NAVA in 2024: Sector wins and challenges
This year, NAVA focussed on advancing its mission to improve fundamental conditions of work and practice.
Gabby Malpas
Gabby Malpas creates intricate and joyful works in painting and ceramics that explore identity, belonging, and cultural reclamation.
NAVA welcomes Arts Workforce Scoping Study interim findings
The findings highlight critical workforce and skills shortages across the arts sector.
Fair Work Commission update: Changes to award coverage for visual arts workers
The Fair Work Commission will vary the Amusement, Events, and Recreation Award 2020 to recognise art as work.
Concerns Over the Closure of Arts Degrees at Southern Cross University
Response written by Jane Fuller, Director at Arts Northern Rivers, Brett Adlington, CEO at Museums & Galleries of NSW, and Penelope Benton, Executive Director at National Association for the Visual Arts.
A Guide for Venues: Engaging with First Nations Curators, Artists, and Audiences
NETS Victoria guide
Tax reform for artists: exempting prizes and revising business rules
NAVA advocates for tax reform to exempt art prizes and grants from taxation and calls for removing inequitable provisions that unfairly burden artists navigating inconsistent and low incomes.
NAVA welcomes new General Manager and First Nations Outreach Coordinator
Georgia Mokak and Janel Yau, photo by Jamie James 2024.
Libby Harward
Libby Harward is a Ngugi woman whose art practice spans performance, installation and graffiti.
Important changes ahead for award coverage
The FWC is revising the Amusement Award to recognise workers in the visual arts.
NAVA welcomes SaSCA’s Workforce Planning Report for the Arts
NAVA supports the new Workforce Planning Report, which addresses workforce challenges, skills shortages, and pay inequities in the visual arts sector.
AI Q&A
The Copyright Agency answer frequently asked questions about AI and copyright.
Addressing workforce challenges: NAVA’s advocacy through the Arts SWAG
NAVA advocates to address First Nations workforce challenges, income instability, cuts to arts education and the broader inequities faced by artists and arts workers.
Early insights from the NAVA Member Survey
Members' main concerns include pay and working conditions, cost of living, freedom of expression, and funding issues, with racial and gender equity also highlighted.
NAVA at DAAF
Come find NAVA's stall at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) 9-11 August 2024.
NAVA farewells Deputy Director Georgie Cyrillo
NAVA extends our heartfelt gratitude and wishes her the best in her new role.
Nicole Barakat
Nicole Barakat is a Kfarsghabi, Lebanese artist who creates intricate hand-stitched and sculptural works.
Update to Payment Standards in NAVA Code of Practice
The first annual increase to the Payment Standards in NAVA’s Code of Practice took effect on 1 July 2024.
Amanda Jane Reynolds
Amanda Jane Reynolds is a Guringai and Yuin cloak-maker, multimedia artist, curator and storyteller.
NAVA Win: Archibald Prize finalists to receive artist loan fee for the first time
Finalists in the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman Prizes now receive an artist fee, marking a significant step towards the recognition of artists as workers.
Indexation to be applied to NAVA's Payment Standards
The first annual increase to the Payment Standards in NAVA’s Code will be implemented on 1 July 2024.
Visual arts, craft and design organisations urged to contribute to Arts Workforce Study
NAVA strongly urges all arts organisations to take a vital survey aimed at identifying workforce challenges and skills needs before the Wednesday 19 June 2024 deadline.
Connor Ovenden-Shaw
Foot is a non-binary, queer artist who challenges norms around gender identity, sustainability, and beauty standards.
NAVA welcomes new Directors to the Board
Sophia Cai, Kate Just and Janice Falsone have been welcomed as the newest Directors to the NAVA Board, while Brian Tucker CPA steps into the role of Treasurer for NAVA.
Proposed Closure of UQ's Museum Studies Programs Raises Alarm
The only tertiary qualifications offered in this specialised field in Queensland are under threat.
NAVA Company Secretary
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is seeking a (volunteer) Company Secretary to join the Board.
NAVA Members add your voice
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming inquiries and consultations and encourages you to add your voice to help ensure that policy and investment is well informed and effective in supporting visual artists, arts workers and organisations.
Counting Gender: The Countess Report’s urgent call for action
The slow progress in addressing gender equity in the visual arts emphasises the need for proactive measures to dismantle systemic barriers and promote diversity and inclusivity.
Katie West
Katie West is an artist and Yindjibarndi woman based in Noongar Ballardong boodja / North East of Perth.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice of NAVA's Annual General Meeting (AGM), Thursday 23 May 2024.
NAVA seeks nominations for elected positions on its Board of Directors
Nominations close on 24 April 2024.
Ruha Fifita
Ruha Fifita is a Tongan interdisciplinary artist and curator based in Yugambeh/Logan.
Launch: Sector Resource for Choreographic Work in the Gallery
Precarious Movements launch new online Sector Resource for Choreographic Work in the Gallery at Buxton Contemporary, 2:30 - 4:30pm, Friday 15 March 2024.
