January 2012
Signs of times as Melbourne theatre heeds deaf
When Sydney-based actor Luke Watts steps on stage in Tribes this week, he will become the first member of the deaf community to play a leading role for MTC, according to the company's general manager, Ann Tonks. Watts, who has severe to profound hearing loss, said theatre companies needed to make their productions more accessible to the deaf. more >
December 2011
Shake-up for arts funding council
The Australia Council for the Arts, the federal government's arts funding and advisory body, is getting its first shake-up in almost 30 years. Federal Arts Minister Simon Crean yesterday announced an independent review of the council before the release of a national cultural policy. more >
Australia Council review announced
Arts Minister Simon Crean today announced an independent review of the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Artists invited to enrich our future with the NBN
Artists are invited to propose innovative arts projects that utilise next generation high-capacity broadband enabled by the National Broadband Network. more >
Book2 helps writers deliver their second book
“The Literature Board recognises that for many writers, the second book will be the most difficult of their career,” says Susan Hayes, Director of Literature at The Australia Council. “This is particularly the case for literary writers, whose first book will have attracted considerable critical acclaim but a relatively low contribution to their income.” more >
November 2011
Journalism's poor city cousin
Much has been said about the national broadcaster shirking its charter responsibilities to Australian culture, but the problem goes further than simple scheduling changes. It points to a more general disregard, across the media, for serious journalistic coverage of the arts and culture. more >
Measuring the impact of cultural policies
Cultural policymakers are increasingly coveting ‘hard’ evidence, requiring cultural organisations to report against performance indicators and asking grant recipients to demonstrate their projects’ impacts. But is there a simple way to measure the impact of a country’s cultural policies overall, at a general, or ‘macro’, level? This article explores one way of doing this using data from Australia and New Zealand. more >
To sir, with love: Opera House is just a click away
Students and teachers won’t necessarily have to travel to Bennelong Point to engage with the Opera House next year. In what Opera House CEO Richard Evans describes as an “exciting expansion” of the House:Ed program, the Opera House will offer arts and educational experiences not only onsite at the World Heritage-listed icon but also online and offsite at Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast. more >
October 2011
APJACM - Call for Papers for 2012
We aim to publish two volumes annually: one an open edition and the other with a specific theme. In 2012 that theme is the management of arts and cultural collaborative projects across countries in the Asia-Pacific region. more >
Strengthening support for Indigenous culture
The Australian Government has strengthened support for Indigenous culture by streamlining the funding process and launching a new Indigenous Repatriation Policy, Arts Minister Simon Crean has announced. more >
Cultural funding by government results have been released for 2009-10!
In 2009-10 total government funding for cultural activities was $6,658.1m; an increase of 2% from 2008-09 ($6,525.1m). Funding from state and territory governments accounted for the largest proportion of this total (45% or $3,003.3m), followed by the Australian Government (37% or $2,457.0m) and local governments (18% or $1,197.7m). more >
The next step towards a new National Cultural Policy
Development of a new National Cultural Policy (NCP) is one step closer following the August release of a discussion paper by Minister for the Arts, the Hon Simon Crean. more >
Not too late to contribute to national cultural policy - Crean
Only two weeks remain for Australians to have their say on the development of the first National Cultural Policy in almost twenty years, Arts Minister Simon Crean announced today. more >
A big-thinking cultural policy in the offing
The federal government's national cultural policy has the potential, if there is political will, to radically change Australia's creative landscape. more >
September 2011
Pop culture the new soft power tool in East Asia diplomacy
Countries in East Asia are increasingly looking to pop culture, as an instrument of "soft power". And the "soft power" competition is alive and well in East Asia, with not just financial returns at stake, but also as a positive influence in the attitudes of target or importing countries. more >
A culture crying out for celebration
Hetti Perkins acknowledges her call for the creation of a national indigenous arts institution is not a new idea. But comments by the indigenous art curator have reignited a debate that has simmered for several years. more >
2 week countdown to Australia's first World Summit on Arts and Culture
The Australia Council for the Arts and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), co-hosts of the 5th World Summit on Arts & Culture, are gearing up to welcome leading arts delegates from across the globe to Melbourne on 3 October 2011. more >
How we can stand out from all the rest
Where does art start and where does utility end? more >
$1.2bn is music to the ears for funding call
The campaign for public funding for contemporary music is about to ratchet up a notch, with the release today of figures showing small live music venues contribute $1.2 billion a year to the national economy. more >
State centres have amazing stories to tell
As we weigh and discuss the possibilities in articulating a 10-year vision for our country's cultural policy, it is timely to consider the importance and potential of the state capital arts centres to this vision and dialogue. more >
Public philanthropy just not a given
Peer leadership is key to painting a new image for public bequests. more >
Brushing up on the practice of gratitude
Nothing wrong with wanting great plays, concerts and books. But I have a sneaking suspicion that we want something more from artists. We expect them to be grateful. more >
August 2011
Australia Council's triple bill of results: developing market demand for our Indigenous arts
The Australia Council for the Arts is pleased to announce the delivery of three exciting new projects in the Indigenous performing arts sector: the National Indigenous Touring Consortium (NITC), the Emerging Indigenous Producer Mentorships (EIPM), and a National Indigenous Playwrights’ Conference. more >
Will another paper on cultural policy help?
With the world economy in turmoil and climatic catastrophe imminent, is this really time for something as tooth-achingly nebulous as a national cultural policy discussion paper? more >
Australia Council announces new publishing subsidies
The Literature Board of the Australia Council for the Arts is excited to announce a new structure for its publishing subsidies which will provide publishers with greater flexibility and recognise the contribution and track record of Australia’s small and medium sized publishers. more >
Cultural policy review
The federal government yesterday released a discussion paper for a national cultural policy, the first since the Keating government's Creative Nation. more >
Next step to first National Cultural Policy in almost 20 years
Arts Minister Simon Crean invited all Australians to comment on a discussion paper for the country's first National Cultural Policy in almost two decades. more >
Arts to help social recovery
The arts will play a key role in disaster recovery with Federal and State Arts Ministers Simon Crean and Rachel Nolan today announcing $376,000 for a creative recovery project to be run in some of Queensland's most disaster affected communities. more >
Cultural Places initiatives provides a new approach to integrating arts in regional communities
The Cultural Places initiative aims to demonstrate that arts and cultural projects can assist in the diversification of local economies and to increase social cohesion and improve quality of life when integrated into economic, social and community planning. more >
ABC axes arts division
ABC executives today handed redundancy notices to dozens of staff across the country as it axed its arts division and several programs. more >
Federal support for world arts and culture summit
Arts Minister Simon Crean today announced an $80,000 contribution from the Federal Government to an international arts and culture summit being held in Melbourne in October this year. more >
July 2011
What's Pozible?
Arts Access Australia is very excited to have become a Pozible network collaborator, and to pass on the benefits to our members. Pozible (www.pozible.com.au) is a new crowdfunding platform and community for creative projects and ideas. more >
Democratisation of power hits the arts
Group consensus may well be a modern scourge but in the arts individual authority is still king. Decisions about what Australians see, hear, watch and listen to are made by a handful of individual tastemakers who are ultimately forced to rely on their own judgment. more >
Australian Government funding to UNESCO to support cultural diversity
The Australian Government has contributed $80,000 towards UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). The IFCD was established under the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The fund aims to promote sustainable development and cultural diversity in developing countries by supporting the emergence of a dynamic cultural sector. more >
Philanthropy provides sweet charity for the arts
Private giving, rather than corporate sponsorship or government funding, is providing an increasing share of arts companies' financial base. more >
June 2011
Sponsors pull strings to reach for the stars
When corporations back the arts, they want more than just logo promotion. more >
Acting the part of an Aussie redneck
A coalition of more than 120 Australian performers has petitioned Minister for the Arts Simon Crean to provide them with laws that will block foreign actors from local roles and ensure job protection for our own theatrical sector. more >
Censors eye ratings system for artworks
The visual arts industry is appalled by a proposal to apply a classification scheme to artworks exhibited in galleries across the nation. more >
'Ooga-booga' dancing not on, says Bangarra
It's shows are one of the most recognisable expressions of Australian indigenous culture, and the company is often called on to wave the flag at international events. more >
Censors struggle to catch the naughty bits
The rapid evolution of new media has brought manifold opportunities for artists and filmmakers but it also has rendered obsolete Australia's censorship laws. more >
Public submissions invited to arts review
Arts Minister Simon Crean and the Chair of the Review of Private Sector Support for the Arts, Mr Harold Mitchell AC, today released a discussion paper and invited interested parties to make a submission. more >
May 2011
Reconciliation action plan
The House’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) aims to close the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and their fellow Australians by introducing a number of targets across the organisation. more >
Cultured people happier: study
People who go to museums and concerts or create art or play an instrument are more satisfied with their lives, regardless of how educated or rich they are, according to a new study. more >
Melbourne wants to be Indigenous arts capital
Melbourne City Council has set itself a target to become the nation’s premier city for Indigenous arts by staging a new three-day festival next year. more >
New Investment in Australian Artiststs
The Australia Council for the Arts welcomes the budget announcement of $10 million in new funding for artists. more >
New Investment in Australian Artists
The initiative will support artists across all artforms to deliver new artistic works, undertake fellowships and create additional presentations to Australian audiences over the next five years as part of the Government’s commitment to invest in a creative Australia. more >
Beyond the trees, a forest of opportunity untapped
Just before Easter, Arts Minister Simon Crean announced that advertising guru and philanthropist Harold Mitchell would undertake a major review of private sector support for the arts in Australia. more >
April 2011
The art of taking risks
Something special is under way. We could well look back on 2011 as the year arts policy came of age. more >
Leadership program builds tomorrow's leaders
Next week, 23 dynamic young Australians from across the country begin a journey to become the nation’s arts and cultural leaders of the future. more >
Mitchell review welcomed by Council
The Chair of the Australia Council for the Arts, James Strong AO, today welcomed the appointment of well-known business leader and philanthropist Harold Mitchell AC to lead a review of private sector support for the arts in Australia. more >
Performers find all the world wide web's a stage
Australian performing arts companies are falling behind their international peers when it comes to exploiting new digital technology. more >
Planning for success
Getting more Indigenous performers onto the world stage—where they can inspire audiences and bring Australian culture to life— is the focus of a new market development strategy. more >
Big bucks and the boy king
When it comes to culture, is bigger necessarily better? Are blockbuster shows about great art or making money? more >
Centre to help writers stay in touch with tech, trends
Award-winning journalist and former Victorian arts and education minister Mary Delahunty will head a new national writers centre based in Canberra. more >
National Arts Broadband Forum: Over 700 Participants
Monday 28th March was a significant day for Australia’s regional and remote artists, arts organisations and arts industries, marking the nation’s first National Arts Broadband Forum (NBN) hosted by Regional Arts Australia at Parliament House, Canberra. more >
March 2011
Crowdsourcing government arts funding
Government arts funders could harness the power of crowdfunding to get more bang for their buck. more >
Arts Leadership - opinion piece
The topic of leadership - what makes a good leader, how to find, grow, and keep good leaders - is on the minds and lips of communities and businesses, both small and large. Opinion piece by Lyn Wallis, Director of the Theatre Board for the Australia Council for the Arts more >
The national regional arts broadband forum
A national frum to discuss how rural and regional artists and arts companies can gain maximum benefit from high speed broadband internet. more >
How do you change a stereotype?
