The UK Arts and Design Institutions Association (UKADIA) is a grouping of leading specialist arts and design institutions drawn from all regions of the UK.

Our aim is to promote:

• the key contributions of these specialist institutions to the UK’s growth and prosperity and to show the value of creative skills to all industries and disciplines in all parts of the UK economy, with reach onto the global stage.
• how the arts supports the health and wellbeing of the population
• creative skills and how they support all parts of the UK economy, with reach onto the global stage
• a diversity of student choice and experiences, through the promotion of specialist institutions in the UK HE infrastructure
• opportunities to diversify the creative industries and ensure equity in access to creative arts education
• meaningful affiliation and association with related institutions and collective bodies globally

Our objectives include working in the areas of social justice; research and innovation; community building; and supporting specialist arts institutions in navigating the post-covid and HE regulatory world. 

Our work will:

• Ensure students from all backgrounds are able to participate in and succeed in developing creative skills for life and for future employment
• Make the case for the importance of creative skills to societal health and wellbeing, its link to productivity in all parts of the UK economy, and connect specialist institutions to global creative ideas
• Ensure everywhere in the UK is able to access creative spaces and education, especially building capacity outside of London and metropolitan centres, connecting specialist HEIs together to provide support and the sharing of practice, and working collectively with like-minded organisations globally to promote the benefits of the arts
• Support specialist arts institutions through discussing pedagogy, regulation, funding, research, knowledge exchange and graduate skills to ensure specialist institutions remain at the cutting edge of creative arts education and are able to operate within the confines of the regulatory code.

To find a printable version of our objectives please click here.