FAN’s Mission
FAN aims to raise the profile and advocate for freelance artists and creatives in the Black Country and beyond, find paid work for its members and develop their careers.
FAN’s Values
Professional image: FAN advocates that all professional artists should be paid fairly for their work.
Solidarity: we aim to support each other, by developing our skills and working co-operatively. E.g. sharing opportunities and commissions; giving each other practical advice; passing on contacts and recommendations.
Localist loyalty: We will exploit opportunities to publicise our work in the region. By consistently putting FAN’s name out there we aim to become the ‘go to’ network for local councils, businesses and strategic organisations to reach freelance creatives in the region.
Serve our communities: searching out and creating community based opportunities.
Use intelligent audience development to stimulate demand for our creative work.
Equity, Access and Inclusion:
- Question and challenge systemic marginalisation* and our own unconscious bias.
- Be anti-racist and anti-ableist in our creative messages and practice.
- Be pro-active in asking how we can make our work more accessible and inclusive.
* Systemically marginalised people are those who are more likely to have their opportunities and life choices limited by structural and institutional discrimination against their race, gender, sexuality, religion or disability. This will include, but is not limited to, those who identify as D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent, LGBTQI+, and people who experience racism, including people of African, Caribbean or Latinx heritage, people of South Asian, East Asian, or South East Asian heritage, people of Romany or Irish Traveller heritage, people of Middle Eastern heritage and people of Jewish heritage.