Australia is long overdue its own Alliance Francaise or Goethe Institut - a co-ordinated body to spruik our culture internationally. more >
Why the world stage is so important today for Australian dance?
Until the 1970’s, many successful Australian dancers just packed up and left for Europe. For most, this was a permanent move – there was little zipping back and forth between the hemispheres – for most, a choice had to be made. more >
A new approach to supporting the creative industries
It is common to see public investment in infrastructure, such as next generation broadband. But should policy go beyond this? more >
National forum considers future of Australian dance
The first event of its kind for many years, the National Dance Forum gathers together some of Australia’s most exciting dancers, choreographers, curators, critics and producers in a lively discussion over two days at the Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall. It provides a rare opportunity for the dance sector to consider the state of dance practice in Australia and chart a course for the future. more >
Culture council's final curtain
The body responsible for adopting the Nugent report -- which became the blueprint for performing arts reform that has ensured its financial health over the past decade -- is set to be scrapped. more >
February 2011
Introducing theatre’s next big things
The need to develop arts leaders is being addressed by the Theatre Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, which today announces new grants to help emerging leaders develop and share the skills of cultural leadership. more >
New approach needed for arts
A ustralia should seek new and original ways to bring together the arts, popular culture and the creative industries without stifling or confining them. In the report, Arts and creative industries, Australia needs new policy approaches which recognise the complex ecology of the arts with popular culture and the creative sector. more >
January 2011
Art galleries draw the young, the old, and most of those in between
ARE art galleries pretentious playgrounds for the wealthy? Not in NSW, according to more than 7000 visitors to galleries across the state. A study by Museums and Galleries NSW showed art institutions attract people from all walks of life. more >
Council argues end to cultural funding divide
We are all creative industries now, according to the authors of a new Australia Council report, who would put symphony orchestras and video gamemakers in the same cultural paddock. more >
Arts and creative industries
Australia should seek new and liberating ways to bring together the arts, popular culture and the creative industries, according to Arts and creative industries. more >
Australian theatre finds a new voice
The Theatre Board of the Australia Council for the Arts is providing funding and support for the establishment of a national advocacy network for the small to medium theatre sector in Australia. more >
Academic paints a picture of arts as a priority in classrooms
The arts should be embedded in the teaching of all subjects as a way of cultivating creativity and imagination in schoolchildren, according to a paper published yesterday by the Australian Council for Educational Research. more >
December 2010
State writers' centres join forces to form Writing Australia
Five state-funded writers’ centres from around the country will combine forces to form a new national organisation called Writing Australia, in a new Literature Board initiative announced today by the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
November 2010
Cultural policy in Australia: institutions, audiences and communities
Federal, state and local governments in Australia all provide direct and indirect support for a range of cultural activities and organisations. Most have specific ministries, quasi-autonomous bodies, and/or funding programs for the arts. But public intervention in the arts is fraught with tensions and contradictions not least of which are those associated with the arbitrary aesthetic hierarchy that is legitimated by arts funding programs and organisations. more >
Trading culture
Officials from Australia and eight other Pacific countries meet in Auckland on 6 December to begin their fourth round of negotiations for a trans-Pacific free-trade agreement. Jock Given looks at the potential impact on culture and information industries. more >
2010 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
In her first cultural event as Prime Minister, Julia Gillard presented the following speech at the 2010 Prime Minister's Literary Awards. She took the opportunity to talk about her support for the arts, the importance of the NBN as a way for the arts to expand their reach and the future of the national cultural policy in Australia. more >
WA creative scene gets down to business
The nation's first chamber of arts and culture will be a united voice to promote the sector's interests. more >
October 2010
Donors give the lie to financial crisis fears
THE arts have not suffered the dramatic loss of philanthropy and sponsorship revenue from the financial crisis many had feared, according to peak arts bodies. more >
New projects through IETM-Australia Council for the Arts Collaboration
As part of the collaboration between the Australia Council for the Arts and IETM, the international network for contemporary performing arts, a program of activities has been developed by Project Director, David Pledger. It will foster artistic partnerships between Australia and Europe in 2010-2011. more >
Lessons in aesthetic appreciation proposed for schools
The arts are included alongside geography and languages in the second phase of the rollout of the national curriculum. It means that, for the first time, all students from their first year of school through to Year 8 will learn five art forms: dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts. more >
Copyright agreement to right copy wrongs
A proposed international agreement that would crack down on copyright piracy and counterfeiting is much closer to finalisation following Governments adopting a softer line against alleged offenders. more >
Getting into the swing of things with all his arts
Simon Crean has impressed the sector with his enthusiasm for the role.
IN the four weeks since Julia Gillard asked Simon Crean to be Arts Minister, the veteran politician has betrayed an eclectic taste in cultural pursuits.
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Art, roller derby, zines and gaming - this is the Digital Culture Fund
Novel arts experiences using digital technologies and live audience engagement are now emerging across Australia with the help of the Digital Culture Fund from the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Australia Council appoints Anzarts for Australian Performing Arts Market scoping study
The Australia Council for the Arts has commissioned a scoping study of the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) from the Anzarts Institute headed by widely respected arts and cultural policy specialist, Justin Macdonnell. more >
September 2010
The arts are vital to rural communities
The inspired alignment in Simon Crean's new regional portfolio, which brings together Regional Australia, Regional Development, Local Government and the Arts, has the potential to support well-considered long-term partnerships between key players in regional and rural revitalisation. more >
Tone deaf in a popularity contest
Where would you rank opera in a list of arts and cultural funding priorities in Australia today? Above literature and the nation's novelists? Above our visual artists? Above our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists? Would you place it ahead of investing in contemporary forms such as design, contemporary music and video games? more >
Cultural Blogging in Australia
Yesterday, I participated in a fascinating full-day “unconference” at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas on the topic of cultural bloggers and online criticism. Unconferencers set the agenda on the day of the event so it kicked off with a discussion of the “amateur” status of bloggers. This was inspired in part by Alison Croggon’s article “The Return of the Amateur Critic” asking why bloggers are often thought of as amateurs. This led into a discussion of money and how bloggers can monetise their places on the web more >
Artistic vibrancy – a new measure of success
The Australia Council for the Arts has become one of the world’s first funding agencies to tackle the issue of how to measure the artistic vibrancy of the companies it funds. more >
Song and dance fan ready for his arts role
SIMON Crean's passion for opera and ballet will help ease him into his new role as Arts Minister. more >
Crean ready for arts role
Simon Crean's passion for opera and ballet will help ease him into his new role as federal arts minister. more >
Performing arts prove the show must go on
It is perhaps a measure of how well the performing arts has weathered the global economic downturn that a slight drop in the number of people attending live shows has been hailed as a good result. more >
August 2010
Turning a corner towards inclusion in the arts
Minister for the Arts, David O’Byrne, today spoke of his vision for the arts and celebrated Tasmania’s vibrant arts culture at the Junction 2010 Regional Arts Festival. In a major coup, the national arts conference and festival is being held in Launceston and includes art installations and a high-level symposium to discuss innovative ways to engage the community in the arts. more >
Regional artists earn less – but love the life
Australians are showing an unprecedented love of the arts, but our artists remain amongst the lowest paid in our society – especially in regional Australia. more >
Artists don't do it for the money
THE Australia Council for the Arts has released a torrent of statistics and analyses put together by two university research teams, all of which add up to one stark fact: you would be mad to become an artist for the money. more >
$10m grants for new works
ARTISTS will benefit from a $10 million boost for new works and fellowships, and the role of the Australia Council will be expanded. But film and television makers should expect no immediate kindness if Labor is re-elected on Saturday. more >
Not starving, saving: creativity pays
Forget the stereotype of the starving artist living in squalor.The arts sector is a vibrant and entrepreneurial part of the economy, with above-average employment growth and five times more small-business owners and sole traders than the total workforce, according to research to be released this week by the Australia Council. more >
Globalising our cultural tour de force
Gene Sherman is dismayed that a week before the federal election neither of the two main parties have uttered the ''a'' word. more >
Fears for future arts funding
Australian Chamber Orchestra's artistic director Richard Tognetti says he fears for the future of the arts because of potential government cuts. more >
Creative accounting
Fierce competition for the philanthropic dollar has forced artistic companies to come up with new ways of attracting money. more >
Richard Mills joins culture war over heritage
It was supposed to be a discussion about the Australia Council's new "artistic vibrancy" policy. more >
Show us some policy, arts groups urge political parties
Australia's leading arts organisations have made an unprecedented intervention in the federal election campaign, complaining about the way the arts have been ignored by the major parties. more >
Investment delivers for visual artists
A $90 million investment in the visual arts and craft sector has delivered significant benefits to individual artists and arts organisations, according to a report released today by the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Review stirs concerns over arts funding
The independent review of the arts in Canberra has been welcomed by arts groups but has raised questions about funding details and support for public art. more >
Full Video: The ABC's Mark Scott on cultural diplomacy
Mark Scott, Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has highlighted that public broadcasting is the most efficient and effective way of presenting Australia’s culture and institutions across the region, in a speech for Asialink-Asia Society AustralAsia Centre. more >
In defence of the Australia Council
A recent call for an overhaul of the Australia Council misses the real culprit. If Australian cultural policy is in disarray, it is not the Australia Council that is at fault; it is the Department for Water, Heritage and the Arts. more >
Suggestions for politicians in search of a cheap arts policy
The perception at election time is that politicians can get ahead only by rolling out the pork barrel and spending up big. But while we'd all love more money for the arts, there are a lot of things that could make us all culturally richer for not much more than the cost of political will, taking the lead, changing some rules and tweaking a few settings. more >
July 2010
Arts, culture and different kinds of humbug
Culture and the arts have not featured prominently in this year’s election campaign. That’s a shame, writes Ben Eltham, because we badly need to debate cultural policies. more >
Cross-cultural contest could be the making of us
FORGET the cutthroat rivalry of the Ashes cricket Test series: Australia wants to challenge the British on hallowed cultural ground to create the world's largest digital art canvas. more >
Is there an Australian culture in a Facebook world?
