Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
December 2012
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Arts Queensland’s monthly update of arts and culture In the final Arts Update for 2012, Arts Minister Ros Bates has a message about her 2012 experiences in the portfolio; we learn more about the ancient Afghani treasures coming to Queensland Museum; enjoy a behind-the-scenes introduction to APT7; and get some great tips for successful crowd sourcing in the first article in a series on innovative fundraising and much more.
Uji Handoko Eko SAPUTRO (aka HAHAN), Letters to the Great Saatchi, (detail) 2011. Artwork features in ATP7 at QAG GoMA
Great state. Great opportunity. 1
Coast and in August opened the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair.
in Queensland. My priority is to ensure that the arts in Queensland continue to be strong, vibrant and accessible for all.
I am committed to delivering the Newman Government’s election policy Arts for All Queenslanders, and have offered you the opportunity to give feedback on the guidelines for two key programs of this policy – the Super Star and the Playing Queensland funds.
Best wishes to all those who work so hard in our arts sector and also to audiences who continue to support Queensland’s artists and organisations across every corner of the state.
The Super Star Fund, investing $3 million over four years to support local performing arts companies to work with internationallyrenowned artists, is now open for applications and I look forward to seeing what kind of super star projects will be on offer.
Message from the Arts Minister Welcome to the December edition of Arts Update. Each month, I will be sharing with you some of the great things happening in Queensland’s arts sector. 2012 saw Li Cunxin take up the reins at the Queensland Ballet, while at Opera Queensland Lindy Hume launched her first season. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra moves into the brand new ABC studios at South Bank this month, and the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) has settled into its home at Kangaroo Point.
It has been a busy 2012 with our arts organisations and artists breaking records and winning awards while reaching out to new audiences across the state. I’ve had the privilege of seeing many companies in action including Circa and the Queensland Theatre Company, while also enjoying international offerings such as the Hamburg International Series at QPAC and Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado at the Queensland Art Gallery.
Over summer there is a terrific collection of events and exhibitions at the Cultural Centre with the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (ATP) at the Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery as well as special programs for families at the State Library and Queensland Museum. I urge you to make the most of this fantastic cultural precinct and all it has to offer.
In 2012 Brisbane Festival had a record number of sell-out shows, while at the Queensland Museum it was the year of the mummy, with over 200 000 people seeing Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) broke box office records selling over a million tickets for the year thanks to the enormous success of Mary Poppins, Jersey Boys – The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and The Hamburg Season.
This year I’ve met many artists and arts organisations. It has been great getting to know people and hear what you have to say. I had talks with organisations in Townsville, Brisbane and the Gold 2
I wish you all a happy and safe festive season and look forward to sharing more great Queensland arts stories in 2013. The Honourable Ros Bates MP Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
As we move into 2013, we will deliver on our commitment to develop and implement a strategy for the growth of the arts sector
Left: Arts Minister Ros Bates with Circa. Photo: Matthew Byles
Get involved ... Call for papers, presentations, roundtables, workshops or panels Arts Queensland is calling for papers for the Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Conference in 2013. Proposals are invited on the following four Conference themes: • building strong communities through arts and culture; • encouraging community participation and engagement through arts and culture; • supporting vibrant regional arts and cultural practice; • activating creative spaces. Visit http://bit.ly/XMhIYy
Be part of Brisbane Writers Festival Brisbane Writers Festival is excited to launch a new platform for creative collaboration: ampers&nd. ampers&nd is an opportunity for creative organisations and networks, writers groups, small presses, student collectives, performers and artists to propose collaborative projects for the 2013 Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) 4–8 September). BWF is interested in hearing from groups who would like to propose a collaborative event, presentation, performance, exhibition or installation to augment the Festival’s diverse program of events and to showcase the work of specific literary communities and sub-cultures in Queensland. Submissions close on Monday, 17 December 2012. To find out more go to http://bit.ly/QTc1oq 3
It is Pozible: a how-to for a successful crowd funding campaign Gold Coast artist-run initiative Rabbit+Cocoon recently ran an incredibly successful crowd funding campaign to fund a much-needed facilities upgrade – in just eight shorts week, they raised their $12 000 target. Co-director Mariam Arcilla shares her top five tips for what made their Pozible campaign possible in the first of a series of interviews focusing on innovative ways to raise funds. 2. Crowd funding doesn’t stop once you’ve launched your campaign. We made sure we continued the momentum by spreading awareness about our campaign in a multitude of ways: we printed flyers with links to our Pozible page; posted regular updates on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and our website; we discussed the
1. Be clear, descriptive and transparent when stating what you need funds for on your Pozible page. Instead of saying we needed money to fix up our space, we said the funds would replace our roof, construct exhibition areas, and purchase a ladder and paint for our walls. This assures potential donors that we had a clear direction for their money.
