Database Deep Dive: Artist Now

Calling all artists, art students, and members of our creative industries school you have student membership to Artists Now (previously A-N Magazine), a fantastic resource for artists. 

Artists Now started as a monthly newsletter in 1980, but has grown into a national membership organisation for artists, engaging in advocacy and activism for its members, providing advice for artists, and events where you can network with other artists. They have tackled issues of copyright, ownership, labour fees, exhibition fees, and pay rates, all with artists at the heart. They have set industry standards with the goal of providing the conditions for artists to thrive and fight back against the starving artist stereotype many founding members experienced. 

To navigate this resource use the section headings at the top of the page

Resources includes Artists Rates of Pay guide,  an Exhibition payment guide (especially for putting together or taking part in an exhibition), a Green artists manifesto (on how artists can be environmentally responsible), an Artonomics podcast (that explores how artists make a living in practical terms), and more.  

Opportunities provides a searchable list of Jobs, Residencies, Exhibitions, Awards, Commissions etc. You can filter by what type of opportunity you’re looking for, what is closing the soonest, and regions of the country. This is a great place to look for ways to build your portfolio, gain work experiences, or explore next stages after graduating.  

Events is a calendar of in-person and online events organised by Artists Now or those affiliated with the group. Looking ahead to October 2026, there is a free online workshop on Preparing Your Bursary Applications and a free in person event in Birmingham called Artists Make Change. Both look like amazing opportunities to learn practical skills and network with other artists already in the sector or other students. 

In Campaigns you can read about the Paying Artists Campaign launched in 2014 to ensure fair pay for artists, which includes a link to their rate of pay for artists guide . They have information on their Visual Arts Manifesto which sets out their policy recommendations to the British government to work on building the arts and culture sector to improve conditions, support artists, and look at long-term solutions.

Finally, Artists Now has a News and Stories page, which not only has news on awards, upcoming bursaries and exhibitions, but it is a place to share member stories. Here you can read interviews with different members. This interview with Sonia Boyce on being the first Black Woman to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale discusses her career and the Black British Art Movement. She mentions the first National Black Art Convention hosted by Wolverhampton polytechnic (Now the University of Wolverhampton) in 1982 and its importance in connecting her with other Black Artists. In Claudette Johnson’s interview she also delves into the centrality of Wolverhampton to the foundation of the Black British Art Movement