Culture and creativity are central to life in the 21st century. The global stakes have never been higher; never before have we been surrounded by so much information or so much art - high and popular, visual and aural, original and reproduced, amusing and challenging, bland and exciting. more >
Arts cubed: join the digital challenge
What do the arts mean to a TV chef or a professional footballer? Do they engage with art the same as a retired nurse or a bowls club greenkeeper? How do the arts make you? Australians are about to find out. more >
Has the Australia Council had its day?
We should replace the Australia Council with a cultural policy and planning body. more >
Art market - best of intentions, worst of realities
The Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett launched a new Arts Policy on June 8, 2010, introducing a Resale Royalty Scheme for artists on secondary sales. This comes at a crucial time for the arts industry. On June 30 the government also considered the implementation of the Cooper Panel’s recommendation that would disallow the purchase of artwork from Self Managed Super Funds. more >
UWA to lead world-class research
The University of Western Australia is leading or collaborating in more than half of Australia's new Centres of Excellence announced today by the Federal Government.
The Centre of Excellence in the History of Emotion will be directed by UWA historian, Winthrop Professor Philippa Maddern of the School of Humanities. "Emotions shape our mental, physical and social well-being," Professor Maddern said. "Our research will illuminate this crucial aspect of Australia's cultural and social heritage, and invigorate Australian culture through major reflective performances in drama, opera and art.
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Indigenous art code launched
Art galleries, dealers and auction houses have been urged to sign up to code of conduct aimed at ending dodgy sale practices within the multi-million dollar indigenous art sector. more >
Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct
The Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct is now available. more >
Brains in gear better than bums on seats
SUPPORTING the arts means resilience, says Robyn Archer. One of the most experienced, respected and powerful arts identities in the country, Archer knows very well that her formulation of a dichotomy between "that stuff" - heritage art - and the fresh ideas created by young and emerging artists will trouble some of her colleagues. Within the arts sector, there is mounting frustration, not yet expressed openly for fear of reprisals, that the opposite is happening: instead of heritage art being shored up "at the expense of" the new, it is heritage art that is being undermined by arts funding policies that favour emerging art forms. more >
Business sees arts as good creative partners
There is much potential for the arts to capitalise on the benefits they offer business, according to a new survey of corporate decision makers. more >
Cultural policy in Australia
“Cultural policy” is not often thought of as an important topic of public affairs. That’s odd when you consider that culture touches on many of the things that Australians do, see, hear and engage with everyday. more >
Australian music not required
Digital radio stations will not need to play a minute of Australian music after the media watchdog agreed to waive the rules that apply to regular stations. more >
June 2010
National Gallery launches Indigenous jobs push
Indigenous artists are a strong presence on the Australian and international art scenes, but their voices are almost silent when it comes to leadership roles in many of the country's public and private galleries. more >
Midflight creative rush
A joint project between the Australia Council for the Arts and Qantas is now bringing inspiring stories of Australians and the arts to the skies. more >
From centre stage to cyberspace
An Australian production aims to be the world's first iPad opera. But is this device an appropriate medium for the lavish artform? more >
Foundation for the Artist: proposal for a new arts funding model
How well do we look after our artists? This was one of the big questions coming out of the Prime Minister's 2020 Summit in 2008, and just this week a proposal for far-reaching change in arts funding was handed to the Arts Minister. more >
Blessed are the geek
The Australia Council has dispatched a crack troop of techies to reboot the nation's arts organisations. more >
Arts marketers focus on technology and audience
The sixth annual Australia Council for the Arts’ Marketing Summit begins at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane this Tuesday 15 June. more >
$42 million supports Australia's Indigenous arts, culture and heritage
$42 million from five Australian Government programs is supporting over 380 Indigenous arts, culture and heritage projects across Australia, the Minister for Arts and Heritage, Peter Garrett, announced today. more >
May 2010
Dealers hang art levy out to dry
EIGHT days before it takes effect, the federal government's art resale royalty scheme has been branded a "catastrophe", with gallery owners angry and uncertain about how it will affect their business. more >
Song Cycles shows Indigenous musicians have a tough gig
The talent and quality may be there – and so is audience interest – but new research shows that only a fraction of the rewards and airplay is going to Indigenous musicians. more >
Is our culture dying for games to become the next art form?
Are video games art? Is that even an interesting question? And how long does it take a new cultural form before people start to take it seriously? more >
Building bridges through music
On Monday 17 May at the Lowy Institute, an audience heard five important voices in Australian cultural life examine the role of music in promoting understanding between nations and communities. more >
Geeks open gateways for the arts
The Australia Council for the Arts has matched tech-savvy geeks with nine selected arts organisations to help them explore a new world of digital possibilities. more >
Soft power, hard labour
There are a number of ways that the writer inevitably engages with the state. When the state is unhappy with what the writer has written, censorship; when the state is happy with what the writer has written, reward (grants, prizes and honours); and the state also acts as protector, through copyright and other laws relating to creative work. more >
Art royalties plan gets the brush-off
The resale royalty scheme for Australian artists has been labelled a "bureaucratic nightmare" for galleries and auction houses that will do nothing to help artists and their families. more >
April 2010
Working for nothing: a lack of funding, or something more questionable?
