- mission
- about us
- key sponsors and partners
- background of the network
- industry linkage program
- curatorial panels
- public forums
- workshop program
Mission
VAN aims to enable visual artists to reach beyond the region to access broad national and international markets; to make the business of being a visual artist viable; to provide professional development opportunities for visual artists; and to further the national and international profile of the Northern Rivers as a vibrant regional centre for the arts.
About us
The Visual Arts Network Cordinator
Melitta Firth is the Coordinator of the Visual Arts Network. Melitta has a strong professional and academic background in the visual arts. Her experience includes Assistant Gallery Manager at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Sydney for four years and she recently completed a curatorial internship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Melitta has web development and design skills as well as experience working at a national and international level with artists, galleries, sponsors and collectors.
Contact Melitta Firth
Visual Arts Network Coordinator
Email melitta@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Address
Arts Northern Rivers
Unit 1 Old Tintenbar Chambers (next to Kolinda Gallery)
5 Bruxner Highway Alstonville NSW 2477
Telephone 02 6628 8120
Fax 02 6628 8121
Email info@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Arts Northern Rivers
The Visual Arts Network is an initiative of Arts Northern Rivers Inc, and is run from the Arts Northern Rivers offices. Arts Northern Rivers Inc is a Regional Arts Board supported by the NSW Ministry for the Arts and the seven local governments of the region - Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed.
Part of a network of thirteen Regional Arts Boards across regional NSW, Arts Northern Rivers is an incorporated not-for profit association which aims to:
- Foster and promote the culture of the region;
- Foster and encourage Indigenous arts and cultural programs and practices;
- Promote the arts, and achievement in the arts, to enhance social and economic community development;
- Encourage an increase in the level of cultural tourism.
Lois Randall
Regional Arts Development Officer & CEO
Email lois@artsnorthernrivers.com.auJulie Clark
Regional Communications Officer
Email peter@artsnorthernrivers.com.auWendy Rolls
Administrative Officer
Email info@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Key sponsors and partners
The VAN project was developed by Arts Northern Rivers in partnership with the NSW Department of State and Regional Development (DSRD) and supported through their Developing Regional Resources Program. Stage 1 of the project was also supported by the NSW Ministry for the Arts, Visual Arts and Craft Strategy and the Australian Government's Regional Partnerships Program. Stage 2 of the project has been supported by Arts New South Wales, Visual Arts and Crafts Program and the NSW DSRD's Developing Regional Resources Program
 |
 |
 |
Other sponsors include The Byron at Byron Resort Spa and Conference Centre, Byron Bay, Linnaues Estate, Broken Head.
Background of the network
After consulting with members of the Northern Rivers visual arts community and analysing the results from the industry survey, the Visual Arts Network (VAN) has developed a programme of initiatives aimed at supporting visual artists and developing their marketing and business skills. VAN activities will relate to three key areas or career pathways- commercial, public, and cross industry.
These key initiatives include:
- a series of high profile visual arts Curatorial and Advisory Panels for artists;
- public forums;
- business development support and business skills workshops;
- a series of exhibitions and networking events including Visual Arts SpeedDating-4-artists;
- an industry linkage program, audience development and marketing events and initiatives; and
- this website which includes a curated virtual gallery, portal to gallery and artists sites and resources for artists.
To stay informed about VAN activities please subscribe to our E-News or contact us.
Industry Linkage Program
VAN organises a variety of specialised networking events designed to help artists access career opportunities and make market connections outside the region. This includes innovative and groundbreaking aspects of the program such as Visual Arts SpeedDating-4-Artists and Curatorial Advisory Panels outlined below. This also encompasses group marketing initiatives to VAN partners such as commercial galleries nationally, AUSTRADE and Tourism NSW and group submissions to Artbank.
Curatorial panels
VAN Curatorial Advisory panels provide visual artists with an opportunity to have their work critically assessed by high profile curators and gallery directors from around Australia. This is not only an opportunity for artists to receive professional feedback and advice but is also a brilliant way to profile the diversity and excellence of visual arts in the Northern Rivers’ to prominent members of the Australian visual arts sector. Check out our virtual exhibition and meet the curators. The following people will participate on these panels:
- Robert Bleakley, Collector, Founder of Sotheby’s Australia
- Dr Gene Sherman, Director, Sherman Galleries, Sydney
- Claire Armstrong, Editor, Art & Australia
- Russell Storer, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
- A representative from Roslyn Oxley Gallery
- Lorraine Pilgrim, Curator, Schubert Galleries, Gold Coast
- Nicholas Tsoutas, Executive Director, Artspace, Sydney
- David Broker, Deputy Director, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
- Tamara Winikoff, Executive Officer, NAVA
- Jan Murphy, Director, Jan Murphy Gallery
- Julie Ewington, Curator, Queensland Art Gallery
- Steven Alderton, Director, Lismore Regional Gallery
- Virginia Rigney, Curator, Public Programs, Gold Coast City Art Gallery
- Angus McDonald, Australian Artist
Public forums
In addition, members of the curatorial panels deliver public forums while they are in the region aimed at examining contemporary visual arts practice within Australia and overseas, offering all visual artists in the Northern Rivers region direct access to the latest trends in their industry.
Workshop program
The VAN project delivers a workshop program open to all Northern Rivers visual artists developed to provide ‘hands-on’ opportunities for artists to create and take away resources that will assist them in developing and extending their businesses.
Some key workshops include:
- Preparing Effective Funding Applications: a workshop aimed at exploring and demystifying the funding application process. The workshop will provide practical ‘take-away’ skills to assist artists in the funding application process.
- Creative Product Development: developing your contemporary art and craft for a retail market. Covering how to identify market opportunities and how to develop a product for those markets
- Images for Publicity 1 – Digital Photography of 2D Artwork: The first step in marketing visual art is having quality images available to show galleries, to put together a marketing package or display on the internet. This workshop will cover the basics of artwork photography and image manipulation.
- Images for Publicity 2 – Create your own: A hands on sequel to Images for Publicity 1. In this workshops artists will produce a basic set of images for use in marketing applications: quality photographs of their work, high and low resolution versions, which they will take home on a CD. They will learn very basic Photoshop skills – resizing and adjusting images, and how to burn images onto a disk.
- Marketing Materials: Constructed so as to provide practical advice and tangible resources, this workshop will assist artists to develop some key marketing materials to use in their dealings with commercial galleries. Artists will use templates to learn how to develop a biography, artist statement, press releases, media lists and mailing lists, and learn how to identify and capture information about their audience and use this information effectively.
- Negotiating with commercial galleries: Covering questions such as: how does the commercial gallery world relate to the emerging artist, How to present your work to galleries and how best to achieve representation.
- Finding your niche 1 in the national visual arts sector: The first of two workshops aimed at helping emerging artists identify where their work ‘fits’ within the Australian gallery system.Arts Law & Copyright – a workshop looking at issues of copyright, contractual law and artists rights and responsibilities.
- Tax issues for visual artists: Explaining the basic tax requirements for operating a home based business and tax issues for visual artists.
- Finding your niche 2 in the international visual arts sector
- Selling on E-Bay
- Roundtable discussion Expanding the canvas, where are the income opportunities for artists
- Legal Issues for artists: Copyright, Licensing and moral rights
- Expo’s and Export – how does it all work
Please make sure your contact details are on the Arts Northern Rivers Database so that we can keep you informed about upcoming events.