NAVA’s ongoing advocacy for the recognition of art as work
Alongside recent work on the Modern Awards Review, NAVA has commenced the year with several ongoing initiatives aligned with Revive and focussed on improving conditions of work and practice in the visual arts.
Ebony Russell
Ebony Russell is a sculptural artist living and working on Gadigal land.
Arts worker occupations in the visual arts, craft and design
An outline of indicative qualifications and duties for arts worker occupations in the visual arts, craft and design.
Visual arts sector advocates for award coverage
Visual artists and arts workers raised concerns of inadequate award coverage and low wages with the Fair Work Commission as part of the Modern Awards Review.
Garry Trinh
Garry Trinh is an artist working in photography, video, painting and works on paper.
Invasion Day/Survival Day Statement of Solidarity
The NAVA team will join and support nationwide events, protests and fundraisers for Invasion Day/Survival Day. We call on members of our community to stand with First Nations peoples by actively listening, showing up and paying the rent.
Alarm as Griffith University Art Museum faces closure
Media Release
Industrial Award Coverage in the Visual Arts
Consultation meetings hosted by NAVA, 2-3pm AEDT Wednesday 8 November and 12-1pm AEDT Tuesday 14 November, 2023.
Modern Awards Review: Discussion paper open for consultation
The Modern Awards Review 2023-2024 represents a pivotal opportunity for the visual arts to secure pay and improved working conditions.
Advocating to Recognise Art as Work: Centrelink Win
After years of lobbying, NAVA Members secure the recognition of professional arts activity undertaken to meet Centrelink’s mutual obligation requirements.
COVID-19 Response: Impact on the visual arts and hopes for the Inquiry
NAVA will be making a submission to the inquiry into the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and encourages you to add your voice.
Bodies of Work – A Symposium
Waterside Workers Hall, Port Adelaide, Yartapuulti, 1 – 3 November 2023. Presented by Vitalstatistix and Reset Arts and Culture, SA.
Letter to Fair Work Commission for Arts Awards Review
Following meetings with NAVA and the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) have sent a letter to Fair Work Commission President, Justice Hatcher. The letter makes recommendations for the arts and culture discussion paper due to be released on 6 November 2023, as part of the recently announced Modern Awards Review.
Stop the genocide in Gaza
An open letter from artists in Australia calling for an immediate stop to the genocide in Gaza. Addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, this letter represents a diverse cohort of more than 1,000 signatories and was first published in Overland.
Modern Award Review: Opportunity to mandate pay and working conditions
The Modern Award Review was announced on 15 September 2023 and presents a significant opportunity to legislate pay for artists and arts workers.
Strengthening data on the arts
The importance of accurate data cannot be overstated, as it plays a pivotal role in shaping policies at all levels of government, regardless of political affiliation.
Nicole Foreshew
Nicole Foreshew is a Wiradjuri artist, writer and curator.
How risk aversion is impacting insurance for artists
Artists working at heights are the latest to be impacted by the hardening insurance market.
Another insurance win for NAVA Members
Policy backflip for Members working at heights.
Christopher Bassi
Christopher Bassi is a Meriam and Yupungathi man based in Meanjin/Brisbane.
Samuel Luke
Samuel Luke is an artist working in illustration to explore his transgender identity and comics.
Open Consultations
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming inquiries and consultations. We encourage you to add your voice to help ensure policy and investment is well informed and effective in supporting visual artists, arts workers and organisations.
NAVA at CIAF
Come find NAVA's stall at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) 13 - 16 July 2023.
EOFY - Tax Checklist for Artists
A practical guide by Brian Tucker for artists on assessable income and what you can claim as a deduction in your tax return.
Update to Payment Standards in NAVA Code of Practice
Increases apply to the National Minimum Wage, superannuation, and Award minimum wages and allowances to reflect the national minimum wage increase.
A Fool's Work Never Ends
Panel discussion hosted by Passage Gallery at Powerhouse Theatrette, Ultimo, NSW, 6pm AEST Thursday 22 June 2023.
First Nations Visual Artists & the Law Webinar
Online webinar hosted by Arts Law and NAVA, 12-1pm AEST Monday 19 June 2023.
We're hiring: Queensland Professional Development Coordinator
Applications due 25 June 2023.
NAVA Chair welcomes new Board Director Ryan Presley
Media release
Risk Management
Risk Management helps you detail and mitigate any potential risks that might arise through the development and implementation of a project/event or the running of an organisation.
May Day 2023: Standing up for the rights of artists and arts workers
To celebrate May Day, NAVA shares an update of where we’re at with seeking an Award for the Visual Arts.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice of NAVA's AGM, 23 May 2023 via Zoom.
NAVA's Code endorsed in National Cultural Policy. What does that mean?
5.30pm AWST Thursday 13 April 2023 at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA).
Call for NAVA Board Nominations - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Director
Nominations are now closed.
