advocate for the potential of arts and culture to enrich places and lives, supporting wellbeing. Originally a practicing artist with a MA from Chelsea College of Art, Susie was Director of the Pump House Gallery, London for ten years. She has worked in local authority cultural services where she developed cultural planning policy and oversaw public art commissioning across multiple regeneration projects. Susie is now a freelance consultant and Associate with Dallas-Pierce-Quintero supporting councils and developers with cultural strategies and public art commissioning. Susie is currently working on ixia’s pilot programme for sector support and has temporarily stepped down as a full board member. https://ixia-info.org/Survey-Archive Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:21:46 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Survey-Archive Survey 2018 Survey 2015 Survey 2013 Survey 2011 https://ixia-info.org/Survey-2022 Mon, 04 Apr 2022 19:03:48 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Survey-2022 ixia – National Public Art Think Tank Survey 2022 Our 2022 Survey report and forums report are now available here: Survey Report Forums Report A press release announcing the joint release of our research with BEAM’s report ‘Building a More Diverse and Inclusive Public Art Sector is available here:&nbsp;https://www.beam.uk.net/events/post-pandemic-research-confirms-major-issues-potential-of-uk-public-art-sector/ If you are interested in joining our mailing list to take part in future surveys and other events please drop us a line. Why Public Art, why now? Public art encompasses a wide variety of approaches, including large-scale and/or standalone permanent or temporary works; art and architecture; art integrated within the rural or the urban landscape; outdoor arts and events-based activities; and socially engaged practice. As a result of local authority policies and guidance notes, public art is often integrated within new public and private developments and regeneration programmes. As well, public art continues to be commissioned as a significant contribution to commemoration, special events and public-facing celebrations, as well as produced by various organisations. Without a national organisation with public art as its focus, there is no source of independent expertise to turn to for advice and guidance.This survey will enable us to analyse what those within the sector currently need, but also to reach those who feel there are barriers to accessing work and opportunities. We will use this information to create a strategy for ixia’s work going forward that both supports the existing sector and aims to remove barriers to access and make the sector more equitable, supporting the next generation of artists, curators, and producers. https://ixia-info.org/Ixia-background Wed, 06 Dec 2023 14:59:36 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Ixia-background ixia – National Public Art Think Tank Background Formerly known as Public Art Forum, ixia was established as a charity in 2003. Since 2010 ixia managed the website www.publicartonline.org.uk (originally commissioned by Public Art South West). This website is no longer actively updated, but is an important record of UK public art practice from the 1990s and until 2010. In 2015 ixia lost its NPO funding from Arts Council as part of the national cuts to arts provision and ceased to operate as an active organisation whilst retaining a Board and ambition to reinstate and continuing to monitor the sector via a yearly survey. In 2019 a new board of directors were appointed and began an organisational review to reflect on ixia’s history, the future of public art and how best to support the public art sector during these challenging times. In September 2021, ixia were awarded a development grant by Arts Council to enable us to work towards a sustainable future for the organisation.The Arts Council Grant that we received in 2021 enabled us to undertake a year of organisational development activities, which have included: Creating an online survey ‘Why Public Art, Why Now?’ which enabled us to analyse what those within the sector currently need and understand the barriers to accessing work and opportunities. Hosting a series of online forums in order to hear first-hand from independent artists and producers about their experiences of working across the public art field. The forums built on from the survey enabling us to get a more nuanced and detailed understanding of the complex situations within public art commissioning and the different kinds of resources and support artists and producers need going forward. Commissioning a Digital Audit of the Public Art Online Website by Tim Jukes in order to understand the potential requirements for building a refreshed website. The Public Art Online website still receives attention from artists, producers and commissioners despite being out of date. We’re aware how important it is to have a central website where sector professionals can access public art resources and case studies particularly in light of the levelling up agenda and increase in large scale commissioning programmes as part of regeneration.