Many people will work without pay in the arts. But are they being exploited? more >
Minister waxes lyrical about verse
NSW Arts Minister Virginia Judge , the only MP to have recited one of her own poems in a maiden speech, is planning to establish a ''culture club'' at Parliament House to bring politicians of all persuasions together over the shared love of poetry, books, dance and painting. more >
Labor leaves arts sector crying poor
Joy at a change of government has turned to disillusionment at a perceived lack of support from the Rudd cabinet. more >
Collecting society to administer resale royalty scheme
Arts Minister Peter Garrett today announced that Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) is the successful tenderer to act as the collecting society to implement and administer the resale royalty scheme for visual artists. more >
March 2010
Registration opens for Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct
Registration is now open for art dealers, including agents, galleries and arts centres to register their interest in becoming signatories to the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct. more >
More reasons to Get Reading! in 2010
Arts Minister Peter Garrett today announced a fresh new name and 10 new author ambassadors for Australia’s largest annual promotion of books and reading. more >
More than 'bums on seats' – Australians are participating in the arts
Over 16 million Australians are actively participating in the arts, according to new research released today by the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Australian 15-24 year olds are the new creative generation
An Australia Council for the Arts survey of over 3000 Australians has revealed that 15-24 year olds are vastly more creative than any other age group. more >
February 2010
Delays frustrate WA Ballet's grand plans
The West Australian Ballet has accused the Australia Council of thwarting its plans to become a fully fledged company and jeopardising a $1.2 million annual grant from the state government, which is tied to more federal government funds. more >
Brumby backs down on live music laws
Melbourne 3000 Melbourne's live music venues have been given a reprieve, after the Victorian Government signalled it would back down on its contentious liquor licensing laws. As part of its crackdown on violence in Melbourne's streets, the Government introduced new laws this year requiring all late-night venues with live amplified music to put on extra security. more >
Reframing the cultural policy debate
The Rudd Government's decision to open debate about a national cultural policy is an opportunity for a comprehensive reframing of the debate. more >
Submission on the National Cultural Policy
In preparing this submission on a National Cultural Policy, CHASS sought input from more than 80 member organisations and other peak bodies in the creative and performing arts disciplines of Australian Universities. more >
Australia’s publishers take on the digital revolution
With escalating demand for e-books, over 400 members of the Australian publishing industry are gathering for a landmark two-city symposium to address the impact and opportunities of digital publishing. more >
We'll support you if you come our way
Under the proposals put forward by the federal Arts Minister and former Midnight Oil frontman, foreign entertainers would have to engage at least one local band or musician as a support act for each of their performances in Australia to receive a visa. more >
January 2010
Guidelines prompt artists to take cover
Some are feeling the pressure to avoid contentious subjects, writes Joyce Morgan. After her exhibition was closed and her house raided by police, the Archibald Prize-winning artist Cherry Hood made a pivotal decision. She would no longer depict nude children but would concentrate on portraits instead. more >
Review launched into protocols for artists working with children
One year after releasing protocols for artists working with children, the Australia Council for the Arts is now reviewing their effectiveness in protecting the rights of children and their impact on the creation, exhibition and distribution of art work involving children. more >
JUMP into a new mentoring program for young artists
JUMP is the first program of its kind to support young artists anywhere in Australia to work with industry leaders across a wide range of artforms. more >
Arts funding deserves to be election issue
Arts institutions are rarely heard to make a fuss about funding, for fear of biting the government hand that feeds them. However, funding for South Australia's major art galleries, museums and other collecting institutions is now looming as an important election issue. more >
The Fine Art Of Diplomacy
The lack of Australian cultural diplomacy in China has ramifications which reach far beyond the cultural sector. more >
December 2009
Show Ponies For A Young Nation
There's a thriving, internationally recognised performance scene in Australia — but it's barely reflected in the programming of major arts companies. more >
Kathy Keele reappointed CEO of Australia Council
Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett has announced the reappointment of Ms Kathy Keele as Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council for the Arts for a further five years. more >
53 budding artist careers fertilised with first ArtStart grants
The Australia Council for the Arts announces 53 grants to kick start the careers of budding artists under the new ArtStart grant initiative. more >
Artistic vibrancy resources
The Australia Council has developed a set of resources on artistic vibrancy and how to measure it. This fills the gap in the research into artistic vibrancy and real-world tests of performance measurement in the arts. more >
Australia bars North Korean artists from exhibition
The sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, includes something previously unseen in Australia: artwork commissioned from artists in North Korea, but at the last minute the artists' visa applications were rejected, and each received a notice saying that their "presence in Australia is or would be contrary to Australia's foreign policy interests." more >
A peace corps for artists? Obama adviser shares insights with Australia’s arts community
One of America’s leading experts in arts education and artists working in communities , Eric Booth, is now in Australia to meet arts and political leaders. more >
November 2009
Hey Mr Garrett! Time to get off our arts and do nothing
Australia needs a national cultural policy like a fish needs a bicycle. more >
Australian visual artists to benefit from passage of resale royalty right legislation
Australian artists will receive a portion of the proceeds from the resale of their work with the passage of the Resale Royalty Right for Visual Artists Bill 2008 through the Parliament today. more >
Resale royalty rights for visual artists
Legislation to introduce a resale royalty right scheme to ensure Australia's visual artists receive a portion of the proceeds from the resale of their works was passed by the Senate on 26 November 2009. more >
Should we be funding opera?
The incoming Opera Australia artistic director has slammed Australia's orchestras and opera companies as "conservative and predictable". Terracini's admissions actually fall well short of the mark and remind us that Australia is long overdue for a serious discussion about cultural priorities. more >
Australia invests $1.6 million for regional arts
Arts Minister Peter Garrett today announced funding of more than $1.6 million under the Regional Arts Fund for arts and cultural activities throughout regional Australia. more >
Everyone a winner with an arts lottery
While there has been an enlightened belief among many well-heeled corporations and individuals that the arts deserve to be supported, the growth of the art prize has occurred in direct contrast to the paucity of Federal Government assistance. more >
How to contribute to our cultural policy
What Happens when the Federal Government puts a call out to the public to make suggestions about a cultural policy? more >
Arts on the Map
The Australia Council supports the work of Australian artists - across the country and around the world! more >
Advance Australia online
Australians have an opportunity to shape the nation's official cultural policy. more >
October 2009
A pair of crucial cultural priorities
In his address to the National Press Club on Tuesday, Peter Garrett called for a debate on Australia's cultural policy between now and 2020. He asked that it be a bipartisan conversation rather than one bogged down in the culture wars debates of recent years. more >
Kathy Keele on Arts in the digital era
The Australia Council, in partnership with the ABC, this week hosted a two day forum, Revealing the Arts, at which 250 arts leaders debated the issues faced by artists working in new digital mediums. more >
Culture's challenge
Arts Minister Peter Garrett described himself as a "passionate audience member", promising to buy an Australian book, watch a local film and visit a gallery over the next month. more >
A National Cultural Policy to 2020
The launch of the National Cultural Policy web forum will allow all Australians to contribute to the development of a national cultural policy. more >
Supporting a new breed of digital pioneers
Two Australia Council programs are now inviting digital enthusiasts to get more creative in the new digital era. more >
Revealing the Arts
How are we now experiencing arts and culture in the digital world? With the explosion of TV, mobile and online platforms, and a high speed National Broadband Network just around the corner, what are the digital opportunities for artists? Where is the money coming from and how will rights be managed? more >
Indigenous market enters era of the code
With the release of the finalised Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct, encrusted with high principles and complex reporting provisions, Peter Garrett's grand architecture for the Aboriginal art market is at last visible in its entirety. more >
Australia chosen to host 5th International World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne
Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, has warmly welcomed the recent announcement that the Australia Council for the Arts will host the 5th International World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne in October 2011. more >
Australia’s National Arts and Disability Strategy
Arts Minister Peter Garrett and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten, today commended the Cultural Ministers Council for endorsing the National Arts and Disability Strategy at their national meeting. more >
Minister welcomes support for Indigenous Art Code of Conduct
Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett today welcomed endorsement of the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct by Australian and New Zealand cultural ministers. more >
National Arts and Disability Strategy
Arts Minister Peter Garrett and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten, today commended the Cultural Ministers Council for endorsing the National Arts and Disability Strategy at their national meeting. more >
Australia Council brokers innovative relationship with European performing arts network
The Australia Council is delighted to announce David Pledger will be the first Australian Development Manager to work with the European-based International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM). more >
Distinctive voices of local identity
Last week, federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced that Australia had at long last ratified the UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. more >
September 2009
Festival boss bags our theatres
One of Australia's most respected arts figures has launched a veiled criticism of Adelaide's theatres, saying they are in danger of becoming outdated. more >
Australia wins bid to host World Summit on Arts and Culture
The International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) today announced that the Australia Council for the Arts will host the 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2011. more >
Australia becomes a party to the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity
Australia has become a party to the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Arts Minister Peter Garrett has announced. more >
ArtStart to give artists a head start
Australian arts graduates will now be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help build their art businesses thanks to the launch of the ArtStart initiative. more >
Best practice: a cultural resource for Australia's galleries and museums
A new resource for the collections sector will help galleries and museums across the nation better manage their collections. more >
August 2009
Evolution and Creation: Australia’s Funding Bodies
In numerous conversations with street-level practitioners, the recurring theme is that the cultural funding and policy making system is broken. more >
NAVA Now
In the 1980s, at the grey dawn of economic rationalism, the term 'Arts Industry' started to be used by economists to argue the value of the arts, as a way of indicating to a cost-cutting Australian government that culture could make money. more >
July 2009
A book is a place
Publishing history is being rewritten and reading will never be the same. more >
Bullish creative industries and the bear market
The creative industries idea is better than even its original perpetrators might have imagined, judging from the original mapping documents. more >
Australia Council announces ArtStart initiative
The Australia Council for the Arts will shortly be announcing details of the Australian Government’s new ArtStart initiative. more >
Australia Council comments on the debate regarding imported books restrictions
'The Literature Board of the Australia Council for the Arts delivers its grants with a focus on artists income and the sustainability of our writing industry in Australia. We are concerned about the impact of the recent recommendations from the Productivity Commission regarding parallel imports,” said Susan Hayes, Director of Literature at the Australia Council. more >
Arts festivals keep sponsors despite economic downturn
Some of Australia's arts festivals seem to be bucking the global financial trend by continuing to attract significant corporate sponsorship. more >
Cash for Desart
Central Australian Aboriginal art centres are the big winners from the federal government's latest arts funding package, which divides $9.3 million between 86 organisations. more >
Move to protect performers from unscrupulous managers
Legislation to protect musicians, singers and actors from unscrupulous managers is being considered by the NSW Government. more >
Artistic road to utopia may break down regional barriers
Australia and Japan are developing together a Utopia Project that would present an arts Olympics every two years in an Asia-Pacific centre. more >
There’s still plenty of growing to do!
The economic downturn is certain to hit small arts organisations. But there are strategies that can help you survive – and even grow. more >
June 2009
All talk, no action on arts promises
Despite all the promises in the 2020 summit, it seems the arts have again been sidelined in our schools. more >
New program accelerates Indigenous leaders
A unique international cross-cultural program will boost the careers of Indigenous Australians working in creative industries. more >
A new generation gets on board for the arts
WANTED: Women under 50 with an interest in the arts and a desire to "give back" to the community to join the boards of the nation's arts companies. Oh, and while handing over wads of your cash to said company will be happily accepted, it's no longer a precondition of your appointment. more >
Strategy explores the arts in digital domains
The Australia Council for the Arts releases its blueprint for supporting arts content and its creators in the digital era. more >
Review to cut costs and 'refresh' Opera Australia
At Opera Australia, they are calling it a "renewal process" but maybe it's a rebirth. Since Dr Ziggy Switkowski took over as OA chairman last year, the company has, in his words, "embarked on a process of engaging with the community" and is "seeking fresh perspectives". more >
May 2009
Resale royalty response tabled in parliament
“The resale royalty scheme is one of the Government’s key election commitments and will give artists the right to earn ongoing income from their work –long after the initial sale,” said Arts Minister Peter Garrett. more >
$62.3 million for arts and culture
Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced new programs to support artists, increase access and promotion of the arts, and maintain support for existing programs. more >
Giving to the arts and attracting donors
Audio: AbaF's Sue Roff on why people give to the arts, and how the arts can attract donors. more >
April 2009
Leading the revolution: Can tax reform assist the Australian arts sector?