NAVA commits to paying artists on its board of directors
Media release
Let’s ensure government policy is informed by artists’ perspectives
This month, a lot of our attention has been on responding to inquiries and consultations which have impact on the lives and livelihoods of artists, arts workers and organisations.
NAVA Members add your voice
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming inquiries and consultations and encourages you to add your voice to help ensure that policy and investment is well informed and effective in supporting visual artists, arts workers and organisations.
NAVA's new Code of Practice
A free introductory webinar into NAVA's new Code of Practice focused on new First Nations and Access Rights sections, 2-3pm AEDT Thursday 17 November 2022.
Artists with Home Studios Denied Insurance
Republished with permission from Artist Profile, Issue 61 2022
Purrumpa - First Nations Arts & Culture National Gathering
NAVA presents on the new Code of Practice, 4 November 2022, Adelaide Convention Centre
Cultural Data Imaginaries: GLAM, Research and Policy
10am - 3pm AEDT Wednesday 19 October 2022 at Powerhouse Theatrette, Ultimo NSW.
Exploring NAVA's Code of Practice
6.30pm - 8pm AEST Monday 26 September 2022 at 107 Projects, Redfern NSW. Hosted by the Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group (SAMAG).
Sue Jo Wright
Sue Jo Wright is a Sydney-based artist working primarily with photography, video, and textiles which explore her identity as a Deaf person.
The Country Air: Service Organisations
6-7pm AEST Wednesday 7 September 2022 via Zoom
Why and how to add your voice to National Cultural Policy
It is up to us to ensure that the whole of the visual arts ecology is heard and that our needs are well represented in arts policy.
NAVA's new Code of Practice... almost there
A final progress update on NAVA's revision of the Code of Practice.
Govt report confirms Fake Indigenous Art Harms Culture but fails to ban it
Photo by Jamie James, 2017
Creating Out Loud industry briefing
Online launch of a new small-group peer coaching program designed with and for the Australian arts and culture sector, 14 July 2022 via Zoom.
Code of Ethics Framework & Template
An artist led code of ethics by pvi collective
Accepting other people’s money without selling your soul
Using your ethical compass by pvi collective
NAVA welcomes elected Board Members from four states
Media Release
(L) Sue-Lyn Aldrian Moyle, photo by Bohdan Warchomij; (R) Michelle Vine, photo by Heather Faulker.
NAVA welcomes new Government and Arts Minister
Media Release
Breaking the pattern of policy neglect for the arts
6:30pm - 8:00pm Wednesday 11 May 2022 at The Paint Factory, Qld
The Arts and Arts Education in Crisis
5-7pm Monday 2 May 2022, ATYP Rebel Theatre, Pier 2/3, Eora Country
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice of NAVA's Annual General Meeting, 3pm AEST Thursday 26 May 2022.
NAVA seeks nominations for elected positions on its Board of Directors
Nominations close on 27 April 2022.
NAVA responds to the Federal Budget
Image: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivering the 2022-2023 Budget at Australian Parliament House, Canberra. Screenshot from ABC News, 29 March 2022.
Removing Water-Based Paint Solids from Rinse Water
If you would rather not flush water laden with acrylic paint solids down the drain, they can be removed prior to disposing of the water.
South Australian Election Report Card 2022
South Australia votes on 19 March 2022
What arts and culture vision do the major parties offer?
#BreakTheBias
International Women's Day, held on 8 March each year, is a valuable call to action for accelerating gender equity and safety in the visual arts and craft sector. Let’s take a look at recent projects that are critically engaging with gender equity in the sector.
Strength from NAVA through this extreme flood emergency
As severe weather warnings continue this week, please know that NAVA Members from all across Australia are standing right beside you.
Omicron Struggle for Visual Arts - Pulse Survey data
Recent research by NAVA reinforces need for crisis funding for independent visual artists, a federally-backed insurance scheme and a new artwork fund.
Pulse Survey - Impacts of the Omicron wave on the Australian visual arts and craft
Illustration by Emily Johnson
Farewell Mimi Crowe
NAVA’s Co-Director, Mimi Crowe, has announced her resignation from NAVA. Her last day is 23 December 2021.
A national insurance scheme is key to boosting visual arts sector confidence
NAVA continues to advocate for the creation of a national insurance scheme for visual artists, organisations and touring agencies impacted by exhibition cancellations.
Easing Restrictions and Increasing Responsibility
Free webinar 2-3pm AEST Thursday 21 October 2021.
Accessibility in the Arts: A Promise and a Practice
Written by Carolyn Lazard, U.S., 2019.
NAVA again calls for urgent crisis support for the visual arts sector
It’s time for the visual arts and craft sector voices to be heard alongside live performing arts and music.
Major review of the Australian Curriculum
Image: Chenise Cameron, Untitled, 2020. Ngarluma Country (Roebourne), WA.
