NAVA National Association for the Visual Arts
The peak body protecting and promoting the Australian visual arts sector

The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation and all Custodians of Country throughout all lands, waters and territories. We pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future.

Artists lead the national cultural agenda.

We champion the artists, lead the discussions and advocate the policies that strengthen Australia’s contemporary arts.

NAVA's Membership program makes important commitments to the artists who founded and who sustain our organisation. We offer programs that will:

• Amplify your voice
• Develop your practice
• Strengthen your sector.

To access NAVA's Annual Reports, follow the link below.

NAVA is a Company Limited by Guarantee.

NAVA undertakes advocacy on behalf of the sector and sets and monitors adherence to best practice standards. Since 1983, NAVA has been a potent advocate for the Australian visual arts sector.

NAVA is currently planning a full review of the Code of Practice including Chapter 7: Fees & Wages and exploring new options for mandating payment of artists' fees.

From 2014-15, we conducted a major campaign against the Federal Government’s cuts to the arts budget and lack of an arts policy and and sent key ideas to all political parties. In collaboration with two other lead bodies, NAVA secured a Senate Inquiry into the impact of these cuts, advocated for arts policy to be on the 2016 election agenda and partnered in a National Day of Action for the Arts and the Arts Election Debate.

Our previous successes include the introduction the Artists’ Resale Royalty legislated in 2010 after over 20 years of campaigning by NAVA in alliance with some other peak arts and copyright bodies.

In 2005, after 8 years of negotiation NAVA secured the ATO Taxation Ruling: Income tax: carrying on business as a professional artist (TR 2005/1) which uses art industry standards rather than just profits to assess artists’ income tax entitlements.

In 2000, Moral Rights legislation was introduced as a result of NAVA’s successful lobbying in collaboration with other arts industry bodies.

We were also one of the leaders of a successful campaign to change Sedition clauses in the Anti-Terrorism Act 2005, to protect artists’ freedom of expression. In 2011 it was replaced by ‘Urging Violence’ in the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2010.

NAVA also provides direct service to its members and the sector generally by offering industry advice, referrals, resources, professional representation and development, grant programs, education training courses and events, and a range of other opportunity brokerage and career development services.

Staff, Board, Partners and Donors

Follow the links below for details.

Working nine to five might be a great way to make a living, but it’s not the only way – and at NAVA, our way is a little different. 

Quiet Fridays allow full-time staff to work those hours across four extended days, devoting the fifth day to our creative practice. 

It may be that you’ve been observing Quiet Fridays, too? We’ve noticed for a while now that our phones ring a lot less on a Friday, and so we know that this arrangement will work well. 

This means that the NAVA office is closed on Fridays to all but urgent queries. While we won’t be answering the phone, we'll check our emails for messages from Members who really need us right now. 

NAVA’s Executive Director, Esther Anatolitis, has given a lot of thought to reflective practice in the context of work-life balance, and she’s tried this before. At Regional Arts Victoria, Quiet Fridays became policy for all staff, including the regionally-based Creative Arts Facilitators. At Melbourne Fringe, staff were granted an additional week’s leave and the office was shut down for five weeks over the summer, in recognition of the intense peaks of festival work. 

NAVA encourages all organisations to consider the working hours and days that are most conducive to their purpose and their values.

Email nava@visualarts.net.au

Freecall within Australia 18000 4 NAVA (18000 4 6282)

Phone +612 9368 1900

Postal Address PO Box 60 Potts Point 1335 NSW Australia

Street Address Level 1 The Gunnery 43-51 Cowper Wharf Roadway Woolloomooloo NSW 2011

Facebook /NAVA.VisualArt/

Instagram @nava_visualarts

Twitter @NAVAvisualarts