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The new design follows several months of research and consultation with artists, arts professionals and the public, as well as a number of the Arts Council’s funded organisations, to find out what they wanted most from the site.

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said:

“Our new website engages with artists and celebrates the work of arts organisations across the country, as well as giving visitors a unique online arts experience.

“The essential facts, figures and information are still there but presented in an easy to access and dynamic way. It’s a massive step forward and we really appreciate the input we’ve had from the arts community.”

The site is designed to be entertaining and easy to use, whether visitors want to experience art online, discover what’s going on in the arts in their area or find out whether they’re eligible for funding.

New features on the website include:

• A pioneering interactive map and smart search engine – to help users search everything from arts listings to funded organisations or regional offices, by entering their location or postcode
• Profiles of Arts Council funded organisations and their work, which will feature streamed audio and video content
• Access to the Arts Council Collection, including an online guide to recent acquisitions
• A unique ‘Eligibility wizard’, enabling potential Grants for the arts applicants to find out whether they are eligible for funding

Digital art commissions will also form part of the new site, starting with a new digital artwork from Thomson & Craighead created exclusively for the launch.

The launch of the website represents the first phase of the Arts Council’s redevelopment of its digital presence and primarily targets artists, arts professionals and the arts-engaged public. Future phases will aim to connect with low to medium engaged members of the public offering a route into high quality, interactive arts content and information.

You can view the new Arts Council website here.

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