Tasmania Election 2021 Report Card
Tasmania votes on 1 May 2021, almost a year earlier than expected. What arts and culture vision do the major parties offer?
Code Revision Update
Image: Tian Zhang addresses artists and arts workers in conversation at a NAVA roundtable on the Code of Practice, Firstdraft Sydney 2019. Photo by Document Photography.
Choose to Challenge
Image: Tamara Armstrong, Melanin Garden - A Portrait of Anisa Nandaula, 2019. Acrylic on linen, 64 x 80 cm.
Western Australia Election 2021 Report Card
Western Australia votes on 13 March 2021. What arts and culture vision do the major parties offer?
Upcoming inquiries and consultations
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming inquiries and consultations and encourages you to add your voice.
Code of Practice Consultations
Newest Insights into Festivals; Hiring Space; Selling & Commercial Galleries as well as an update on NAVA's callout for writers to co-author the new Code.
NAVA defends anti-police sentiments in artwork
Media Release
Shahmen Suku awarded the 2020 Carstairs Prize
Media Release
University cuts risk losing Australia's next generation of artists
Image: NTEU and Save Our Studios rally to save jobs and education at Griffith University. Photo by Cheryl Bronson, 2020.
Code of Practice, advocacy work and Members update
Updates on our Code of Practice work; cuts to arts, craft and design at universities; Inquiry into the arts; Indigenous Visual Arts Action Plan; Copyright Reforms; and important Membership information.
Terminology Guide
A Guide to Using Respectful and Inclusive Language and Terminology from Narragunnawali, a program of Reconciliation Australia.
NAVA hears, speaks, participates
This month has focused our attention on hearing what you have to say, and using that information effectively to represent your interests in some important national forums.
Code of Practice October Consultation
Illustration by Emily Johnson.
Code of Practice October Consultation
NAVA and research partners from RMIT School of Art are hosting our second round of one-hour conversations for our major revision of the Code of Practice, 12-14 October 2020.
NAVA responds with concern to 2020 budget
Media Release
Arts research references
A reference list of recent and relevant arts sector research to assist with the development of inquiry submissions, articles and other projects.
22 October 2020: Our chance to change public perception of the arts
The closing date for submissions to the Inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions is 22 October 2020.
Speak up and be counted
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming inquiries and consultations and encourages you to add your voice.
What is NAVA doing in these changing times?
Photo by Sia Duff, taken at NAVA's Best Practice: Commissioning Art in Public Space, ACE Open, Adelaide, June 2019.
Public Art workshop with RMIT, NAVA and Arts Law
5.00 - 6.30pm AEST Monday 24 August. Hosted by Hatch Contemporary Arts Space and Banyule Arts and Culture.
Amplify your voice: NAVA Members speak up
NAVA will be submitting a response to the inquiry into the integrity, efficacy and value for money of NSW Government grant programs and encourages you to add your voice.
Public Art Projects: Planning and Delivery
A webinar for teachers and educators, presented by NAVA and hosted by Flying Arts Alliance.
Creative Equity Toolkit
The Creative Equity Toolkit is a knowledge sharing platform between Australia and the UK developed by Diversity Arts Australia and the British Council in Australia as part of the INTERSECT project.
Paula do Prado
Paula do Prado uses textiles as a language to express complex cultural intertwining.
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2020
Notice of NAVA's Annual General Meeting, 2-3pm AEST Tuesday 26 May 2020.
Personal Property Securities Act
This factsheet explains the Personal Property Securities Act and how artists can register their ownership of artworks before consigning them to a gallery. If you don’t make a registration against the gallery or dealer and they go broke before they have fully paid you, your artwork may be sold to pay other creditors first.
Nadia Hernández
Multimedia artist, Nadia Hernández, portrays current political tensions, past resistance movements, acts of defiance and celebration.
NAVA News 2, 2020
In the latest NAVA News, we take a look at the smallest scale of government and the big impacts it has on the arts.
Duncan Meerding
Duncan Meerding is a lighting and furniture Designer/Maker based in Tasmania, Australia.
NAVA and Art Month Sydney invite donations for a new Artists’ Benevolent Fund
Photo: Bert Flugelman, reflected in his public artwork The Spheres, Rundle Mall, Adelaide.
Arts Agenda, Feb 2020
Arts Agenda is a monthly focus on national issues in Australia’s contemporary arts, designed for the inboxes of leading thinkers in journalism, academia and policy.
IP Australia designs system review
IP Australia is currently conducting a survey to better understand the Australian design ecosystem and the role of intellectual property within it.
NAVA News 1, 2020
Welcome to the new decade - one in which artistic leadership will matter more than ever before.
Revising the Code of Practice
NAVA's approach to revising the Code of Practice aims to cover all key areas of the sector while at the same time acknowledging that these areas overlap and interact. Photo by Sia Duff.
NSW Artists' Grant Recipients Announced
The last round of NSW Artists’ Grants sees a total of $12,500 shared between 10 artists.