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our database about how our campaign was going. We also sent individual and group messages to our donors with insider news and information about our plans for when the campaign ends.
campaign at every social event where people may potentially donate or tell their friends (artist talks, conferences, forums, networking events etc.) 3. Be creative with how you thank supporters! For donors who gave us $70 or more we personally thanked them on Facebook by posing in fun (often ridiculous) photos where we displayed their names excitedly. http://on.fb.me/ SNdknA
5. Be obvious in your passion! Most successful crowd funding campaigns are passionprojects, so the drivers are most likely to be dedicated and motivated people. In our case, we were also very shy wallflowers. This campaign forced us to step into the spotlight, to give R+C a face, and to let our personalities and passion do the talking. So when running a campaign, let your passion show in your introduction video, in your project description, in your ‘thank yous’ and in the general operation of your creative endeavour.
For donations of $500 or more we created short videos and uploaded them to YouTube. Each time we thanked our donors we ensured they received something more than a normal ‘thank you listing,’ everything from catered meals at our cafe, to original screen-printed artworks, copies of our publication and year-long memberships with Rabbit+Cocoon.
Above: An example of our Thank You Pledger pic. Left: Donation stand at Rabbit+Cocoon. Images courtesy of Rabbit+Cocoon
4. Set a timeline for when you need to send donors and the general public updates and announcements about your campaign. We sent out three general newsletters updating
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APT7unveils hottest Even while we’re working on one APT the ideas start seeding for the next one! The huge scope of this project and the amount of work involved make it important to start planning as soon as possible.
What’s missing out? What would our audience love to see? Those frameworks are helpful, but it’s also important to be flexible in our thinking. It’s a long process, there are many people involved and we cover a lot of ground. New ideas and experiences are cropping up all the time. The most important thing is to remain in constant dialogue with one another, with the region and be open to conversations with people from all walks of life – sometimes ideas come from very unexpected sources.
Q. With so many great artworks and artists across so many nations to choose from how do the curators pick the exhibition works?
Q. What motivates the shifting national focus each year and where does the spotlight fall for APT7?
To begin with we collectively identify a few areas we’d like to focus on – they could be nations, regions, cultural practices or even concepts – and we start from there. We might ask ourselves, what haven’t we done before? What’s interesting right now?
Our shifting focus helps us challenge our conceptions, both of what contemporary art is and of the regions we cover. It’s important for us to keep introducing new terms, new forms, new points of view and not to become complacent about where borders lie. For APT7 we
Asia Pacific art talents
Q&A with Maud Page, Acting Deputy Director Curatorial and Collection Development, Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) is the only exhibition series of Australian, Asian and Pacific contemporary art in the world. The Seventh Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) opens on 8 December and features more than 290 artworks from 75 artists and artist groups from 27 countries. We asked a very busy Maud Page to pause for a moment and introduce us to this flagship exhibition series. Q. The APT is a massive undertaking, filling both the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art with artworks, when does planning begin? 6
have the highest participation of Indonesian artists since the first APT, and this has introduced us to a vibrant younger generation. There is also a strong representation of younger artists from Vietnam. Another exciting area is the extraordinary work being produced in Papua New Guinea, which lends a powerful Pacific presence to the forefront of this APT. And there is a focused selection of work from West and Central Asia. As it’s APT’s 20th anniversary, a number of artists’ archival projects look back over the history of the region in art and society. Q. Each triennial there seems to be an underlying regional trend, such as change and upheaval or technological focus, what should we look for this year? An important idea for us has been that of “ephemeral structures”, driven by observations of architecture in the Pacific and shelters used in Indigenous Australia. This has provided an story continued... 7
story continued... component we called “Pacific Reggae”, which profiled reggae as a major form of cultural expression throughout the Pacific. We were able to bring together some really extraordinary artists to perform live on the opening weekend. We’d just hosted a formal reception. The music was scheduled to start shortly after. Just as proceedings were winding down, families – people of all ages, really – from the local Pacific communities flooded into the building. It was an extraordinary moment proving that the APT is for everyone.