At the 2020 Summit, the arts sector considered that Australia’s tax system has an important role to play in assisting the arts. more >
Indigenous art code of conduct consultations enter next phase
Public consultation forums will be held across Australia to gather more feedback on the draft Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct. more >
Arts in Australia's National School Curriculum
Australian children are guaranteed an arts-rich education following agreement today by federal, state and territory education ministers that arts be included in the national curriculum. more >
Making sense of censorship
A bold guide to arts censorship in Australia plans to map a way through controversy for local artists. more >
PM puts arts accent on ABC board
Kevin Rudd has finally moved to put his stamp on the ABC and will today begin dismantling the Howard era by awarding two prized vacant seats on the national broadcaster's board to leading figures in the arts community. more >
March 2009
Sacred cows asked to cut out the bull at Melbourne International Arts Festival
It's a brave arts festival director who takes on culture's sacred cows - the artists - and challenges them to speak more plainly to their audiences. Melbourne International Arts Festival artistic director Brett Sheehy will do just that. Sheehy, will also urge Australia's funding bodies, arts administrators and board members to stop using a particular form of arts-speak that he describes as "full of obfuscation, abstraction, wooliness and spin". more >
Breakthrough for Indigenous musicians
A new national Cultural Ministers Council project 'Breakthrough' provides Indigenous musicians with an opportunity to make a high quality recording of the best tracks of their repertoire. more >
Cultural exchange agreement with China
Australia and China have agreed to work more closely on cultural activities such as exhibitions, performing arts, film festivals, media and cultural heritage protection. more >
Creativity in the community offers value for money
Government has a responsibility to fund Australian artists and arts organisations. After all, the government extends support and subsidies to other parts of the economy and the creative sector should be no different. more >
We can tap the intrinsic value of arts
With some sensible changes we could build a creative country. more >
Creative buds can bloom in a recession
There is less money but more working space in hard times, writes Marcus Westbury more >
The arts lose 'a charismatic bureaucrat' at 81
Jean Battersby, the inaugural chief executive of the Australia Council, has been remembered as a pioneering figure who in the 1970s made the government's new arts funding agency into a "glorious salon". more >
Australia Council honours community arts leaders
The Australia Council for the Arts will today present four inspirational arts leaders with the nation’s most prestigious awards in community arts. more >
February 2009
Give us creative accounting
Australia is still at the top of the international league table when it comes to support for athletes. But the level of support for the arts is at the bottom. more >
Arts funding for touring exhibitions
Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett has announced funding of more than $1 million to support the development and touring of 15 cultural exhibitions through the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program. more >
Barnett Government asked to rethink Ledger theatre
Shadow Minister for Culture and the Arts Ben Wyatt has hit out at WA Premier Colin Barnett's decision to name Perth's new theatre centre after Heath Ledger. more >
Minister's Creative Australia Advisory Group meets for the first time
The first meeting of the Creative Australia Advisory Group was held in Sydney on Friday 20 February. The group consists of distinguished representatives from Australia's arts community whom the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts invited to come together to develop, discuss and debate new ideas for the sector. more >
Garrett's group set to meet
The committee hopes to paint a picture of Australia's cultural future. more >
Survival tactics
Local arts companies are cutting costs in a bid to avoid the dramatic downsizing forced upon many of their United States counterparts by the global economic crisis. Will it be enough? more >
$17m Centre to boost creative industries
A $17 million Creative Industries Innovation Centre will provide free hands-on assistance to small and medium businesses in the creative sector to boost their productivity and realise their potential for wealth and job creation. more >
Kids' lit seeks its laureate
A children's laureate to champion reading among kids will be appointed from next year under a program established by an alliance of authors, teachers, librarians, publishers, booksellers and arts administrators. more >
Critical mass: hard questions for indigenous arts
A provocative essay raises questions about Aboriginal cultural policy. more >
Garrett dismisses calls to delay resale royalty scheme
During two days in Canberra last week, the visual arts sector and arts bureaucrats presented their views on the federal Government's proposed art resale royalty scheme. more >
Tune in to hard times, orchestras warned
After receiving a federal government rescue package of $25.4million less than four years ago, the nation's six state orchestras have been warned not to ask for further bailouts. more >
No longer taken for granted
The value of the arts and culture has become a pressing topic that people want to hear about and talk about. more >
Australia Council reinvigorates its research agenda
Five new research priorities will strengthen the Australia Council’s role as a knowledge centre for the arts. more >
Australia Council releases orchestras evaluation
An independent evaluation has found that Australia’s six symphony orchestras have made a smooth transition to become fully independent companies following their divestment from the ABC. more >
New alliance promotes writing for kids
A new industry group will help promote Australia’s rich tradition of children’s literature. more >
January 2009
Australian writer who insulted Thai Monarchy shares prison cell with child molester, weapons dealer
Harry Nicolaides is not the first writer to be imprisoned for a passage he wrote, but the Australian, who was sentenced Monday to three years in a Thai prison, was surprised his self-published, semi-autobiographical debut novel was enough for an arrest. "The Land of Smiles," as Thailand promotes itself, ranks in the bottom third of world nations in Reporters Without Borders' 2008 Press Freedom Index.
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New global marketplace for Australian playscripts
Australian playwrights came a step closer to securing productions of their work in Australia and overseas with the launch of a new website. more >
Contemporary music theatre review
Australia Council for the Arts is currently undertaking a review of contemporary music theatre. more >
Your Cultural Policy Has Expired
Beyond recognising the new, in some areas our policy and our conversations have continuously failed to recognise what's actually been there all along. more >
December 2008
Government support for home-grown music still going strong
Western Australian contemporary music received another boost from the State Government today with a significant increase in successful regional applications. Minister for Culture and the Arts John Day said the rise in the number of applications from the regions and the focus on mentoring and skills development was a promising step forward for WA music. more >
Keynes's vision for investment in culture and creativity for tough times
It is a remarkable reflection on the profound effect of the economic crisis that the name of John Maynard Keynes is once again being heard in the corridors of power. more >
Arts council pulls the wool, hat and trench coat over our eyes
With a scrubbing brush in one hand and a packet of Ajax in the other, the Australia Council is scouring the internet of art. It's not the arts bureaucrats' fault, poor wretches. Being the cleaning ladies of the cyber age is not what they signed up for. They had dreams of "cultivating the nation's creativity" until the Rudd Government put them to work to scrub pictures of children from the net. more >
Making solid ground for Indigenous arts infrastructure
A report summarising consultations on the Australia Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts key organisations has been released. more >
Consultation on draft Indigenous art code of conduct
A draft commercial code of conduct for the Indigenous art industry is available for public comment. more >
Australia Council releases children in art protocols
The Australia Council for the Arts has released its protocols for artists working with children. more >
Censorship debate fires up arts in 2008
The story around Bill Henson and his controversial nude photographs of pre-pubescent children was undoubtedly the arts story of the year. more >
Cultural think tank to advise Garrett
Australia Council chairman James Strong, film school head Sandra Levy and gallery director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor are members of a new cultural think tank that will advise the federal Government on cultural policy. more >
Future support for literary infrastructure
The Australia Council for the Arts is improving its support for Australia’s literary infrastructure. more >
November 2008
Support for arts leaders of the future
Young people in the arts are the winners in the latest round of State Government funding grants. Culture and Arts Minister John Day said more than $90,000 had been given out in grants to fund activity for, with and by young people aged 26 years and younger working in a variety of artforms. more >
Contracts outlining conditions for artists working with kids
Visual artists who want to work with children and who apply for government funding for their projects will have to sign a contract agreeing to a raft of conditions, according to the Australia Council's draft protocols for working with children. more >
Henson works could be culled as old laws surface
Bill Henson has broken the law. So has every artist in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia who in the past few years painted or photographed a naked child. more >
Draft children in art protocols released
The Australia Council for the Arts today made a consultation draft of its protocol for working with children in art available for public comment. more >
October 2008
Garrett hits bung note on funding
One of Australia's leading classical music schools is threatened with closure, following notice from federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett that its funding will cease. The Australian National Academy of Music has been told that funding of $2.6 million will stop this year. more >
Australia Council reaffirms commitment to arts in education
The governing body of the Australia Council for the Arts has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the creative arts in the national education curriculum. more >
Arts and disability strategy for comment
A discussion paper on developing a National Arts and Disability Strategy was released by Cultural Ministers Council. Submissions are open until 3 November 2008. more >
Australia Council is partner in $4.7m boost to new arts research
The Australia Council for the Arts will be an industry partner in three prestigious arts-related research projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). more >
National arts and disability strategy
The Council Minister’s Council (CMC) has agreed to develop a National Arts and Disabililty Strategy which is about giving people with a disability a greater voice in the develoment of arts policy and practices. more >
We're being resold down the river: artists
Australian artists have waited years for a resale royalty scheme, but many were left disappointed by the model unveiled by the Federal Government. more >
Artists to benefit from Resale Royalty Right
A resale right for Australia's visual artists is expected to be in place by 1 July 2009, Arts Minister Peter Garrett said today. more >
Arts marketing resources for research hub
A range of arts marketing resources are now available from the Australia Council's research hub. more >
September 2008
The royalty treatment
Tough legislation will guarantee artists a fair dividend when their work is resold. more >
Code on child depiction in art moving closer
The Australia Council is grappling with the shape of protocols for the depiction of children in artworks. more >
Archer slams 'profit-driven' policies
The concept of 'cultural industries' is threatening to engulf the arts and diminish their importance. more >
August 2008
Creativity, policy and practice discourses
UNESCO Observatory on Multi-Disciplinary Research in the Arts has released a call for papers for volume 1 issue 3 of its E-Journal on ‘Creativity, policy and practice discourses: productive tensions in the new millenium’. more >
Funding cut hurts arts, institutions
Federal Government budget cuts are hurting smaller public bodies, including arts and cultural institutions. more >
Australia Council invites public comment on children in art protocols
The Australia Council for the Arts invites submissions from individuals and organisations who wish to comment on issues surrounding the depiction of children in art. more >
Arts management journal becomes free and goes international
The Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management is now available online for free and is accepting articles from outside the Asia-Pacific region. View the journal at http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/ARTMJ more >
Literacy, numeracy and now 'visuacy' for schools
School students should study Picasso alongside pictures of Elle Macpherson's underwear as part of a recasting of visual arts education away from traditional forms to include images of all kinds. more >
Garrett announces $37.5m in Indigenous arts funding
Nearly 250 Indigenous organisations will get a share of $37.5 million in federal arts funding. more >
$37.5 million in Indigenous Arts and Cultural Support
Arts Minister, Peter Garrett and Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin today announced more than $37 million in funding for Indigenous arts, cultural, languages and broadcasting programs across Australia in 2008–09. more >
National review of visual education released
A new report, First We See: The National Review of Visual Education, provides a vision for the visual education of Australian students into the future. more >
Govt's got arts funding wrong: Kosky
Famed theatre director Barrie Kosky believes Australian politicians are ignorant when it comes to arts funding. more >
Ethics code on Aboriginal art to deter fraud
The Rudd Government yesterday took its first step to clean up the Aboriginal art sector by supporting a national ethics code that aims to deter carpetbaggers and fraudsters. more >
Australian Government responds to Senate Indigenous Arts Inquiry
Arts Minister Peter Garrett has today tabled the Australian Government’s response to the 29 broad recommendations outlined in the Senate Inquiry Report Indigenous Art: Securing the future. more >
Australia increases spending on culture
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show total government spending on cultural activities has increased. more >
July 2008
Books Alive opens new chapter for Aussie readers
The nation’s largest annual promotion of books and reading promises Australians an experience they won’t be able to put down. more >
Artists to develop child-art protocols
Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, has written to the Australia Council and Screen Australia, asking them "to develop a setof protocols to address the depiction of children in works, exhibitions and publications that are recipients of government funding". more >
Buyer beware
The law protecting cultural heritage is no longer serving the interests of Aboriginal artists, the international promotion of Aboriginal art, or the market. more >
Nude girl magazine gets M classification
The Classification Board has given an unrestricted M rating to an art magazine featuring a nude six-year-old girl on the cover. more >
Australian arts 'asphyxiated'
Soprano Lisa Gasteen says the arts are being asphyxiated in Australia and she is not surprised by Adelaide's failure to restage the Ring Cycle. more >
Launch of Dance Plan 2012
The Australia Council for the Arts and Ausdance today launched the Dance Plan 2012 - a four-year action plan for the Australian dance sector. more >
Silvertails not only ones with whole lot of art
The art galleries and museums of NSW are luring diverse crowds, particularly low-income earners, a study by Museums and Galleries NSW has found. more >
Guidelines plan in nude child row
The Rudd Government will ask the Australia Council to develop a set of protocols to cover the representation of children in art, after a taxpayer-funded magazine put a picture of a nude six-year-old girl on its cover to protest at the Bill Henson dispute. more >
Magazine uses nude photo as protest
A taxpayer-funded magazine has used a picture of a naked six-year-old girl on the cover of its July edition in protest against the treatment of artist Bill Henson. more >
Let's aim for the cultural omnivore
Rather than competing against one another to sell subscriptions and single tickets, perhaps arts organisations could work together to increase cultural participation. more >
June 2008
Report predicts social change for major performing arts sector
A new report from the Australia Council for the Arts predicts that major performing arts companies need to keep pace with economic and social trends. more >
National instrument bank launched today
The Music Council of Australia today launched the inaugural National Instrument Bank. more >
Local playwrights consigned to the small end of town
About 100 new Australian scripts or texts are being professionally produced on stages nationally a year, but smaller theatre companies are "taking the brunt of that new work", according to new research. more >
Evaluation of Orchestras Review: Request for tender
The Australia Council for the Arts invites tenders for an evaluation of the Orchestras Review 2005 funding package. more >
May 2008
Old funds for new worlds
Virtual worlds and computer games are not everyone's idea of art, but these technologies come into their own when you take into account it's not just what you see and hear but what you do and how you interact with them that creates the art. more >
Cate Blanchett calls on Prime Minister to soften Bill Henson art remarks
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's handpicked arts mentor Cate Blanchett yesterday co-signed an open letter urging the Prime Minister to rethink his public comments about artist Bill Henson's work. more >
Performance hubs puts artists on the map
A groundbreaking new performing arts initiative will bring more independent theatre and dance works to the stage. more >
Creativity bides its time
This week's federal budget will do little to satisfy an arts sector looking for big-picture cultural policy and spending, despite a $103 million allocation for a new film body, Screen Australia, and $11.8 million for connecting young people with the arts. more >
Business hands out a cool $171m in gifts
Arts companies have attracted $171.1million in sponsorship and donations in the past financial year, according to the Australia Business Arts Foundation, in what it calls the first reliable tally of non-government funds. more >
Arts world delights in budget's great script
The Federal Government's first budget has been welcomed by the arts sector as a good start with its focus on education, emerging artists and on delivering on its election promises. more >
Resale Royalty Rights for Australia's Visual Artists
The Rudd Labor Government has announced $1.5 million over three years in the 2008-09 Budget to support the establishment of a resale royalty scheme for visual artists, Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, said today. more >
New Initiatives for a Creative Australia
Creating opportunities for young and emerging Australian artists and an ‘artists in residence’ program for schools and universities are new arts measures in the 2008-09 Budget. more >
No one's too young for a play
Listen to the practitioners of theatre for children and you may be inspired to believe that theatre is not just a force for good, but that it can change the world. more >
April 2008
New website for Accessible Arts
Accessible Arts has launched its new website, with a wealth of information on arts and disability. more >
A truce in the culture wars
The government has an opportunity to heal some wounds and invigorate Australia's cultural outlook, writes cultural economist David Throsby. more >
Action plan could see jazz jumping
Sydney promoter Peter Rechniewski has developed a proposal for a national jazz plan after coming across the dance plan, which resulted in increased government funding for both the traditional and independent dance sectors. more >
Australia Council launches next wave virtual world arts initiative
The Australia Council for the Arts today announced its latest virtual world initiative – MMUVE it! – offering up to $30,000 for a collaborative arts project in any massive multi-user virtual environment (MMUVE). more >
Arts body poised for cuts
Staff cuts and a streamlined grant applications for artists are part of the Australia Council's $2million budget saving plan for 2008-09. more >
Culture Ministry idea floated at summit
Increasing access to the arts, boosting Australian TV content, and establishing a ministry of culture were the key policy ideas that emerged from the creative stream of the Australia 2020 summit. more >
When suits tread the boards
Arts companies are under increasing pressure to take care of business. more >
The importance of being creative
Actor Cate Blanchett, co-chair of the creative Australia stream at the government's upcoming national planning summit, sets out her views on the importance of creativity. more >
Economics and arts are tarred with the one brush
In the relationship between public policy and the arts: how does one legislate for creativity? We know our society is poorer without the arts, but what they provide is not always quantifiable. more >
Disabled dancers playing it safe
Restless Dance, South Australia's pioneering disability dance group, has set up a professional arm, where disabled dancers will be paid professionally for the first time in Australia. more >
Australia Council and ABC TV help artists go digital
A new strategic partnership between the Australia Council for the Arts and ABC TV will give Australians greater access to more of the Australian arts across ABC TV’s expanding digital delivery platforms. more >
Keith Khan's 'Leading Voices' presentation - audio now available
Keith Khan's Leading Voices talk on cultural diversity and the art of making creative cities is now available in MP3 audio format. more >
Peter Garrett’s arts policy
After eleven years in deep freeze, Australia’s cultural policy debate appears to be slowly thawing out. more >
Five things you should know: Federal arts policy
After eleven years in deep freeze, Australia’s cultural policy debate appears to be slowly thawing out. Ben Eltham examines the new agenda. more >
Arts sector plays new tune
Arts leaders have been attempting to change their tune in recent years, from subsidy-seekers to drivers of creativity and innovation. more >
Business-like arts a failure, says entrepreneur
Filling the boards of arts companies with business appointees has been a dismal failure that has stifled creativity. more >
Arts boost from public-private deal
Under the scheme, the State Government will match money that businesses donate to an arts organisation or individual artist over the next three years. more >
'We All Play a Part' Campaign Launched in Sydney
A coalition of national arts organisations and leading Australian artists today pledged to promote the part played by all Australians in making the performing arts industry a national and international success. more >
Campaign aims to boost performing arts
A coalition of performing arts groups has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at dramatically boosting community support for the sector. more >
March 2008
Professor explores innovative angles for funding
It's time to challenge 'long-held and cherished views about what it is to be an artist and what art is', Brad Haseman says, but that does not mean it is no longer worth pursuing art for art's sake. more >
Review of the Australia Business Arts Foundation
“This review is a critical component of the Government’s election commitment to investigate ways to
increase corporate support for artistic practice,” Minister Garrett said.
