Area Coded: Recordings now available
Missed the live sessions of NAVA and Utp’s Area Coded? The full recordings and transcripts are now available.
From February to May 2025, NAVA and Utp presented Area Coded, an online knowledge-sharing program by and for Western Sydney artists. This series spotlighted four artists working across different creative career stages. Through personal stories, the artists shared opportunities and challenges faced as Western Sydney artists and the tools needed to sustain an arts practice, from advocating for equitable pay and ethical working conditions to strengthening our arts ecosystem networks.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us live! For those who couldn’t attend or want to revisit the discussions, the recordings and transcripts are now available. If you found these sessions valuable, share them with fellow artists or anyone navigating a career in the arts.
Pre-Emerging Artist
21 February 2025
Artist Grace Almansour shared her journey into the arts, offering a helpful guide for those considering or just beginning their arts careers. Perfect for pre-emerging artists, this session unpacks the art world’s landscape and the support systems available.
Emerging Artist
21 March 2025
Gillian Kayrooz reflected on her path from pre-emerging to emerging artist, discussing practical strategies for treating an art practice as a sustainable business and the transition to mid-career status. Recommended for pre-emerging and emerging artists.
Mid-Career Artist
25 April 2025
Marikit Santiago, a full-time practising artist, spoke candidly about the realities of sustaining a mid-career practice. Perfect for pre-emerging, emerging and mid-career artists navigating professional career development.
Established Artist
23 May 2025
In the final session, Jason Wing, an internationally acclaimed artist raised in Western Sydney, shared lessons on longevity in the arts, from surviving the "mid-career graveyard" to sustaining a practice at an established level. Recommended viewing for artists at all career stages.
This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Image credit
Graphic by Huy Nguyen 2024.
ID: Graphic featuring a vertical blue, pink, orange and purple gradient on a white background, large black text that reads ‘Area Coded’, and smaller black text that reads ‘featuring Grace Almansour, Gillian Kayrooz, Marikit Santiago and Jason Wing’. ‘Area Coded’ is spelled out in small grey dots and sits behind the title text.
About NAVA
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is a Membership organisation that brings together the many voices of the contemporary arts sector to improve fundamental conditions of work and practice. We do this through advocacy, education and the Code of Practice. For further information on NAVA visit www.visualarts.net.au