alternative way of thinking about the built environment and of the various forces that structure daily life across this broad region. Time is also an important focus of the exhibition, given the show’s 20th anniversary and an emphasis on archival practices. A number of senior artists have taken it upon themselves to look at their own practices as archives. Q. Which work in APT7 still floors you every time you see it? I have to say Richard Maloy’s Big Yellow. Being able to walk inside it and also see it from across the river is wonderful, and having seen it evolve from an idea into – well – a behemoth is a special treat. But then again, each time I walk through the space I’m floored by something else… I really can’t go past the Papua New Guinean structures and performance objects without gasping at their aesthetic power, Huan Yong Ping’s 53 metre long snake in the watermall is also so evocative, Daniel Boyd’s projections keep uncovering different thoughts for me too … There are really too many to choose from!
APT7 opens at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art on Saturday 8 December and continues to 14 April 2013. QAGOMA TV also launches on 8 December. To watch artist interviews, curator chats and performances from the APT’s 20 year history visit http://tv.qagoma. qld.gov.au/ APT7, Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, until 14 April 2013 Above: An-My LE, Patient Admission, US Naval Hospital Ship Mercy, Vietnam
Q. In your role you work closely with artists from across the globe, do you have a favourite story about an APT artist?
(from ‘Events Ashore’ series) 2010 Page 6: MadeIn Company, Spread 201009103 (installation view), 2010 Page 7: PARAMODEL, paramodelic –
Not so much an artist as an audience. APT6 featured a
graffiti (installation view), 2010 8
German contemporary arts tour inspires curator Brisbane’s Tess Maunder, an emerging curator and writer, has returned from a German study tour inspired by the vibrancy of an ‘invisible network’ strengthening the contemporary arts sector.
through event-based activity, offsite projects and even through meeting people within the sector. “Also important was visiting key international Museums and looking at the work by historically significant practitioners.
Tess received a $3000 Career Development Grant from Arts Queensland to undertake the 17-day intensive international research mentorship in Kassel, Germany.
“I gained a matured insight into many aspects of the contemporary art sector – from a Museum-based exhibition, through to commercial spaces, independent artist-run spaces, art-based publishing – although they all may seem distinctive in their different approaches, most key spaces operate through an ‘invisible’ network between each other.
She travelled with her mentor, Senior Curator of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art Rachel Kent, to Documenta 13, regarded as one of the world’s foremost exhibitions of contemporary art and programming.
“By placing emerging professionals in an international context it allows for international exchange to be developed here in Australia and Queensland.”
“The purpose of my trip was to visit key international exhibition Documenta 13, which only happens once every five years,” Tess said.
Career Development Grants offers up to $5000 to support professional development activities and opportunities that significantly develop and advance artist’s careers. For more information visit http://bit.ly/ U19hTH
“As an emerging curator it was an invaluable opportunity to visit an exhibition of its calibre. “My favourite experience was the hospitality of people I met along the way. The exhibition itself is not limited only to the gallery space, it is about the overall experience; this means engaging with art
Above: Documenta 13. Photo: Tess Maunder 9
To market, to arts market 2014, Brisbane Powerhouse is offering information sessions during the World Theatre Festival 2013 from 13 February. These sessions will provide details on what to expect at APAM 2014, how it will work, the selection process and timelines, as well as long term opportunities for APAM 2016 and 2018, also in Brisbane.
The Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) presents the best in contemporary Australian performing arts to presenters, programmers and artists from around the world, and it’s coming to Brisbane! As host venue for APAM 2014, Brisbane Powerhouse will be the market’s hub, with performances and events also presented at venue partners – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Queensland Conservatorium, Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and Gardens Theatre, QUT.
APAM 2014 is a partnership delivered by the Australia Council of the Arts, Brisbane City Council, Arts Queensland and Events Queensland, as well as State and Territory governments from around Australia, Creative New Zealand, and the APAM venue partners.
Andrew Ross, Artistic Director of Brisbane Powerhouse, said: “We’re excited to be welcoming presenters and producers from all over the world and creative artists from Australia and our region to Brisbane and Brisbane Powerhouse.”
To find out more on the upcoming information sessions as well as regular updates on APAM 2014 subscribe to the e-newsletter at www.performingartsmarket.com.au Above: Delegates walls from APAM 2012 in Adelaide. Photo: Joshua
To prepare Queensland’s performing arts sector for APAM
Penley. 10
WANTED: Queensland’s regional art stars Winning the award meant a great deal to the choir and reinforced their role as one of Queensland’s artistic success stories.
Queenslanders in the arts and cultural sector doing great work will be recognised at the second biennial Arts Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Awards 2013.
Arts worker Mariam Arcilla, who received a 2011 award in the volunteering category, received a major boost from her win. She continues to remain active in the Gold Coast and Brisbane cultural sector, and is a co-director of Rabbit + Cocoon, a creative precinct on the Gold Coast that provides spaces and career resources for local and visiting artists and entrepreneurs.
Nominations for the awards are now open to individuals, organisations and councils who have delivered projects that have enriched the arts and cultural lives of their local communities between 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2013. The awards have six categories: Building Strong Communities, Participation, Regional Arts Development Fund, Indigenous Regional Arts Development, Volunteering and Creative Spaces and Places.
The 2013 awards will be presented in Rockhampton as part of Articulate (21-23 August 2013), a biennial arts and culture conference presented by the Queensland Government and Rockhampton Regional Council.
We hope to see inspirational projects that have made an outstanding contribution to Queensland’s arts and culture landscape.
Nominations for the Arts Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Awards close on 30 April 2013 with applications and guidelines on the Arts Queensland website www.arts.qld.gov.au
2011 winners, the Mackay Regional Council’s Choir of Unheard Voices, is a great example of bringing together people with mental illness and giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of singing and performing as part of a choir.
Above: Winners of the 2011 Regional Arts and Culture Awards accept their awards in Bundaberg, October 2011. Photo: Paul Beutel 11
Hidden treasures of ancient Afghanistan revealed in Queensland Hidden away through decades of civil war and violence, Bronze Age riches and exotic treasures from Afghanistan’s Silk Road will be unveiled at Queensland Museum in 2013.
Creative Producer Bernadette McCormack. “We’re looking forward to sharing some incredible stories from Afghanistan next year and taking people on a journey along the Silk Road.”
Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul features Bronze Age gold pieces from the ancient city of Fullol, artefacts from Aï Khanum, a Greek city in northern Afghanistan, treasures from a merchant’s storeroom in Begram, sealed up 2000 years ago, and a collection of precious objects discovered in the graves of six nomads in Tillya Tepe.
Opening in September, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, casts light on both the nation’s rich past at the heart of the Silk Road and the violent upheaval of more recent times. With Afghanistan at the centre of the ancient international trade routes, the artefacts on display reveal influences from cultures as diverse as India, ancient Egypt, China and Greece. Many of the objects are also richly decorated in gold and precious stones hinting at the rich natural wealth of the region.
The Queensland Museum show is part of the exhibition’s international tour. It has already been a hit at the British Museum in London and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Our success with Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb international exhibition in 2012 really shows that our visitors have a great interest in world cultures, both present and past,” says
These riches made the artefacts highly prized by looters during the nation’s civil war, while the Taliban’s mission to destroy ‘all images’ also threatened their preservation. A small group
Queensland Museum’s Senior 12
of brave employees saved the treasures from the National Museum in Kabul, later looted, and hid these items until it was safe for them to be shared again. For the Brisbane exhibition, the Queensland Museum will work closely with the local Afghani Hazara community. “We want to set the Queensland experience apart from all other places the exhibition has appeared,” says Bernadette.
