Independent, non-governmental networks play a key role within European and international cultural cooperation as well as for the support and protection of artists’ rights and demands. In the following some networks are presented that are of interest for visual artists and that differ widely as regards aims, focuses and size.

• Culture Action Europe, based in Brussels, is the largest interdisciplinary forum for the non-governmental cultural sector in Europe. It is an advocacy and lobby organisation that promotes arts and culture as a building block of the European project. CAE provides information and analysis on the European Union, offers to its more than 90 members and other cultural actors a space to exchange and elaborate common positions, and develops advocacy actions towards European policymakers.
• The European Media Art Network(ELIA) in Amsterdam is an independent membership organisation representing higher arts education institutions of all disciplines. ELIA has European and Non-European members and thus offers through its members’ list a survey of art academies in Europe and beyond.
• The European Media Art Network (EMAN) was founded in 2007 by four media art institutions in the Netherlands, in Bulgaria, Great Britain and Germany. The growing network of media art centres awards production grants to European media artists. It furthermore serves research into and the production, presentation and distribution of media art in Europe.
• The European Visual Artists (EVA) based in Brussels represents the interests of authors' collective management societies for the visual arts. 25 European societies are gathered under this roof. They manage collectively authors' rights of creators of works of fine art, illustration, photography, design, architecture and other visual works.
• The International Association of Art (IAA) is the largest international non-governmental association of visual artists, with about 100 member organisations worldwide. The IAA supports international co-operation and aims to improve the economic and social position of artists on national and international level.
• The International Association of Art (IAA) Europe is one of the five cultural regions of the IAA. Main objectives of IAA Europe are the exchange between artists and art/cultural organisations, the discussion and elaboration of artistic matters within Europe as well as the promotion of the flow of information regarding e.g. working conditions, social security systems, authors’ rights and free flow of artworks. It aims to make artists’ interests known to European political institutions and their representatives.kuenstlerateliers.net is hosted by Berlin’s studio office and offers a collection of links to studio offices throughout Europe.
• kuenstleratelier.net is an initiative of the Berliner Atelierbüro and reports links to a variety atelier offices and agencies throughout Europe.
• On the Move (OTM) is the cultural mobility information network. With its more than 30 members in Europe and beyond it encourages and facilitates cross-border mobility and cooperation. The webpage is a rich source for publications, funding opportunities and current discussions related to cultural mobility.
• Res Artis, based in Australia, is a worldwide network of artist-residencies and residential art centres. It provides a critical forum for residency programmes, organises international conferences and seeks to strengthen the role residential arts centres play in the development of contemporary arts.
• Sculpture Network (Pöcking/Germany) is a European non-profit organisation for the support and advancement of contemporary, three-dimensional art. It offers a platform for interchange between all those involved with or interested in sculpture and three-dimensional art.

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