Art UK's ten core values

  1. Art matters. It enriches people's lives

  2. The public should have free online access to the art they own

  3. Income, education, race, disability and gender should not act as barriers to accessing and enjoying this art

  4. Digital is a powerful tool for democratising access to art and related learning opportunities

  5. Audience and collection needs, supported by rigorous evaluation, drive our content offerings

  6. Our content is trustworthy and accessible and is supported by intuitive design and compelling storytelling

  7. Retail can productively co-exist with this content and support museum sector sustainability

  8. Partnership, collaboration and entrepreneurship are a hallmark of the way we operate

  9. We set high standards of governance, management, evaluation and internal communication

  10. We provide our staff with a friendly and stimulating place to work and pay competitive salaries

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Art UK strives to be an inclusive workplace. We welcome and encourage job applications from candidates who are underrepresented in the arts and heritage sector, particularly individuals who experience physical, mental, or social barriers to accessing the arts. 

We know that we need to be a more diverse organisation than we are. Art UK's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group is addressing this issue and is working to improve the diversity of our governance bodies and annual Patrons. 

As part of our commitments, we redact some details from job applications to remove unconscious bias from the shortlisting process. Details that we redact include (but are not limited to) include name, age, address, gender, educational background, and indications of political affiliations.

Environmental sustainability policy 

Art UK is committed to helping reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and over-consumption of resources. This is the responsibility of all Art UK's staff, trustees and volunteers. 

We are doing this by: 

  • observing and measuring our environmental impact 
  • researching and investigating ways to reduce, re-use, recycle and offset our own footprint, then following through on what we learn 
  • reflecting on and checking our progress regularly 
  • working with other organisations with robust environmental and sustainability policies and plans 
  • supporting third-party initiatives and encouraging our clients and associates to adopt similar aims and policies 
  • providing training and guidance for our staff, trustees and volunteers on reducing their own footprint and maintaining sustainable work practices 
  • creating content around collections, artists and artworks which are highlighting the climate crisis, and publishing stories and learning resources about sustainability and climate change  
  • sharing our data with our audience, Partners, stakeholders, funders and the sector 

Art UK's Green Group, made up of staff and trustees, meets regularly to develop and action ways to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage positive environmental behaviour.