“As we seek to grow the relationship with the Afghani community, we’re also excited that the Queensland Museum has been confirmed as the host venue for the National Afghanistan Tertiary Students Conference in February 2013.” Ticket sales for Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul open in early 2013. Clockwise form left: Dragon Master Pendant. Crown. Standing ram. All images courtesy of Queensland Museum 13
Arts Queensland Media Releases Weekend of Celebrations Marks Opening of Asia Pacific Exhibition
$118,354 to deliver exhibitions, workshops, professional development and exchange opportunities for the State’s emerging artists and curators
Acting Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek will open the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) tomorrow in Brisbane as part of a weekend-long celebration of the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art’s flagship contemporary art event.
http://bit.ly/QT9GtF
New Screenplays Come To Life in the Writers’ Room A political thriller, a black comedy, a rom-com and a drama will all be developed into screenready scripts thanks to Screen Queensland’s The Writers’ Room.
http://bit.ly/UcvzkL
Super Star Fund opens for business
http://bit.ly/SSpgFL
Acting Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek said Queensland was ready to welcome the world’s top artists to our stages with today’s opening of applications to the Super Star Fund.
New studio a boost for Aurukun artists Acting Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek today announced construction would soon start on a new women’s art studio in Aurukun in far north Queensland.
http://bit.ly/124mG36
State Library a Hot Spot for Gamers
Indigenous fashion project hits the runway Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts (BIA) which aims to strengthen Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry.
Last month 200 members of the fashion elite witnessed the unveiling of the AKIN Collection, the Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Project at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) [see November’s Arts Update].
Applications are now open for BIA’s 2013 Building Skills and Opportunities program. Funding of up to $10 000 is available for groups, organisations and local governments while individuals can apply for up to $5000. Eligible projects focus on the development of skills to market and grow Queensland Indigenous art. Funding closes 30 April 2013.
The 20-piece collection showcased textile prints from five of Far North Queensland’s leading Indigenous artists – Margaret Mara, Arone Meeks, Napolean Oui, Sharon Phineasa and Tommy Pau – each of whom collaborated with a talented young designer from QUT.
The Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Project is proudly endorsed by QUEENSLANDERSIGN™, an initiative of the Queensland Design Council. The Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Project is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory Governments
“The local industry is very excited about the new AKIN collection,” says project manager Cynthia Macnee, of QUT Creative Enterprise Australia. “This is a great example of a commercial outcome for artistic excellence in an authentic and ethical way.” AKIN got its start through seed funding provided by Arts
http://bit.ly/W1tR7X
Funding boost for State’s Arts sector
Calling all gamers – the State Library of Queensland at the Cultural Centre, Brisbane, needs you to play the latest Queenslandmade video and mobile games at a special new exhibition.
Acting Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek today announced almost $1.6 million for 14 arts organisations state-wide through Arts Queensland’s 2013 annual Small to Medium (s2m) Organisations program, reaffirming the Newman Government’s continued support for Queensland’s arts sector.
http://bit.ly/TQDOXk
Funding boost for art projects across State Seven artist-run initiatives in Brisbane, Toowoomba and Rockhampton are set to share
http://bit.ly/Z89MkF
Queensland Arts and Culture Case Studies Children’s Art Centre
Kirra Hill Community & Cultural Centre
The Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art’s Children’s Art Centre develops quality participation and engagement opportunities for children, their households and classrooms.
Once a school building, the Kirra Hill Community and Cultural Centre has been converted into a exciting arts and cultural space for the local community.
http://bit.ly/UcDIWj
http://bit.ly/UQYePV
About us: Arts Queensland is part of the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts. For more information on Arts Queensland go to www.arts.qld.gov.au or call 1800175531 For more information on Queensland Government go to www.qld.gov.au
AKIN runway. Photo: Michael Greves 14
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