Resources
YVAN Opportunities
Documents, toolkits, resources and guides for artists and the visual arts sector.
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Some general summaries and average reading time estimates were produced with AI assistance.
All Accessibility Artist Development Care Climate Justice Data & Evaluation EDI Financial F&E Toolkits Sector Yorkshire & Humber
Artist Studio Finder
Artist Studio Finder is a free digital platform for not-for-profit studio providers to advertise their available spaces.
Approx. reading time to browse studios: 5–15 minutes.
Artists Now: Green Manifesto
An Artists Now resource. Created by artists, for artists, this guide will help you to take active steps towards an environmentally responsible practice.
Approx. reading time for full report: 10–25 minutes.
Creative Careers Support
The Meet Eric Library is a curated hub of creative career resources, opportunities, and industry insights designed to help young people explore pathways into the creative industries.
Approx. reading time: 5–8 mins to browse the main library.
Creating a Collaboration Rider (artist care) by Jack Ky Tan (Feb 2026)
The report assesses how UK cultural tax reliefs for theatre, orchestras, and museums/galleries improve income, output, international activity, and sector resilience across the creative industries.
Approx. reading time: 15–25 mins.
Successful funding applications (The White Pube) (Nov 2020)
The White Pube Funding Library is a collection of real successful funding applications used to help artists and creatives learn how to write stronger grant applications and understand what funders look for.
Approx. reading time: 2–4 mins.
Artswork - creative career support
The website describes a UK charity that empowers children and young people through creativity, helping them build skills, confidence, and pathways into creative careers through training, programmes, and youth-led projects.
Approx. reading time: 2–3 mins.
Creative Freelancer’s Climate Almanac (Julie’s Bicycle) (May 2025)
The Julie’s Bicycle toolkit is a practical guide for cultural organisations on measuring and reducing carbon emissions across creative production, touring, and operations, with tools, case studies, and step-by-step sustainability actions.
Approx. reading time: 10–15 mins.
The Elefsina Manifesto: Envisioning a Culture of Care (July 2023)
The Elefsina Manifesto is a call for cultural organisations and artists to adopt a politics and ethics of care to improve wellbeing, equity, and social connection.
Approx. reading time: 6–8 mins.
Going global: a guide for disabled artists
The guide provides practical advice, tips, and resources for disabled artists to develop international careers while addressing access, travel, safety, and working abroad challenges.
Approx. reading time: 6–8 mins.
Calderdale Creates: Creative Directory
An online hub connecting creatives, cultural organisations, freelancers, and opportunities across Calderdale to support collaboration, visibility, and growth within the local creative sector.
Approx. reading time: 3–5 mins to browse the main directory.
The Uncultured: ACE Project Grant and DYCP Templates
The page provides downloadable Arts Council England application templates, budgets, and guidance resources to help artists and organisations prepare funding bids more easily.
Approx. reading time: ~8–12 minutes per resource
Guides on commissions; Artquest
A curated section of guidance articles for visual artists covering topics like applying for opportunities, funding, careers, and professional practice development. It acts as a gateway to practical advice and resources across the site.
Approx. reading time: 2–4 mins (of homepage)
Public art in Yorkshire database
The site promotes a region-wide collaboration that showcases and cross-promotes exhibitions across public galleries and museums in Yorkshire, aiming to increase engagement with visual arts and encourage audiences to explore cultural venues across the region.
Approx. reading time: 2–3 mins for homepage.
Beyond the Obvious 2 Publication
YVAN is delighted to present Beyond the Obvious 2: a ‘Sector Snapshot’ that highlights the lived experience of artists from the Global Majority in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Approx. reading time: 10–20 mins.
UNLIMITED: Managing unpaid request for your time
Practical advice on how artists and cultural workers can respond to frequent unpaid requests for their time, using boundaries, scheduling, and clear communication to reduce exploitation and protect working capacity.
Approx. reading time: 6–8 mins.
Extraordinary Creatives Podcast with CVAN director
Podcast hosted by creative coach and curator Ceri Hand and features long-form conversations with artists, cultural leaders, and creatives about building sustainable, meaningful creative careers.
Approx. reading time: 2–4 mins (overview page).
How to write ACE funding bids (July 2023)
The article explains how Arts Council England funding works, including the main grant types (Project Grants and DYCP), how applications are assessed, and why the process is competitive and often difficult to navigate.
Approx. reading time: 6–10 mins.
Outdoor Arts Guide - Bradford Producing Hub
A practical introduction to making work for outdoor spaces, covering creative approaches, production considerations, fundraising, touring, audiences, and essential legal and safety requirements for outdoor performance.
Approx. reading time: 10–15 mins.
A Publication from the Aberdeen Summit: Artists' Exploitation 2023
The PDF is a publication from an Aberdeen-based summit exploring contemporary art practice and cultural production in relation to place, collaboration, and wider social and environmental contexts.
Approx. reading time: 10–15 mins.
Artist support, bid writing and funding consultant - Working With
Freelance consultancy, which supports artists and creative practitioners with funding applications, bid writing, and strategic development, with a focus on improving access to arts funding and supporting underrepresented or neurodivergent creatives.
Approx. reading time: 2–4 mins (of homepage)