Artsource works to provide quality services and advice to regional and Indigenous artists to help them advance their careers. Our services include:
Artsource works with artists to identify their skill levels and needs.
To increase their professional opportunities we provide guidance and help with:
-
Development of colour awareness,
-
Using quality materials that meet collection standards,
-
Working well with their chosen medium,
-
Exhibition requirements and potential pitfalls,
-
Artist rights, including copyright, moral rights, license agreements to use artist’s images and artworks and other issues,
-
Contracts between artists and galleries,
-
An introduction to public art,
-
Children’s books illustration,
-
Artist studio visits from professional peers and gallery owners,
-
Creating an artist’s CV, profile and statement and,
-
Taking advantage of new media and building an on-line presence via free blogs, websites and social media.
Where possible, we mentor members across a number of areas related to their arts practices. The Regional + Indigenous program also offers our mainstream artist members mentoring support in their art practices or projects. This is especially important where cultural knowledge and sensitivity may assist artists to further develop their collaboration with Indigenous artists or communities.
Mentoring might include:
-
Assisting an artist with application for funding through the Department of Culture and the Arts or the Australia Council.
-
Assisting artists with their first Expression of Interest (EOI) for public art opportunities.
-
Introducing artists to other arts professionals to further their practice.
-
Increasing confidence levels of artists to tackle projects they thought were out of reach.
-
Connecting artists with other artists with similar experiences.
-
Growing local support for artists if they’re unable to travel out of their community.
-
Encouraging local governments to consider other ways for local artists to rejuvenate regional towns and enrich their local communities.
Brian McNamara: “We would like to thank you for all your assistance and confidence in Brian’s bark art. Also, for introducing us to Joanna Roberston at Kidogo Art Gallery. The grant we received from The Department of Culture and the Arts was very important to Brian as he would not have had the exposure to assist in promoting his bark art. All the comments from the public have given Brian a lot of confidence in continuing with his bark art”
Artsource works closely with our Studios and Residencies Manager. This allows us to assist members in taking up residency across regional Western Australia and to offer visiting regional artists the opportunity to take up their own residencies here in Perth.
As part of the Cossack Art Awards in 2010 we helped the Shire of Roebourne to instigate its first Resident artist. Marina Baker spent a fortnight working in and around the old township of Cossack, building on her personal knowledge of family who passed through the area as they came to Australia.
We have also assisted several of our Basel residential exchange artists visiting us from Europe, to take part in sharing their culture, arts practice and skills with our regional artists across Western Australia.
Both the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Fremantle Art Centre have also had resident artists who have travelled from overseas and extended their arts practice into regional areas through Artsource’s Regional + Indigenous Development Program and our extensive contacts throughout regional Western Australia.
We work very closely with the Artsource Consultancy Services Team. Doing so helps regional and Indigenous members connect with clients, who might wish to offer them professional artist opportunities. This can take artists in a completely different direction to that of a 'traditional' arts practice.
Artsource works closely with other national arts representative bodies to protect artists' rights. These organisations specialise in areas relevant to artists. Artsource recommends the following organisations: