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Axisweb – supporting artists for more than 21 years
Axisweb helps artists by brokering relationships with the people who want to find out about
their work and commission them to do things.
For artists and art professionals it’s a platform to showcase their work, find work
opportunities, stay informed and make meaningful connections.
Promoting your practice online
The directory of over 2,500 selected artists and art professionals is a well-respected research
tool for anyone interested in UK contemporary art. And the excellent opportunities and
enquiries service puts users in touch with artists and art professionals who suit their brief.
Alongside the directory you can find features which identify the contemporary artists who
should be on your radar, plus in-depth insights and discussion to keep you informed and
involved.
Surely most artists now have their own websites? Yes, of course they do, and so they should.
But individual websites are like the proverbial needle in a haystack - nobody will find you
unless they already know your name.
The sophistication of Axisweb’s filtering mechanisms makes it easy to browse the site and
search for all kinds of work in any UK location, from painting in Southampton to socially
engaged practice in Orkney. Many artists are contacted directly through the site (though the
Axisweb team keep an eye on enquiries to filter out anything inappropriate).
Helping artists find work opportunities
Axisweb process several thousand opportunities and enquiries each year, many from curators,
collectors and commissioners in other countries. More than 30% of visits to the website come
from outside the UK.
David McFadden, Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, says: “I
have used the site to discover artists working in unexpected and non-traditional materials,
ranging from ashes and repurposed organic materials to those using traditional materials and
techniques in their cutting-edge work, such as knitting, paper cutting and embroidery.”
Four directory members – Catherine Bertola, Paul Hazelton, Stephen Livingstone and Julie
Parker – exhibited in Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design at the
Museum of Arts and Design in 2012.
For curators like David, it’s reassuring that the site offers guaranteed access to innovative
work and an easy means of browsing images and refining searches. The web is a crowded
place these days and users want instant access to authoritative information.
“It’s the quality of artists that makes Axisweb an essential resource for contemporary art in the
UK – we would be lost without it!” says Dawn Giles, CEO, Bedford Creative Arts.
Find out more about the opportunities service by watching this film which tells how artist Liz
West secured a commission through Axisweb
Join Axisweb – the online destination for artists and art professionals
Apply now to become part of the Axisweb community, showcase and promote your work, find
work opportunities and make lasting and relevant connections.
Early career membership at £15 a year.
Full membership at £28.50 a year.
Or you can now spread the payments throughout the year and pay monthly.
Find out more and apply
Axisweb is a registered charity and a National Portfolio Organisation, funded by Arts Council England.
It is also project funded by the Arts Council of Wales.
Adam Goodge,
Work Life Art Balance
, 2013.
Julie Parker,
Ritual Accumulations
, 2011-12.
Photo: Ed Weston. Courtesy: Museum of Arts and
Design, New York.
Still from film about artist Liz West.