ACE launches Artistic Assessors scheme

Arts Council England (ACE) is to recruit 150 "Artistic Assessors" to report on ACE-funded organisations across the full range of art-forms, beginning in January 2010.

The assessors will report on music, literature, dance, visual art, theatre and combined arts, including work for children and young people and disability-led arts. They will be awarded two-year contracts, which require them to write between 10 and 14 reports a year for which they will be paid a flat fee of £1,000 a year plus expenses.

The assessors' reports will aid ACE's evaluation of regularly funded organisations. Andrew Nairne, executive director arts strategy for ACE said: "We want to appoint people with knowledge and understanding of the arts, who will value the opportunity to see a wide range of work. . .

"This is an important step forward in the Arts Council’s plan to work more closely with artists and arts organisations to ensure that audiences experience art of the highest quality."

Assessors will be eligible to apply for a second two-year contract, but must then stand down for a period of at least two years before reapplying. ACE intends to appoint 150 people this year and a further 150 in 2010, so that 300 assessors are ultimately available, with half of them being replaced or re-appointed each year.

The new system was piloted in spring this year in the south east and north west of the UK.