FAQs

What does VASW do?
To support the visual arts sector in the South West region, we host public events and workshops and – via our website – share professional resources, host a directory of South West arts organisations and platform regional events and opportunities with a free listings service. In collaboration with other South West organisations and arts professionals, we initiate and contribute to region-wide activities that seek to develop visual arts as a well connected, equitable, accessible and hospitable professional field. We also advocate for our visual arts community nationally in partnership with our umbrella organisation Contemporary Visual Arts Network.

Where is VASW based?
Formally VASW is based at Spike Island in Bristol, but the Team often works remotely from across the region. Our Steering Group members are also based in different parts of the region from Hampshire to Cornwall.

Who is in the VASW team?
To see the individual profiles of our Team and Steering Group members, visit the About VASW page.

Does VASW offer individual advice to artists or freelancers?
As a small part-time team, unfortunately we do not have the capacity to offer professional advice on an individual basis. Our primary remit is to support the region as a whole, and therefore all of our activities and output aim to benefit as many members of our community as possible, as equally as possible. The best way to access support and advice from VASW is to explore our Resources page, and to attend our public events and workshops, many of which focus on professional development.

What does it mean to be a VASW member?
Becoming a member of Visual Arts South West means that you’re joining a community of individuals and organisations that strongly support the visual arts sector in the South West and beyond. It gives you the ability to contribute to our website and profile art events, exhibitions and opportunities where you are.

How do I become a VASW member?
You can become a member by visiting the Join Our Network page and creating a user account as an individual or an organisation.

How do I create an account?
To create an account, head to the Join Our Network page.

How do I log into my account?
To log in, simply click the ‘Login’ button at the top right-hand-side of this page. Here you can log in by using the email address linked to your account and your personal password.

Why do I receive a message stating that my account is suspended when I try to log in?
If you are trying to log into your newly created account and receive an error message stating that your account is suspended, this means that the VASW team has not yet activated your account. You will receive an email notification as soon as your account has been activated.

When will my account be activated?
We are a small team built of part-time members and therefore it may take us 3–4 days to activate accounts.

Do I need to be a registered member to publish listings?
Yes. Only people who have registered are able to share their events and opportunities on the VASW website.

Do I have to pay to add events or opportunity listings to the VASW site?
No. The VASW website is a free platform for artists, organisations and independent arts professionals to share relevant visual arts events and opportunities across South West England. To find out more about how we are funded and how you can support VASW’s development, visit the About VASW page.

How long will it take for my event / job listing to appear live on the website?
Listings made by individual members have to be checked and approved by our in-house team before they are published onto the site. We are a small team built of part-time members and therefore it may take us 3–4 days to process and approve a listing.

How do I edit or remove a listing?
You can edit your listings at any time. At the bottom of your Account page, you can see all live listings that you have submitted to the site. Click through to your listing as usual and click the ‘Edit’ button on the right hand side of your scene. This will allow you to amend any content on the listing page.

Next to the 'Edit' button you can also find the 'Delete' button. Clicking this will delete the listing from the website.

Can I change the email address that my user account is registered under?
You can change the email associated with your account by heading to Profile and clicking on 'Edit your Account Details'. Here you can change all of your personal information.

I think someone is using my account without permission. How can I stop this?
The best way to stop unwanted access to your account is by changing your password. To do this, log out of your account. Return to the login screen and click ‘Forget Your Password?’ to reset your password.

How do I delete my account?
To delete your account, please contact us via vasw.org.uk/contact with the email address associated with your VASW account and the subject Delete My Account.

How do I create an account?
To create an account, head to the Join Our Network page.

How do I log into my account?
To log in, simply click the ‘Login’ button at the top right-hand-side of this page. Here you can log in by using the email address linked to your account and your personal password.

Why do I receive a message stating that my account is suspended when I try to log in?
If you are trying to log into your newly created account and receive an error message stating that your account is suspended, this means that the VASW team has not yet activated your account. You will receive an email notification as soon as your account has been activated.

When will my organisation’s membership be approved?
We’re a small team built of part-time members and therefore it can take us 3 – 4 days to approve membership for organisations.

Why does an organisation’s membership need to be approved?
To ensure that organisations are correctly represented and to ensure details are accurate, our team manually checks through an organisation’s profile before it’s published.

How long will it take for my event / job listing to be live on the website?
Listings made by organisations will be published automatically on the VASW website so visitors will be able to see them online straight away.

How do I edit or remove a listing?
You can edit your listings at any time. At the bottom of your Account page, you can see all live listings that you have submitted to the site. Click through to your listing as usual and click the ‘Edit’ button on the right hand side of your scene. This will allow you to amend any content on the listing page.

Next to the 'Edit' button you can also find the 'Delete' button. Clicking this will delete the listing from the website.

Can I change the email address my organisation's account is registered under?
You can change the email associated with your account by heading to 'profile' and clicking on 'edit your directory page'. From here you can change all information about your organisation.

I think someone is using our organisation's account with permission. How can I stop this?
The best way to stop unwanted access to your organisation’s account is by changing your password. To do this, log out of your account. Return to the login screen and click ‘forget your password’ to reset your password.

How do I delete my account?
To delete your account, please contact us via vasw.org.uk/contact with the email address associated with your VASW account and the subject Delete My Account. For organisations, we may ask for proof before deleting your account.

How can I contribute to editorial content?
We are always on the lookout for individuals to add their written content to our website. If you have an interesting topic to talk about or would like to share some research on the arts sector, please contact us via our Contact form with your thoughts and we will get back to you.

How do I get my press release published?
Please attach your press release or news story to your message via our Contact form.

I have a resource. How can I share it on VASW?
We are very excited to have a resource section that everyone can contribute to. We invite everyone across the region to contribute their best practice resources and we always want more. Tell us about resources that you find valuable and we will feature them on our website and credit you for sharing it with us and our community. Please attach your resource suggestions to your message via our Contact form.

I want something featured in the VASW newsletter. How can I make this happen?
Our monthly newsletter features a balance of events, opportunities and stories from areas across the South West. If you would like us to feature something in the next issue, email us via our Contact form and we will get back to you.

How do I subscribe to VASW’s monthly newsletters?
To sign-up to our monthly newsletters, click here and fill out the short subscription form.

I want to unsubscribe from the VASW newsletter - how can I do this?
Click on 'Unsubscribe' at the bottom of any VASW newsletter. This will automatically remove you from our mailing list.