About
Photoworks champions photography for everyone. We are an international platform, global in reach, and have provided opportunities for artists and audiences since 1995. We do not have a physical venue, but our online channels are always open. Our programme brings new experiences to audiences and opens up new ways to encounter photography.
Photoworks is a registered charity and the only organisation with a national remit for photography in England. Our work is supported by public funding through Arts Council England’s National Portfolio.
Photoworks is led by Shoair Mavlian, Director.
Mission
Photoworks champions photography. We are an international platform for artists and audiences, and a registered charity.
Vision
Photography for everyone.
Values
Inclusivity
We strive to be accessible both online and in real life. We are open to all, and everyone is welcome.
Opportunity
We share our knowledge to inspire others, and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with photography.
Responsibility
We take our roles seriously. We care about everyone we work with and about the environments in which we create and operate.
Transparency
We are honest and open and believe in a better, fairer sector for everyone.
Partnership
Working with others to create, facilitate and advocate for photography is at the core of what we do.
Team
Julia Bunnemann
Curator (full-time)
Juliette Buss
Learning & Engagement Consultant (part-time)
Ally Davies
Digital Producer (part-time)
Nicola Jeffs
Audience Development & Communications Manager (part-time)
Shoair Mavlian
Director (full-time)
Anne Rupert
Deputy Director (full-time)
Raquel Villar-Pérez
Assistant Curator (full-time)
Trustees
Monica Allende
Trustee
Richard Burton
Deputy Chair
Chris Condron
Trustee
Judith Dahmen
Trustee
Paul Drewitt
Trustee
David Knaus
Co-Chair
Andy Simpkin
Co-Chair
The Real Living Wage
We are a Real Living Wage employer and we regularly benchmark our salaries with other not-for-profit arts organisations. The annual salary of our highest-paid full-time member of staff is £40,000.
Freelance staff
We engage freelance workers on a project-by-project basis.
Volunteering and placements
Like many arts organisations, we regularly work with volunteers. Photoworks volunteers help to invigilate exhibitions and events, support learning projects and provide excellent experiences for our audiences. In addition, we occasionally offer longer-term, part-time placements in the Photoworks office to help volunteers to build skills in areas such as curation, digital content production and marketing. All our volunteer opportunities are designed to be fun and rewarding experiences with learning, networking and career development at their heart.
We recognise that volunteering is not an option for everyone. To attract the broadest field of candidates, it is our ambition to offer the Real Living Wage for all placements that last longer than two weeks from 2022. This ambition is part of our fundraising strategy.
Artists fees
Without artists there is no content for our platforms and no work to display in our exhibitions. In line with our aim to provide opportunities for artists, we have drafted a system of minimum fees based on our current financial capabilities as a not-for-profit charity.
Fees stated are the minimum that we pay. We separately cover other costs, such as travel, production, transport and installation. We are always working to improve the fees that we can offer, and review our fees policy every year.
Some examples of the fees we offer include:
- digital commission (new work) – £500
- physical exhibition (existing work) – £400
- series of images for Photography+ (existing work) – £80
- images for Photoworks Annual – based on standard single image fees
- speakers fee – £100
- screening fee (existing work) – £100.