On 8th July 2026, Creative Island Network (IWCN) was delighted to welcome the Co-Directors of Visual Arts South West (VASW), Hannah Rose and Lucy Badrocke, to Quay Arts for a special regional visit and networking gathering with the Island’s visual arts community.
The event brought together a full room of visual artists, makers, curators, producers and arts workers to learn more about VASW’s role across the South West, explore the support and opportunities available, and spend time connecting with fellow creatives.
As a member of VASW’s Steering Committee, Creative Island Network helps represent the Isle of Wight within wider regional conversations around the needs, challenges and ambitions of visual artists and art workers. Bringing Hannah and Lucy to the Island offered an important opportunity for local creatives to connect directly with the organisation, ask questions and learn more about how its work is shaped by the experiences of those working across the sector.
During the presentation, Hannah and Lucy shared some of VASW’s current programmes, resources and future plans.
Supporting artists through mentoring and development
VASW’s Curator Bank connects artists with curators based within arts organisations across the South West, offering free one-to-one conversations to explore work and ideas. The programme supports individual artistic development while strengthening relationships and networks between artists, curators and organisations across the region.
We also heard about VASW’s growing collection of free resources, many commissioned from artists and practitioners themselves. These cover practical areas including developing and sustaining a creative practice, building audiences, finding and applying for opportunities, funding for early-career artists, artist-led organising and understanding self-employment.
Listening to artists & advocating for change
VASW’s Artist and Art Worker Survey plays an important role in identifying the needs and experiences of people working within the visual arts across the South West.
The findings provide valuable evidence around issues including pay, employment, funding, diversity and barriers to inclusion, helping VASW make informed decisions, advocate for the sector and establish priorities for future support.
Feedback gathered through the latest survey highlighted recurring concerns around:
- Financial sustainability and the ability to earn a viable income through funding, commissions, sales and reliable paid opportunities
- Access to appropriate space, alongside the time and conditions needed to develop and make work
- Greater opportunities to share practice and connect with others
- These themes strongly reflect many of the conversations we continue to have with artists here on the IW.
We encourage Island-based artists and art workers to stay connected with VASW, engage with future surveys and share their experiences. The stronger the Island’s participation, the better the evidence available to represent our needs within regional conversations and future planning.
Creating space for artists
Hannah and Lucy also introduced Make Space, a VASW pilot exploring how underused spaces within arts organisations could be opened up for artists to test ideas, develop work, reflect and showcase their practice.
By making better use of existing cultural spaces, the initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between artists and organisations while increasing access to much-needed space for creative development.
Access to affordable and appropriate creative workspace is also an area IW Creative Network is keen to explore further locally.
Although the Island has a growing number of studios, workshops, maker spaces, rehearsal rooms, co-working spaces and creative development programmes, awareness of what is available – who to contact – can be limited.
Later this year, Creative Island plan to bring studio and creative-space providers together to explore how provision across the Island could be better connected and communicated. We will also begin developing an Island-wide directory of creative spaces, extending beyond visual arts studios to include maker spaces, rehearsal and music spaces, co-working facilities and associate programmes that help creatives develop their practice and connect with others.
If you provide creative workspace or have ideas about what would be useful, we would love to hear from you. Please contact georgia@creativeisland.org
A new VASW website
VASW also offered a preview of its new website, due to launch later this year.
The redesigned platform will include:
- Opportunities, exhibitions and events from across the South West
- An interactive regional map
- An expanded directory featuring arts organisations, networks, studios and production facilities
- A new knowledge section bringing together resources, research and editorial content
- Improved accessibility and usability
- A new Art Worker Directory, where freelancers and arts professionals, including curators, producers, technicians, fabricators, writers and project specialists will be able to showcase their skills, experience and services, build connections and access employment opportunities across the region.
The website will also make it easier to explore opportunities including grants, commissions, residencies, exhibitions, awards, jobs, professional development, volunteering and research and development opportunities.
We encourage Island artists and art workers to join VASW’s newsletter and look out for the new platform when it launches.
Continuing the conversation
Alongside our role on the VASW Steering Committee, Creative Island Network will continue to listen to and advocate for the Island’s visual arts community through our wider programme of artist development, mentoring, networking, Group Crits (click here to see our next crit on 20th July), bursaries and opportunities.
We are also proud to support and champion initiatives including Isle of Wight Open Studios, which provides an important annual platform for artists to open their studios, share their work and connect directly with audiences across the Island.
Thank you to Hannah and Lucy for making the journey to the Isle of Wight, to Quay Arts for hosting us, and to everyone who joined us and contributed to such a warm and engaged evening.
Stay connected with Visual Arts South West, join their newsletter and explore their current opportunities and resources at www.vasw.org.uk