Sustainability of practice

NAVA in partnership with Moreton Bay Regional Council and Generate Festival present:

Sustainability of practice, a participatory forum which brings together artists and industry professionals to explore opportunities for artists to build long term and sustainable creative practices. Through a program of conversations and talks participants will discuss methodologies for artists to develop greater resilience, collaborate together and agitate for change across the Australian arts and cultural sector. 

This special half day forum will take place in two parts: 

Industry forum: 11.00am - 12.30pm

Leading independent artists and industry professionals will present a discussion of ideas, industry trends and opportunities for artists to strengthen their practice, reflecting on their own experience. The speakers will also explore current issues facing the sector and share their ideas for building a stronger future for artists across Australia.  

Lunch and informal networking: 12.30 - 1.00pm

Participants will be provided with lunch and entertainment at the Caboolture Hub space. 

 
Participatory forum: 1.00pm - 2.00pm 

Through a facilitated and participatory conversation with the guest speakers, participants will be invited to discuss their own experiences, share their knowledge and identify opportunities for change.     

Event information

Free, all welcome 

Friday 29 June 2018, 11.00am - 2.00pm 

Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, 4 Hasking St, Caboolture

This event is presented in partnership with Generate Festival: 

Generate Festival 

Held at Caboolture Town Square; the Moreton Bay Region's creative hub, the inaugural Generate Festival will feature immersive light installations and light shows, outdoor galleries, pop-up laneways, art installations, music, and street performers.

Stay on after the forum to enjoy the Festival, more information about the Festival program please visit Generate Festival

This program is proudly presented by the NAVA and Moreton Bay Regional Council with support from Arts Queensland. The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Moreton Bay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

Speakers: 

Hamish Sawyer

Hamish Sawyer is Gallery Curator and Team Leader at Caloundra Regional Gallery, responsible for developing the gallery’s exhibition program as well as its operational management. Since commencing the role in April 2016, Hamish has organised exhibitions by Lincoln Austin, Natalya Hughes and Alfredo & Isabel Aquilizan, as well as ‘Close enough: Young Queensland Artists’  a group exhibition that looked at personal and collective histories in the work of Sam Cranstoun, Dale Harding, Alice Lang and Tyza Stewart. 

Prior to Caloundra Regional Gallery, Hamish worked at the Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art, where he managed the gallery’s regional touring exhibition program, in addition to serving as a co-curator of the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT8), undertaking research and working with artists from South East Asia. Hamish has previously worked for the Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane and Arts Queensland, as well as commercial galleries  Andrew Baker Art Dealer; Bellas Milani Gallery; and Milani Gallery. Hamish was a peer assessor for the Australia Council for the Arts 2014 – 2017 and is currently completing a Master of Arts (Research) degree at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He has also written catalogue texts and contributed articles to publications including Art Monthly.  

Vernon Ah Kee 

Vernon Ah Kee is a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji and Gugu Yimithirr peoples. His multi-faceted practice includes works that range from large-scale drawings of his ancestors to hard-hitting text-based works and installations. In his work Ah Kee fuses the history and language of colonisation with contemporary black/white political issues in an ongoing investigation of race, colour and politics. Ah Kee represented Australia at the 2009 Venice Biennale in the group exhibition Once Removed. Recent solo exhibitions include Brutalities, Milani Gallery, Brisbane (2014); Hallmarks of the Hungry, Milani Gallery, Brisbane (2012); Barack, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2011); Tall Man, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne (2011); Vernon Ah Kee, City Gallery Wellington, New Zealand 

Ah Kee’s work is held in a number of private and public collections in Australia and overseas, including the Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.

Ah Kee holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts in contemporary Australian Indigenous art and honours in Fine Art; he completed a Doctorate of Visual Arts – Fine Art from the Queensland college of Art, Griffith University in 2006. He is a member of proppaNOW Indigenous art collective.

Donna Davis 

Donna Davis is a multi-discipline artist intrigued with the idea of connection; her work explores intersections between art and science with a particular focus on natural and social ecosystems.  Often collaborating with ecologists, botanists and mycologists, Donna explores new ways to creatively interpret ecological data; working across sculpture, assemblage, installation and digital media to create works that capture and create sites of environmental observation. By providing new ways of 'seeing', Donna aims to challenge ecological discourse and promote environmental conservation. 

Donna has undertaken a number of residencies with organisations such as the Queensland Herbarium, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Tanks Art Centre and the Department of Science, Information, Technology and Innovation (DSITI). She holds a Bachelor of Arts (ART) from Curtin University and has works held in both public and private collections. She has exhibited widely in both solo and selected group exhibitions; and had her work feature in state and national touring exhibitions

Jo St Baker

Jo St Baker is an award winning visual artist and director of St Baker Studio + Venue located on Brisbane's Moreton Bay. Jo is a painter, carver and sculptor who constantly alters her repertoire and pushes boundaries and mediums. She is currently working on a solo show entitled "The First Wave"  opening in July at The Hub Gallery, Caboolture Regional Gallery, Queensland. Jo independently activated an empty space on the Redcliffe waterfront in 2012 establishing what is now known as the Studio + Venue. There she has created opportunities and incentives; curating, marketing and presenting exhibitions, as well as art-based programs, initiatives and workshops. 

The Gallery was the first of its kind in the region, making contemporary art and design-based products available to the public. Jo has presented numerous group and solo exhibitions, including being the first to bring Impress Printmakers north of Brisbane in her inaugural show. The Studio launched many future networks and created a platform for establishing experimental artists, writers, photographers, graphic artists, and artisans.Jo has established a strong arts practice, constantly traversing between Australia and New Zealand in both her personal and professional life.Her figurative sculpture “The Sandmen” was the winning piece at the Flying Arts Queensland Regional Arts Award, and is touring Queensland Regional Galleries until January 2019.

Forum chair: Katie Edmiston 

Katie Edmiston has an extensive and diverse experience in the arts and cultural sector, community organisations, state and local government, peak bodies and business. Katie's work has often centred

on building the capacity, engagement, connections and opportunities for local communities - particularly those in outer-suburban and regional areas. In 2017, after finishing a three-year contract with Arts Queensland as Manager Partnerships and Strategic Policy, Katie returned to independent practice - establishing True North Creative and Community Consulting. 

Throughout 2017-2018 she has brought her skills as a community facilitator, creative producer, project manager and teaching artist to a range of projects for Moreton Bay Regional
Council, City of Gold Coast, HOTA, Flying Arts, Bleach* Festival and Destination Blues: Musical Steam Train Experience. Katie also currently works part-time as a Sessional Academic at QUT's Creative Industries teaching in areas such as events and festival management, career planning and creative futures, building connections and collaborations in the arts, socially engaged arts practice and applied theatre. In 2018, Katie has commenced her postgraduate studies at University of Sunshine Coast focusing on Creative Place making.