Vernon Ah Kee
Internationally renowned artist Vernon Ah Kee critiques Australian popular culture, specifically the Black/White dichotomy.
Draft guidelines for Commissioning Art in Public Space
Feedback open until 20 January 2020.ARIs: What's Next for Artist Led Action?
Facilitated by Justine Youssef as part of HOBIENNALE (2.0) 6.30-8.30pm, Tuesday 19 November 2019, Studio 65, Hobart
Windmill Trust Scholarship presentation - Dale Collier
5.30pm Friday 15 November, Maunsell Wickes Gallery, Paddington
Best Practice: Commissioning Art in Public Space
NAVA is inviting feedback from artists and the sector on draft new guidelines for commissioning art in public space.
Shivanjani Lal awarded the 2019 Carstairs Prize
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is pleased to announce Shivanjani Lal as the 2019 recipient of the $3,000 Carstairs Prize for socially engaged practice. An additional highly commended prize of $1,000 was awarded to Laura Jade.
r e a
r e a is an artist, curator, activist, academic, cultural educator and creative thinker whose work draws on a legacy of lived experience and the impact of intergenerational trauma, grief and loss.
Artists respond to the climate crisis
NAVA asked several artists whose work deals directly and indirectly with the climate crisis to share their thoughts and ideas for our sector.
Q&A with Elizabeth Rogers
We caught up with Elizabeth Rogers, CEO of Regional Arts NSW about the upcoming Artstate Tamworth, 31 October - 3 November 2019.
Update on the draft New Pay Standards for Artists & Arts Workers
NAVA's next steps in collaboration with the sector. Illustration by Emily Johnson.
Philip Denham
Philip Denham is a Girramay Traditional Owner of the North Murray Area who creates traditional tools.
Global Climate Strike
NAVA will be closed for the global climate strike on Friday 20 September 2019.
Museums’ Environmental Framework
Released in 2017 by Julie's Bicycle in the UK, this framework aims to both celebrate good practice and inspire more.
Revision of NAVA's Fees & Wages Schedule
Image: Marnie Badham and Penelope Benton discuss artists' fees at NAVA's Best Practice: Commissioning Art in Public Space || Adelaide, June 2019. Photo by Sia Duff.
How to: get paid as a professional artist
Free webinar hosted by Flying Arts, 12-1pm Thursday 22 August.
Dale Collier receives the 2019 Windmill Trust Scholarship for Regional NSW Artists
Albatross, 2019. Performance documentation. Digital Photograph on Aluminium Composite Board. 40 x 60cm.
Why cultural appropriation isn't cool
Published by Reach Out, this guide explains what cultural appropriation is, when it happens and what makes it a big deal.
Matthew Linde awarded The Freedman Foundation International Scholarship for Curators
Installation view Passageways: On Fashion's Runway, curated by Matthew Linde, 13 October – 2 December 2018 Kunsthalle Bern
Local practice, national politics
NERAM hosts a NAVA Members' Gathering, 6 - 7:30pm Tuesday 6 August 2019.
Jason Phu
Jason Phu works across drawing, installation, painting and performance, frequently using humour as a device to explore experiences of cultural dislocation.
NAVA announces Arts Day on the Hill participants
Today NAVA announces the eight Arts Day on the Hill participants who will gather in Canberra during the Parliament’s winter sitting to set the contemporary arts agenda.Best Practice: Commissioning Art in Public Space || Adelaide
A feedback consultation on commissioning art in public space, 3 - 5pm 26 June 2019 at ACE Open in Adelaide.
Nephi Denham
Nephi Denham is a Girramay Traditional Owner of the North Murray area in Queensland, who works in ceramics and sculpture.
Sai-Wai Foo
Sai-Wai Foo is a Melbourne based artist who manipulates and folds cut paper to produce volume and structure.
Art/Life Balance
Presented in partnership with Parramatta Artist Studios as part of Movers and Makers 2019
2019 Recipients of The Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship for Emerging Artists Announced
Image: Laetitia Olivier-Gargano Finger Bun (2018). Silicone, polymer clay, bread, pigment, varnish. 15 x 8 x 6 cm approx.
Artists need NAVA
Support NAVA by filling in our annual Member survey, join or renew your Membership and/or make a tax deductible donation.
Damien Shen
Damien Shen aims to open the eyes of viewers to new ways of seeing Australian identity and Aboriginal art.
Australian Cultural Policy: The Next Decade
A one-day symposium on the future of Australian culture participants, presented by NAVA and Monash University Masters of Cultural & Creative Industries.
Jason Wing
Jason Wing is a Sydney-based artist who strongly identifies with his Chinese and Aboriginal heritage.
NAVA Advocacy Toolkit 2019
Amplify your voice and let’s make sure that all parties commit to investing in artistic courage.
Nasim Nasr
Nasim Nasr interrogates the different ways women can be invisible in plain sight across both Western and Eastern cultures.
