Artquest: Applied

Overview

Applied is a data partnership and research initiative focused on understanding visual artists' working conditions, career barriers, and ambitions in England. It is the only ongoing, artist-focused data project of its kind in the country.

Components

• Applied: Partnership – A collaborative data sharing initiative involving arts organisations that engage with artists through open calls, memberships, and registrations.
• Applied: Insights – Analysis and interpretation of data gathered through the Applied Partnership, providing a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape in which artists work.
• Applied: Metrics – Data tracking dashboards offering headline indicators on the state of artists' working lives, highlighting key trends in conditions, barriers, and ambitions.

Launch

Coming Winter 2025/26.

Purpose

Uses new knowledge from Applied to design more equitable programmes, inform reporting to funders, and strengthen collective advocacy efforts. By tracking trends over time, the aim is to hold the arts sector accountable in diversifying who they work with.

How to get involved

If you're an artist-focused organisation interested in working with Applied on research areas, contact us to learn how you can better understand the artists you work with, streamline reporting, and collaborate on the UK's only ongoing artist workforce data partnership.