Aims and Objectives

Ikon was set-up to encourage the public to engage in contemporary art.

Facilities and Services

The Ikon has an artistic programme consisting of three interdependent strands.

• The gallery features temporary exhibitions over two floors totalling 450 square metres (4,844 sq ft). A variety of media are represented, including sound, film, mixed media, photography, painting, sculpture and installation
• There is also an off-site programme which helps develop dynamic relationships between art, artists and the audience outside the gallery. The projects and events vary enormously in scale, duration and type of location, challenging expectations of where art can be seen and by whom
• Education is at the heart of the Ikon's activities, stimulating public interest in, and understanding of, contemporary visual art. Through a variety of talks, tours, workshops and seminars, the education and interpretation programme recognises that artistic expression can empower people, heightening individual and community experience.

Business/operational model

Ikon is a limited company registered as an educational charity. Ikon receives core funding from Arts Council England West Midlands and Birmingham City Council. It raises additional income from a variety of sources, including charitable trusts, foundations and corporate sponsorship.

Financing and delivery/procurement

The cost of the conversion was partly funded by a grant from the National Lottery. The arrival of the Lottery in 1994 meant that the scheme had a realistic chance of going ahead and at a more sophisticated level.