Artists' Fees & Payments Survey
NAVA needs your help to benchmark artist payments nationally and update our Fees & Payments Schedule for the benefit of artists and organisations across Australia.
Megan Cope
Megan Cope has a diverse practice that investigates issues relating to identity, the environment and mapping.
Kate Tucker
Kate Tucker considers the conundrum of making paintings in the digital age.
Your voice is a national voice: NAVA Members speak up
NAVA will be submitting responses to these upcoming consultations and encourages you to add your voice to help ensure that arts and cultural policy is well informed and effective in developing ambitious and fair working conditions.
Louise Zhang
Louise Zhang is a Chinese-Australian multidisciplinary artist with an interest in horror cinema.
Janet Burchill & Jennifer McCamley and Dr Alex Gawronski awarded NAVA Visual Arts Fellowship 2018
Image: Burchill/McCamley, Simone Weil 2017. Vinyl lettering, nail and rope (left); 24/7 shield (centre) Brutopia (right). TCB, Melbourne.
Greg Semu
Greg Semu is an autodidact ‘stills’ photographer, independent researcher, visual artist and philanthropist working in the field of community arts and social justice.
The Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship for Emerging Artists Exhibition
Image: Caroline Garcia Queen Of The Carabao (2018), 2-Channel Digital Video, 30mins
Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro
Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro are collaborative artists who reclaim and transform the fallout of consumer society in their practice.
Karen Black
Karen Black’s painting practice explores time and space within global social, economic and political situations.
First Nations need a Voice, not an envoy
The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (JSC) is seeking additional submissions until 17 September 2018.
Proposed overhaul of the ABN system
In 2018, Treasury sought feedback on possible changes to the ABN system.
Cyrus Tang
Cyrus Tang explores the notion that disappearance is an absence that can be a unique and expanded form of presence.
NAVA Visual Arts Fellowship recipients to showcase work at Centre for Contemporary Photography
Image: Sonia Leber & David Chesworth, Geography Becomes Territory Becomes, 2018. 8-channel HD video installation, non-sync playback, 14 minutes.
Nici Cumpston
Nici Cumpston is an artist, curator, writer, educator and a builder of relationships.
Q&A with Carly Lane and Andrea May Churcher
Image: Michael Cook, INVASION (Laser girls) 2017, digital print, 135 x 200cm. Courtesy of the artist and Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane.
Q&A with Janina Harding
We caught up with Janina Harding, Artistic Director of CIAF for a quick chat.
Image: Sid Bruce Shortjoe, Janina Harding, Kristen Fagan. Blueclick Photography.
Yhonnie Scarce
Yhonnie Scarce is one of the first contemporary Australian artists to explore the political and aesthetic power of glass.
Dr Fiona Foley receives the 2018 Windmill Trust Scholarship for Regional NSW Artists
Image: Fiona Foley, Flotsam and Jetsam #11, 2011. Gouache and graphite on Arches paper 31x41cm
Towards national standards for art in the public space
The overwhelming majority of disputes that seek NAVA’s support are about public art projects.
Recipients of the NSW Artists' Grant (Round 1) announced
Image: Thom and Angelmouse, Rush Hour at Cloud Heaven (excerpt), 2017, 3-channel video installation, 16:9, stereo sound, 5 minutes.
Vipoo Srivilasa
Vipoo Srivilasa works predominantly in ceramics, creating contemporary porcelain sculptures, vessels and figures to transmit a universal message about cross-cultural experiences.
Q&A with Dr Oliver Watts
We chat with the inaugural artist director on the Copyright Agency board, Dr Oliver Watts, about the benefits and implications of copyright, as well as new and existing initiatives for visual artists.
Industry News Mar-Apr
Latest industry news from the visual and media arts, craft and design sector, March / April 2018.
Marian Abboud
Marian Abboud is a Western Sydney based artist working primarily with community through socially engaged actions in activism and popular culture.
Q&A with Paola Balla
We speak with Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara woman, artist, curator and researcher, Paola Balla, on feminism and her recent projects.
Industry News Feb-Mar
Latest industry news from the visual and media arts, craft and design sector, February / March 2018.
Katherine Hattam
Katherine Hattam is a mixed media artist working across painting, drawing, collage, printmaking and sculpture centred on the dialects of domesticity, family and self.
Q&A with the Artists' Committee
The Artists’ Committee is an informal association of artists and arts workers that makes collaborative public work around the intersection of money, ethics and culture.
Industry News
Latest industry news from the visual and media arts, craft and design sector, January / February 2018.
Gordon Hookey
Gordon Hookey was born in Cloncurry, Queensland and is a descendent of the Waanyi people. His politically charged work is instantly recognisable, using iconic symbols and bold comic-like characters in a vibrant palette of colours.
Eveline Kotai
Eveline Kotai works across painting, drawing, print and textiles.
Torika Bolatagici
Torika Bolatagici is a Fijian-Australian multidisciplinary artist and academic currently based in Melbourne.
