Research summary

Research summary

  • February 2021 to April 2022

SAFEDI is a research partnership between Manchester Met, Axis and the Social Art Network. It supports social artists, together with audiences and commissioning organisations, to champion equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)  through artistic practice and lived experience.

The project features six artists and artist collectives working with participants from under-represented communities in EDI policy making.

The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as one of ten pilot EDI Engagement Fellowships.

Current research by the Arts Council of England shows that the arts are failing to reach people who are:

  • part of the global majority
  • disabled
  • excluded by gender or sexuality
  • from lower socio-economic backgrounds
  • intersections of the above characteristics

This research reveals that visual arts could accommodate more diverse talent in the UK, and that artists who work with under-represented communities need to be fully supported.

SAFEDI builds on previous research (Validation beyond the gallery and From network to meshwork) into the lack of support for social artists carried out by Prof Ravetz and Axis. It aims to strengthen EDI in the visual arts, and to improve the offer to under-represented communities. This project will develop support for social artists and share this learning with the arts and culture sector.

The artists and groups commissioned as part of SAFEDI have partnered with a wide range of community and arts organisations — from local to national.

SAFEDI has also benefitted from the critical friendship the Director of Research at Arts Council England, and an Independent Evaluator.

Research outputs

An independent evaluation report will be available in summer 2022.

Gallery