What we've learned so far about supporting arts organisations in Wales to make more effective use of digital technology.

Key findings

The feedback we have received from arts organisations suggests that support to make more effective use of digital technology should have the following features:

• Strategic focus: making sure that digital projects are clearly linked to organisational strategy.
• Relevant, arts-based examples: using examples from the arts, providing a sector-specific context to the issues at hand.
• Sector-wide support: offering benefits at all points of contact, including to those arts organisations who do not receive funding.
• Research skills for the arts sector: supporting the development of key research skills to enable arts organisations to make effective use of their own data and of research carried out by others.

The Digital Innovation Fund for the Arts in Wales is supporting arts organisations to experiment using digital technology to enhance audience reach and to develop their business model.

The fund differs from a traditional grant programme in that it is designed to support arts organisations through a process of experimentation – to investigate high-risk, high-potential projects, based around clear, testable research propositions.

The fund includes a range of activity to support the development of digital capacity in the arts sector. As well as the funding available, there is also a complementary set of activities – events, workshops, facilitated networking and one-to-one support – available to any arts organisation.

This report presents our initial response to the feedback from arts organisations, and a transcript of all feedback received is included as an annex.

We are encouraging all funded projects to share the lessons they learn as they progress, and this report is part of our attempt to do the same. We hope that other organisations supporting the arts sector can learn from our experience.

We will be sharing the results of all research carried out as part of this fund via our website, and at an event in March 2017.

Authors

Rob Ashelford and Dan Butler