Yorkshire and Humberside Contemporary Visual Arts Network

Contact: Adrian Friedli, Chair and Director

YVAN, one of ten network organisations, serves the visual artists of the Yorkshire and Humber region. In 2015, YVAN undertook a series of curated conversations exploring its future development, which led to the decision to focus on recent graduates and those in the early stages of their careers.

The current ambition is to build on the existing relationship with the Fine Arts Department of Sheffield Hallam University where they run a ‘Professional Practice Conference’ each year with invited speakers. The enhanced programme, provisionally called ‘The Fourth Year’ to reflect the idea of a continuation of the students’ life, would be open to developing artists from across Yorkshire.

In addition, YVAN would engage with the Sheffield Hallam University Summer School and involve more universities.

AA2AC – Artist Access to Art Colleges would also be involved in developing practice as recent graduates currently find it difficult to get information and need guidance and the signposts to wider opportunities.

Sheffield Hallam also runs the Transmission series of lectures which involves YVAN and is a collaboration with Site Gallery.