&nbsp; Having undertaken all these activities, we are now at a stage where we are reviewing and analysing the information collected in order to create a strategy for ixia’s work going forward. We want to support the existing sector, but through our research activities, in particular the survey it is evident that the sector/workforce is not diverse and we need to put in place programmes of support to help the sector diversify. The headlines of our survey findings indicate a sector prone to: Ageing (average age of men 55/ average age of women 49) Disproportionate around roles in terms of genders (female bias) Predominately white (over 80%)Predominantly able bodied (over 80%) Concentrated in London, SW and SE Predominantly freelance As an outcome of this work we held a forum about EDI in the Public Art Sector jointly with Beam and CVAN in October 2023. More details can be found on this page https://ixia-info.org/Diversity-and-Inclusion-in-the-Public-Art-Sector Thu, 07 Sep 2023 14:13:33 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Diversity-and-Inclusion-in-the-Public-Art-Sector Diversity and Inclusion in the Public Art Sector forum, hosted by ixia and Beam in collaboration with CVAN Review by Henry Broome November 2023 On 2 October 2023, ixia, Beam and CVAN (Contemporary Visual Arts Network) co-organised an event to share recent research on diversity, inclusion and challenges in the public art sector and invite reflections and responses from industry representatives. Chaired by Paula Orrell, Director of CVAN – The Contemporary Visual Arts Network, speakers included Cecilia Wee (researcher for the CVAN Fair &amp; Equitable Research Report), Bo Olawoye (researcher for the Beam research project, Building a More Diverse and Inclusive Public Art Sector), Katy Beinart and Suzanne Heath (ixia board members) and Elisabeth del Prete (UP projects). For each of the three organisations, an inclusive, self-reflective approach to data gathering and evaluation is critical to further developing collective knowledge and understanding. Bo Olawoye, author of Beam’s latest report, held “listening sessions” to give participants the time and space to be “brutally honest” about their experiences of the sector and at the forum, Cecilia Wee, co-author of CVAN’s 2022 Fair &amp; Equitable Research Report, spoke about the need to “hold space for the experiences of people from marginalised communities who work with public art today and in this space.” Ixia also conducted a public art sector survey and held forums for artists and producers to discuss their experiences and needs. The online event formed an extension of CVAN’s five-year Fair + Equitable programme as well as sharing two recent reports focussed on art in public spaces: one by ixia, the national public art think tank for England and another by Beam, a Wakefield-based cultural development organisation. Presentations - Why Public Art, Why Now? Re-thinking Art and the Public Realm Survey 2022-23, has been produced by ixia (2023). The report found a clear lack of diversity in the people making, commissioning and funding public art. From a survey of artists, curators and local authority officers, over 80% were white, 80% non-disabled and respondents were predominantly concentrated in London, the SW and SE. - Building a More Diverse and Inclusive Public Art Sector was commissioned by Beam and researched and written by Bo Olawoye (2023). The report suggests ways to better engage under-represented artists in public art: 1) Local authorities partner with community organisations already working with&nbsp; arts organisations, 2) Establish advisory groups led by artists of colour, 3) Producers/arts organisations could facilitate an advisory session between artists &amp; local authorities 4) Promote commission opportunities to local artist-led spaces and collectives. Responses: Following the presentations, delegates were split into breakout groups and invited to respond to a series of questions: What resonated for you; What is missing; and What is needed to bring about change? The event brought together a range of perspectives from across the industry. There were artists, curators, students and academics, heads of arts organisations, culture officers from local authorities and leading EDI thinkers and practitioners, representing every corner of the UK: from Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham to Cambridge, Luton, London, Brighton, Southampton and Bristol. Recommendations: Participants fuelled a productive discussion and put forward a number of incisive recommendations for improving diversity and inclusion in the public art sector: 1) Networking: Delegates expressed a desire to connect with each other. ixia has since set up a LinkedIn group as a first step. The group is called Art in the Public Realm EDI Network. We hope it will be a space for artists and commissioners to link up and share opportunities. Click here to join the group. 2) Pay: Low pay remains a massive barrier to making public art. Artists are often expected to work for free. Pay equity and pay transparency are crucial to improving EDI in the sector. Delegates suggested rate sharing as a possible way to affect positive change. 3) Commissioning and procurement: “Putting out to tender is the death of diversity”, an artist commented. Delegates suggested some changes that could improve EDI at the commissioning and procurement stage: i) Open calls, without pre-defined outcomes and fixed narratives, which can be exclusionary, ii) “Care contracts” between artist and commissioner to promote ethical practices and iii) Community led boards within commissioning bodies. 4) Best practice and guidance: Participants suggested there need to be “clear rules of engagement” for developers working with artists. An ethical code of practice, enshrining the principles of EDI, could be developed between artists, producers and commissioners, including local authorities and arts councils as well as developers). EU research could provide guidance. 