What has Social Enterprise got to do with Arts Professional Development?

While some artists are uncomfortable with the idea of enterprise, there is a significant body of research that identifies artist's behaviours with those of entrepreneurs.

Professional development for artists in this context focuses on the process of providing individuals with the concepts and skills to recognize opportunities that others have overlooked, and to have the insight, self-esteem, and knowledge to act where others have hesitated.

Social enterprise is related to goals of social change and some artists have already stepped into this arena through socially engaged practices. Around the world, artists began to question and debate the notion of art being put to use for place making and cultural tourism, and international trends since the 1990's, have increasingly focused on the relationships between people, communities, individuals, groups and social networks, as art content. Artist run initiatives (ARI's) have sprung up across Australia, influenced by these trends, focused on a collective purpose.

While there are many debates to be had on the topic of whether or not arts can ever really effect social change, increasingly artists require the knowledge and skills to navigate the world of business. This includes knowledge of the business structures, governance skills and capabilities, to oversee and manage artist collectives; as the traditional artworld support mechanisms such as galleries, have declined.

Therefore Artsource will focus on new initiatives, for those who are interested, in social-benefit-motivated arts business incubation, and the provision of dedicated space to develop these ideas and projects.

Social Enterprise is one of the pillars of support identified in our new Strategic Plan 2020-2024.