more >
Australia Council to consult further about Indigenous key organisations
The Australia Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board chair Dr Chris Sarra today announced the board would extend to September 2008 its consultation with the Indigenous arts sector about proposed changes to the Indigenous key organisations funding program. more >
Arts promises looking shaky
While one sympathises with Garrett's lack of ministerial experience and the imperative of keeping inflation in check, it would be ironic indeed if Labor was to prove just as economically rationalist in its approach to the arts as the much criticised Liberals. more >
Pub music may dry up after copyright rise
THE variety of music played in pubs and nightclubs could be drastically reduced, or replaced by live music, as the Australian Hotels Association looks at ways to sidestep a 1400 per cent increase in the copyright payment for recorded music in venues. more >
Major performing arts sector consolidates steady growth
Australia’s 29 major performing arts companies continue to show steady growth across key financial and artistic indicators, according to the latest report from the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Garrett keen to nurture creativity
Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett has declared a 'brand new day for arts and culture'. more >
Burning Midnight Oil For Australian Art
Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett admitted that arts funding would face a budgetary reduction, but told Cultural Ministers Council members that the arts would have a strong voice in the government. more >
The state of the arts
We in the arts have always argued that they are "good" for people. They add to humanity, create the conditions for a civil society, encourage tolerance and ways to deal with new ideas, encourage empathy and analysis. The economic rationalists said bah humbug, show us your tangibles. And so we have. more >
February 2008
Guides to help do the right thing with Indigenous culture
The Australia Council for the Arts has released a fully revised second edition of its protocol guides to help Australians better understand the use of Indigenous cultural material. more >
Australia: a nation at risk
Why is culture important? Is it because the cement of social cohesion, like friendship, is the bond of common experiences? more >
Blanchett to chair culture forum
Actress Cate Blanchett will chair a discussion group on the theme 'Towards a Creative Australia' at the 2020 national summit planned for April. more >
Culture vultures: Rudd razor gang targets capital's top institutions
The government's 2 per cent efficiency dividend has slashed the budgets of national cultural institutions. more >
Turning creative in a digital world
Arts grants and prizes contribute to promoting and supporting new media arts, though they remain scarce. more >
Code bolsters Indigenous artist protection
Aboriginal artists will have more commercial protection with the finalisation of a National Code of Conduct on Indigenous Art. more >
Fable of the cultural elite
In an international survey for a research project, Oxford sociologists John Goldthorpe and Tak Wing Chan have found that the fabled cultural elite is just that: a fable. more >
Creative Local Communities: Cultural Vitality and Human Rights
The UNESCO Observatory on Multi-disciplinary Research in the Arts has released a call for papers for Vol 1, Issue 2 of its e-journal. more >
Arts governance: survey shows report is off beam
Governance of arts boards has been somewhat overlooked in recent studies of organisation and board governance. more >
Song and dance about the arts
THE economic potential of Australia's artists, performers, filmmakers, designers and architects will never be realised until the wider community appreciates its culture, according to the chief executive of the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
January 2008
Visual arts denied role on world stage
Our sporting and screen stars might be widely known, but how do Australian artists rate internationally and what is being done to promote them? more >
Sustainable future will come only from new sources of finance
A call for an endowment for the arts in Australia: a future fund financed through a special tax incentive linked to corporate and individual investment. more >
Arts Alive celebrates its 550th episode!
Celebrating its five hundred and fiftieth episode, Arts Alive is an integral fixture in the Australian community broadcast milieu. more >
Scrapping funding for culture 'beyond belief'
Just as other countries, those in our region included, are ramping up programs designed to project soft power, the Rudd Government has decided to scrap Australia's. more >
Theatre company rejects grant that's 'not worth it'
A national theatre company has rejected a $750,000 grant from the Australia Council, saying it does not make business sense to accept the money. more >
December 2007
Theatre companies join forces to go the distance
Changes in funding policy now strongly encourage partnerships, be they co-productions or co-presentations. more >
Time to let the cultural desert bloom
The new government starts its term with a relatively blank canvas on the arts and it is not yet clear how, or even if, it will be filled in. more >
A global perspective on communities and memories
A global selection of speakers are confirmed for Memory of the World 2008, the policy analysis and strategic review meeting that aims to set the agenda for the management of cultural resources. more >
Garrett gives back to the arts
Has the arts community got ahead of itself? Excited by this week's announcement of the $300,000 annual Prime Minister's Literary Awards, Australia's cultural community wondered, what next? more >
Ain't no sunshine when the grants are gone
Tensions between the arts-as-business model and the arts-as-welfare model are impacting on the arts sector. more >
I'll take the recycled, light-green one please
This fuel4arts special report explores global retail trends for artists and designers. more >
Australia Council's music board now on MySpace
The music board of the Australia Council for the Arts has launched its own MySpace page. more >
Waiting for Labor to fill in the background
The incoming arts minister says Labor supports the arts, but artists are yet to see just how much. more >
November 2007
New Minister For Environment, Heritage and Arts
Former rock band front-man, now politician, Peter Garrett, was today given responsibility for Environment, Heritage and Arts in the newly elected Australian Labor government. more >
Multiculturalism
Aboriginal history has become part of the Australian story. But the histories that immigrants bring to this country remain largely excluded from that story. more >
Look to creative industries: economist
Richard Florida: Australia should look to creative industries if it wants to develop into an Asian economic powerhouse. more >
Top author warns of arts neglect
Bryce Courtenay says whichever party wins the upcoming federal election, they are likely to neglect the arts. more >
Arts industry applauds Labor funding pledge
The Australia Council has welcomed a promise by the Federal Opposition to provide more funding for the arts in areas outside major cities. more >
Nation 'too parochial' to engage
The director of last year's Sydney Biennale, Charles Merewether, has departed for a plum job in the United Arab Emirates, using the occasion to launch a scathing attack on the visual arts in Australia. more >
The arts of being a doctor
There is an increasing awareness that doctors also need to know about medicine's place in arts and literature. more >
October 2007
Arts funding
Podcast: In this podcast, presented by Amanda Smith, Marcus Westbury argues that new art in Australia isn't getting enough funding, and old art is getting too much. Begins at 10 minute mark. more >
Annual Report 2006-07
The annual report is a report on the operations of the Australia Council for the 2006-07 financial year. more >
Australia Council welcomes more Ozlit in NSW schools
The Australia Council for the Arts today welcomed moves by the New South Wales Government to strengthen the study of Australian literature in primary and secondary schools. more >
Mozart cover bands rake in the moolah
An overwhelming amount of arts funding in Australia goes to organisations that either exclusively or primarily play 'high culture' covers. more >
The art of imagining a greener future
Promoting sustainability is more than just facts and figures for one educator. more >
Council develops platform to lead
PETER Garrett's comments about the Australia Council in The Australian last Thursday ("Refresh creativity at the wellspring") are made in the context of an imminent election campaign, but they are a stimulant to the discussion about the importance of the arts as a vital part of contemporary Australian society. more >
Refresh creativity at the wellspring
THE Australia Council is the right vehicle, but it needs a serious tune-up, argues Peter Garrett. more >
Smaller arts companies benefit from big funding boost
More than 113 small to medium performing arts companies will benefit from an extra $4.8 million in Australian Government Budget funding. more >
Coming soon: Culture Wars II
As the federal election approaches, the arts will mark a point of difference between the two big parties. more >
September 2007
No room for no-hopers
IN A recent Saturday column in The Courier-Mail, Des Houghton revealed a curious fact about the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
Winds of change at funding groups
NEW leaders are rethinking the arts and business. more >
Request for submissions: UNESCO Observatory E-Journal
The Observatory is calling for articles in the field of Popular Art, Architecture and Design for the second issue of the refereed e-journal due to be published late 2007/early2008. more >
Labor arts policy slated
The opposition's plan to introduce a 'paint-for-the-dole' scheme for artists living off welfare has received a 'shellacking' from the Treasurer. more >
New program provides platform for green design
One hundred small environmental design companies will have the opportunity to build their business through the Australian Design Platform. more >
PM neglected art from the start: Garrett
truggling artists without regular paid work would be given improved access to social security support under a Labor government. more >
Arts council must be held accountable
A missile fired by Kathy Keele, chief executive of the Australia Council for the Arts, showed just how much of a secret state we have become. more >
The art of giving
Donations worth $15 million to three competing galleries were announced last week. more >
August 2007
Osama, where art thou hanging?