NAVA's 2017 Visual Arts Fellowship and Australian Artists' Grant recipients announced
Image: Sarah Goffman, 'Excess' 2007. Found fabric, sewing machine, table installation view.
Fair Pay for Artists: campaign update
Progress report on developments in NAVA's Fair Pay for Artists campaign.
Street Art: Getting Started
Van T Rudd introduces the basics for getting started as a professional street artist.
Tom Polo
Western Sydney based artist working with painting to explore the performative relationships of people within physical and psychological space.
Letter to members on marriage survey outcome
From NAVA's Chair and Executive Director
Abdullah M. I. Syed wins the 2017 Carstairs Prize
Image: Abdullah M. I. Syed, Bucking: Sydney, 2015, live performance, Photography: Zan Wimberley, Image courtesy the artist and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia.Unpaid work
Fair Work Ombudsman Factsheet
Nadeena Dixon
Nadeena Dixon is a Wiradjuri, Yuin and Gadigal (Dharug -Boorongberigal clan) multi-disciplinary artist incorporating textiles, short video, photography and animation.
NSW Artists' Grant Recipients (Round 3) Announced
Round three of the funding program sees a total of $12,500 shared between 10 artists across NSW.
NAVA Marketing Coordinator
Unique opportunity for a dynamic, arts-loving and community-minded individual to join the NAVA team on a short-term basis and make an important contribution to Australia's leading arts advocacy organisation.
Debates we don't need to have
NAVA asked several artists dealing both directly and indirectly with issues around queer identity and equality in their work to share their experiences of the Australian Marriage Survey.
Paul Yore
Paul Yore is a Melbourne based artist exploring queer culture, politics and homo-eroticism.
Prizes and Awards. What comes next?
Panel discussion presented by UNSW Art & Design, the Copyright Agency and NAVA.
Mikala Dwyer
Mikala Dwyer’s practice is developed through a series of evolving projects, connecting personal biography, site-specificity and research into theories of the occult and alchemy.
20th Anniversary Windmill Trust Exhibition
14 September to 22 October 2017 at the Maurice Chick Family & MacLeod-Miller Adamshurst Gallery, MAMA.
Taxing Prize Money
One of NAVA's goals is getting it legislated that prize money to professional artists be tax exempt. We discuss the issue with a number of award winning artists and arts accountants.
James Tylor
James Tylor’s work focuses largely on Australia's 19th century history and its continual effect on present day issues surrounding cultural identity.
Collaborative duo win the 2017 Windmill Trust Scholarship for NSW Regional Artists
The Windmill Trust together with the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) are pleased to announce that Rachel Peachey and Paul Mosig are this year’s recipients of the 20th annual Windmill Trust Scholarship for NSW Regional Artists which was doubled this year to $10,000.
DGR Reforms - Hands Off Advocacy
Proposed reforms outline a new streamlined application process for organisations, but threaten to silence advocacy and campaign work.
Salote Tawale
Salote Tawale is known for work that draws on her personal experience of race, class, ethnicity and gender while growing up in suburban Australia.
The Grey Areas
NAVA consulted with a number of lawyers and superannuation experts to resolve the grey areas of when superannuation contributions should be paid for artists working in galleries or other arts organisations in various capacities.
Dan Elborne
Toowoomba (Qld) based artist, Dan Elborne creates ceramic installations, which draw from varying points of personal experience and significance.
From the archives
In September 1995, Tamara Winikoff introduced herself as NAVA's new Executive Director.
The Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship Recipients 2017
Media Release - Four emerging artists receive travel scholarships of $5,000.
Superannuation Contribution Obligations for Employers
This guide explains what might determine whether a person is an employee or a contractor for superannuation purposes.
Completing a Super Choice Form
Not sure what to write on your Super Choice Form? This guide tells you where to get the information you need and which sections to fill in.
Superannuation Contribution Obligations for Employers
This guide explains what might determine whether a person is an employee or a contractor for superannuation purposes.
From the archives
For this month’s edition of Art Wires, we dug into NAVA’s archives on the issue of industrial representation for visual artists.
Galleries commit to paying artists fees
We all know how hard it is for artists to earn income and accrue superannuation from their practice, so when organisations make a commitment to pay artists, we celebrate them.
Tarryn Gill
Western Australian based multidisciplinary artist, Tarryn Gill makes artworks spanning the mediums of sculpture, installation, photography, film, drawing, set and costume design and performance.
Benjamin Forster
Benjamin Forster is a 'miscellaneous' artist who works primarily with programming and technology.
Mason Kimber
Perth-born artist Mason Kimber is interested in the idea of ‘architectural memory’ and works with oil on canvas and traditional fresco techniques.
RAYGUN Projects
We chat to RAYGUN Projects, a non-profit artist run initiative owned and co-directed by artists Alexandra Lawson and Tarn McLean in the CBD of Toowoomba, southern Queensland.
