Navigator is a collaborative network that supports artists working in participatory settings.

Navigator works across all art forms, brings together best practice and learning, and will run over the next three years.

The group has produced a bibliography to identify and present a range of available resources for artists working participatory settings. You can download this below.

The Navigator core group is:

• Foundation for Community Dance
• A+ (a partnership between a-n and Artquest)
• engage
• National Association of Writers in Education 
• Sound Sense

The group will network knowledge about national occupational standards, codes of conduct, research, professional development and routes to professional practice across art forms.Working with artist employers, government, HE and training providers across the UK, the programme will add value to what the partners already achieve alone in delivering support for artists, and aims to create a more collective voice for participatory artists across art form.

As a collective of national strategic organisations Navigator currently reaches 24,600 music, dance, writing and visual artists working in participatory settings.

The programme is in three phases:

1. 2011: Mapping research on already existing standards, codes of conduct, and quality assurance frameworks across art forms. Consultation to develop relevant research and output for phases 2 and 3 to support artists working in participatory settings where they need it most.
2. 2012: Comparisons of methodologies and pedagogies in different settings, and UK wide research on what is needed for improvement on progression routes for artists.
3. 2013/14: Sharing and distribution of research findings, putting in place systems for a shared professional development resource across partner organisations and a continued legacy of shared professional framework for participatory artist.

Navigator is funded by ArtWorks: Developing Practice in Participatory Settings.

ArtWorks is a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Special Initiative with support and funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Creativity Culture & Education (supported by Arts Council England) and the Cultural Leadership Programme.

ArtWorks is a workforce development scheme that seeks to meet the needs of artists at different stages in their careers, from the aspiring young artist embarking on training, to experienced practitioners who wish to progress their output. It is seeking to build on good practice to enhance the existing development infrastructure.

Five pathfinders have been funded to deliver ArtWorks and each pathfinder programme comprises a cluster of different organisations - artists, arts organisations, employers, training providers - working together in partnership.

• projects
• networking
• networks
• socially engaged practice
• working professionally