5) Value of public art: According to ixia’s 2022-23 report, public art can improve the public realm, both aesthetically and socially; strengthen local identity; and provide artists opportunities for creative expression. However, delegates felt public art is devalued and definitions are ill-defined. Advocacy work is needed to build support with arts councils and local governments, it was suggested, with scope to strengthen cultural planning policy. https://ixia-info.org/Public-Art-Placemaking-keynote-for-CLOA-2023 Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:34:26 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Public-Art-Placemaking-keynote-for-CLOA-2023 ixia gives Public Art and Placemaking keynote for CLOA online event November 2023 In November 2023, ixia's Public Art Pilot Programme Manager Susie Gray shared findings from ixia's recent survey repport that underlines major issues and development potential within the public art sector and highlighted&nbsp;ixia's pilot programme of public art guidance for place improvement programmes in the North of England. This was preceded by Colin Ledwith, Head of Consultancy, Contemporary Arts Society talking about What is public art? What is its value? How do we create a public art framework and approach? The session continued with case study presentations from five councils around the UK that highlighted a variety of aspects and approaches including embedding public art over the long term and funding public art. Presenters offered a candid summary of the challenges and how these were addressed, as well as insights into the impact of the work and how it contributed to placemaking in the local area. You can find out more and watch a recording of the webinar here (1hour 38 mins) as well as find PDFs of the keynote presentations. https://cloa.org.uk/2023/11/09/public-art-and-placemaking/ CLOA is the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association, the lead body that advises on, advocates and champions culture and leisure on behalf of public sector cultural, tourism and sport services sector professionals, locally, regionally and nationally. https://ixia-info.org/Public-Art-Support-Pilot Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:21:44 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/Public-Art-Support-Pilot ixia Public Art Support Pilot 2023-25ixia is pleased to have delivered a successful Arts Council England funded pilot programme that provided public art expertise for projects that formed part of place-based development programmes in the North of England. With freelance public art advisors, ixia supported best practice in public art commissioning and production. Places that received advice demonstrated learning that is being shared more widely across the sector. Projects captured a variety of commissioning approaches, considering scale, timeline, stage of project, equality, diversity and diversity, and social engagement. Aspects of the learning are now shared as guidance with case studies, and webinar recordings. Developed with and funded by Arts Council England, this work supported Barnsley, Darlington and St Helens councils with public art projects that formed part of Levelling Up or Town's Fund programmes. Advisors Beam, Hazel Colquhoun and Emma Underhill (Founder &amp; Artistic Director, UP Projects) acted as critical friends during 2024, to boost the councils' knowledge and understanding of current contemporary public art practice and processes. This included consideration of artist recruitment, project governance and community engagement. A project webinar recording is available here and the new free commissioning resources are available here. https://ixia-info.org/New-Public-Art-Commissioning-Guidance Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:54:46 +0000 Ixia-Info https://ixia-info.org/New-Public-Art-Commissioning-Guidance ixia New Public Art Commissioning Guidanceixia is pleased to share a suite of four free guidance documents, created to support best practice in temporary and permanent public art commissioning and production. 01 Setting Up for Public Art Commissions This covers key areas to consider when developing a commissioned project. 02 Public Art Commission Governance Guidance to ensure your project governance is robust and inclusive. 03 Public Art Commissioning Roadmap This outlines clear commission stages and how to manage these well. 04 Public Art Examples A set of inspiring projects of varied scales and contexts across England, that illustrate contrasting artist approaches. These recommendations were produced following the evaluation of ixia’s Public Art Support Pilot programme in 2023-24 with Barnsley, Darlington and St Helens Councils, developed with and funded by Arts Council England. Together the guidance and recent examples of artist practice in the public realm offer insights and tips into the processes and approaches to successful public art commissioning. The recommendations include project scoping, artist recruitment, community engagement, funding and scheduling. A variety of approaches are shared, many with diversity, inclusion and social engagement at the heart. Peter Heslip, Director, Visual Arts and Brighton, Arts Council England: “England has a rich tradition of public art which make our towns and cities better places to live and work. Public art has the power to uplift and deepen our experience of places and help tell important stories. But with the fast pace of change in the local authority landscape it is more important than ever that our governmental partners can access the best expertise and advice for these projects to come off successfully. Arts Council England was so pleased to support and work with ixia on this project. We hope these new resources that set out robust approaches will support those embarking on new projects.” &nbsp;More information about the initial pilot programme is here. Full press release is here