Development Strategy
A development strategy articulates how you will financially realise your program or project. This template is a guide for the kind of information that should be included and how it is commonly presented.
Frank & Mimi
Brisbane-based public artists, Emily Devers and Rick Hayward collaborate as Frank & Mimi.
Julie Gough
An acclaimed artist, writer and curator, Julie Gough's research and art practice involves uncovering and re-presenting subsumed and conflicting histories, often referring to her own and her family’s experiences as Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
TextaQueen
Renowned for her work using the humble felt-tip marker, TextaQueen explores politics of sexuality, gender, and race, examining how visual and popular culture inform personal identity and the influence of ethno-cultural and colonial legacies on these dynamics.
Lawrence English
Brisbane based artist, composer and curator, Lawrence English works primarily with sound, and considers the body as part of the equation for listening.
Lauren Brincat
Best known for her task-based performances, Lauren Brincat was formally trained in painting, and considers Art as her first language and English as her second.
Angela Tiatia
Multimedia artist, Angela Tiatia explores contemporary culture, drawing attention to its relationship to representation, gender, neo-colonialism and the commodification of the body and place.
2016 Sainsbury Sculpture Grant awardees announced
Media Release
Beyond Rhetoric
This Melbourne forum explored the role of the contemporary curator in light of the findings of the Elvis Richardson produced, CoUNTess Report.
Shitstorm
On the theme of censorship, NAVA asked Scot Cotterell (artist) and John Vella (curator of the ‘Brainstorm’ exhibition for Dark Mofo in Tasmania) to reflect on their experience when Scot’s artwork ‘Shitstorm’ elicited strong reactions from the students and staff of the Tasmanian College of the Arts in Hobart.
Olga Cironis
Czech/Greek Australian artist, Olga Cironis examines notions of belonging, cultural globalisation, appropriated histories and accepted attitudes on belonging in the Australian cultural and social landscape.
Shoufay Derz wins the 2016 Carstairs Residency Prize
NAVA and the Bundanon Trust are pleased to announce that Shoufay Derz is this year’s recipient of the Carstairs Residency Prize.
Hiromi Tango
The art of Hiromi Tango responds organically from one project to the next, exploring neuroscientific concepts through sculptural and performative practices.
Nicole Monks
A Wajarri Yamatji woman from Western Australia, Nicole Monks is a transdisciplinary artist and designer of Aboriginal, Dutch and English heritage.
Abdul Abdullah
As the son of a sixth-generation Australian and a Malaysian Muslim, Abdullah describes himself as an "outsider among outsiders" and through his work, offers a unique perspective on Australian culture and what it means to be a young Australian Muslim.
Deborah Kelly
Socially and politically engaged artist Deborah Kelly works across collaboration, collage and performative interventions.
Tom Moore
Born in Canberra and currently based in Adelaide, Tom Moore creates fantastical glass sculptures that are unconventional, compelling and technically rigorous.
Tess Allas
Curator and writer working in the field of Aboriginal art and cultural practice.
Wendy Sharpe
Contemporary Australian figurative painter, Wendy Sharpe is the recipient of numerous awards, grants and travelling scholarships.
Justin Shoulder
Interdisciplinary artist Justin Shoulder is particularly known for his spectacular performances that developed within the underground context of Sydney's queer performance scene.
Phaptawan Suwannakudt
Contemporary artist from Thailand, presently based in Sydney, working across tapestry and painting.
Dani Marti
Currently based in Cessnock NSW and works across video, installation and public art.
Tim Silver
Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Tim Silver has been exhibiting internationally for more than a decade.
2015 Sainsbury Sculpture Grant awardees announced
NAVA is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2015 Sainsbury Sculpture Grant: Jamie O'Connell, Roberta Rich, Salote Tawale, and Tim Woodward
ArtsPeak: New arts minister fronts the sector
Return the money to the Australia Council was the strong message from over 60 arts delegates from around the nation who met with Federal Arts Minister Mitch Fifield at a National Arts Sector meeting in Sydney today. The delegates also heard from Labor Senator Jacinta Collins, Greens MP Adam Bandt and the Shadow Arts Minister Mark Dreyfus MP.
Media Release from ArtsPeak: the confederation of peak national arts organisations
Suzann Victor
Dr Suzann Victor produces public artworks and installations that respond to space and architecture with distinctive forms and ideas including kinetic works that move in space, and are themselves, moving experiences.
Heath Franco
Recipient of the 2015 NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging)
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran
Currently based in Lidcombe, Western Sydney, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran's multi-disciplinary practice spans sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing and installation.
Call for Turnbull to fix the arts mess
National Association for the Visual Arts
Media Release
Tuesday 15 September 2015
Public Art EOI Survey
NAVA is currently conducting a survey to collect feedback from artists about their experiences with public art commissions.
The information compiled from this survey will be used to inform a round table discussion with various government bodies that commission public art works.
Please follow this link to have your say.