Priscilla Bracks -- whose work has Jesus Christ morphing into Osama bin Laden -- is another artist to show "courage" by mocking the one faith too nice to hit back, Andrew Bolt writes. more >
Equipping Artists for Business
The two peak organisations will be collaborating to develop a website to assist visual artists with professional and business skills. more >
Tough critic has choice words for all
Norman Lebrecht wonders why the arts in Australia are treated like a child with disabilities. more >
Cultural Tourism Taking the Driver's Seat
Cultural tourism is taking on a new dimension, particularly for those who live in regional areas. Increasingly, audiences are looking for ‘something extra’ in their cultural experience – not content to sit back and travel the passive road of arts and culture, visitors are taking a right hand turn and are now keen to actively engage. more >
Art in Australia: asking for a chance
Peter Garrett believes we are on the cusp of a cultural renaissance in Australia. more >
Multicultural Arts Symposium
The Australia Council has hosted a one-day symposium on multicultural arts. more >
Money for nothing is artistic fiction
Some might say almost $300 million per year in State Government money for the arts is a waste of your money. more >
The respectable word that fell in with the wrong crowd
"Culture" used to be the word used to describe activities such as listening to Bach or going to the theatre and art galleries. more >
Time for the arts to go boom
We are constantly hearing that the economy is booming. more >
MULTIMEDIA - Lion Pig Lion
30 Sec TVC for the production of Lion Pig Lion showing at the State Theatre Company, South Australia. Produced by Fusion. more >
Australia Council introduces 'The Story of the Future'
The Story of the Future is a strategic initiative that aims to develop Australian writing and narratives for digital media. more >
Australian Literature in Education Roundtable
The Australia Council hosted a roundtable on the study of Australian literature in schools and universities. more >
Bishop creates Aust literature position
The Federal Government has announced funding for a new chair in Australian literature at an Australian university. more >
So-called artful dodgers most likely just a tardy lot
The Australia Council has rejected newspaper reports that $20 million in grants was squandered on projects that were never completed, stating the figure was "false and certainly gave false impressions. more >
July 2007
A right of resale? Indigenous art under the hammer
In light of Sotheby's auction of Indigenous art, it is surely time to re-open the policy debate in Australia as to whether Australian artists - especially Indigenous artists and their families - deserve a right of resale. more >
Book promotion spreads the word on reading
Australia’s largest promotion of books and reading, Books Alive 2007, will encourage more Australians to discover the joys of reading over the coming month. more >
Publishing seminar examines digital future
Over 100 publishing representatives attended the Australia Council's Publishing the Story of the Future seminar. more >
Australia Council for the Arts to co-host virtual artists' forum
The Australia Council for the Arts, in partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), will host its first ever artist forum in Second Life. more >
June 2007
Aboriginal Artists are conned into selling their works
An official inquiry may recommend increased powers for authorities to crack down on the shady dealers who prey on Aboriginal artists. more >
Less 'kultcha', more creativity
The international presence and profile of Australian culture has been allowed to fade with a huge cost to the nation, writes Steve Dow. more >
Australia Council forms National Indigenous Arts Reference Group
The Australia Council for the Arts has formed a National Indigenous Arts Reference Group to provide cultural insight and expert advice for the development and implementation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts programs. more >
Expressions of interest for arts and health demonstration project
The Australia Council for the Arts is seeking expressions of interest from artists, arts organisations and health organisations to develop an arts and health demonstration project. more >
May 2007
Australia Council Announces Online Residency
The Australia Council for the Arts is to fund a collaborative artist residency in the 3D online virtual world of Second Life. more >
NEW ARTS FUNDING PROGRAM TO FAN INNOVATION AND RENEWAL
The Beattie Government has announced a new funding program for small to medium arts organisations to further strengthen and develop this vibrant component of the arts industry. more >
Australia Council affirms commitment to reconciliation
Australia Council CEO Kathy Keele has affirmed the Council’s commitment to the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan by 30 December 2007. more >
Building Bridges to the Arts, Culture and Community
Multicultural audience development expert, Donna Walker-Kuhne, will visit Australia in June to present a series of lectures and workshops. more >
Theatre Funding Consultations Continue
The Australia Council for the Arts has released a follow-up to its 2006 discussion paper on theatre funding, ‘Make it New’. more >
Australia Council hails big wins for the arts in Budget
The CEO of the Australia Council, Kathy Keele, has hailed some “very positive outcomes for the arts†in the annual Federal Budget. more >
April 2007
Business urged to help arts
ANZ chief economist Saul Eslake says business should start directing its generosity to the arts instead of sport. more >
Young artists embark on epic career development opportunities
The Australia Council is getting set to provide five young and emerging producers with professional development opportunities in dance or new media art. more >
High-tech battle against fakes
Can a new labelling system stop fraud in Aboriginal art? more >
Proposal for an indigenous art database
The federal government should adopt a national online database system to crack down on indigenous art fraud, a Senate committee has heard. more >
Shake-up behind closed doors
Two months into her new job as Australia Council chief executive, Kathy Keele needs no convincing of the importance of small to medium arts companies in Australia more >
New market development director to join Australia Council
The Australia Council for the Arts has recruited a Canadian, Ms Sandra Bender, to the new position of Director, Market Development. more >
March 2007
Australia Council Releases Report on Arts and Education
The Australia Council’s new partnership with the Queensland University of Technology's ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) has borne its first fruit. more >
Australia Council Says MMM
The Australia Council’s Maker to Manufacturer to Market (MMM) initiative is entering its third year. more >
More SCOPE to life after dance
A world-first Australia Council program will assist Australian dancers to better plan and manage their professional careers. more >
February 2007
Australia Council Mentoring Program On Again
Young Australian artists looking to set fire to their career have until 6 April to apply for the Australia Council's annual national mentoring program for 18-26 year-olds. more >
Australia Council Mentoring Program On Again
Young Australian artists looking to set fire to their career have until 6 April to apply for the Australia Council’s annual national mentoring program for 18-26 year-olds. more >
January 2007
Hopes for Brandis as breath of fresh air
Calling one's prime minister a "lying rodent" shows considerable courage and flair - two qualities admired by the arts community. more >
Australia Council Hosts Writing Workshops
The Australia Council will host a series of seminars and workshops over the course of 2007 designed to help develop Australian writing and narratives for digital media. more >
Australia Council Welcomes New Arts Minister
The Australia Council for the Arts has welcomed the new Arts Minister, Senator George Brandis SC, to the post. more >
Australia Council Base Funding Renewed
The Australia Council has had its triennial base funding renewed by the federal government. more >
Teaching English bardly
The Bard may soon return to Queensland schools as the Federal Government considers making Shakespeare compulsory for English students. more >
Australia Council Looks to Help Dancers
Together with the Australian Sports Commission, the Australia Council for the Arts has launched a unique program designed to provide professional development services for Australia’s dance artists and choreographers. more >
December 2006
Queensland museum worker off to Washington
Queensland museum worker Bernadette McCormack is off to Washington DC. The Visitor Experience Manager at The Workshops Rail Museum was this week declared the winner of the prestigious Queensland – Smithsonian Fellowship. more >
The face of the national cultural scene is changing
Faces are changing rapidly in the arts, with the formal announcement yesterday of key appointments at the ABC and the Australia Council. more >
New CEO for the Australia Council
The Executive Director of the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Ms Kathy Keele, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council for the next three years. more >
New CEO for the Australia Council
The Executive Director of the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Ms Kathy Keele, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council for the next three years. more >
Venezuela's Magnum Opus
For 31 years, an ambitious state program aimed at instilling a love of classical music in children - particularly poor children - has drawn the admiration of conductors from as far away as Berlin and Boston. more >
November 2006
Program to Boost Regional Theatre
The Australia Council for the Arts has launched a $600,000 initiative to encourage theatre production in regional South Australia. more >
Program to Boost Regional Theatre
The Australia Council for the Arts has launched a $600,000 initiative to encourage theatre production in regional South Australia. more >
October 2006
Multicultural Arts Professional Development Programme Extended
Western Sydney will soon have its own, shortened version of the Multicultural Arts Professional Development program (MAPD). Arts and cultural managers, presenters, directors, producers and artists based in the area are strongly encouraged to apply. more >
Arts groups pursue tech's best features to enhance appeal
Arts organizations -- dance companies, classical music ensembles, art museums and the like -- are by their nature old-fashioned. They also depend on attracting a constant flow of ticket-buyers and other funding to survive more >
Australia Council Embraces New Media Art
The Australia Council has reaffirmed its commitment to media arts practice after endorsing the recommendations of the New Media Arts Scoping Study presented to it last month. more >
Australia Council Looks at Theatre Funding
The Theatre Board of the Australia Council for the Arts has released a discussion paper, "Make It New? Some proposals for the future of theatre funding". more >
September 2006
Teen daydreams and mischief drive net creativity
There is a shift from entertainment, information and popular culture being provided ‘for the people’ to one ‘by the people’, says cultural researcher Professor John Hartley. more >
Cultural heads agree on arts priorities
Arts ministers from around Australia and New Zealand met in Wellington last week to discuss ways to boost cultural cooperation, and what to do about a worsening picture for Indigenous arts. more >
Students flock back to the arts
Not so long ago the common wisdom was that dead languages were useless and that the best educational investment was in vocational knowledge. more >
Australian gas project near rock art
The West Australian government will allow Woodside Petroleum to develop a new gas installation in the Pilbara provided it moves part of it away from a massive Aboriginal rock art collection. more >
Australia Council Begins Search for New CEO
The Australia Council has begun its search for a new CEO, after the recent resignation of Jennifer Bott. more >
Indigenous Rock Art to be Sacrificed
Australia's Minister for Heritage and the Environment, Senator Ian Campbell, plans to sacrifice some ancient Indigenous rock art in order to build a gas processing plant. more >
S. Korea to build cultural library in Irbil, Iraq
South Korea's military said Sunday it will spend about 3.6 billion won (US$3.6 million) to build a library in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil by 2008. more >
August 2006
Arts and Health Strategy
The Australia Council has called for public input and ideas on “the current and potential role of the arts in health”, as it seeks to develop an “arts and health” strategy. more >
Australia Council welcomes inquiry into Indigenous visual art sector
The Australia Council for the Arts has launched a report on the country’s Indigenous arts industry. more >
UNESCO Observatory E-Journal Invites Submissions
UNESCO Observatory e-journal invites submissions. more >
New UNESCO Observatory for Australia
The UNESCO Observatory brings together people with shared interests in the arts and encourages activities that cross disciplinary divisions, drawing on the combined expertise of national and internationally recognised researchers. more >
Industry must become creative to open new streams of possibility
Subsidy for the performing arts has been predicated on a front-seat view rather than from behind the scenes. Future support for cultural enterprise should recognise creativity in all its forms, says Katharine Brisbane. more >
Does Australia need a cultural policy?
Panel discussions about the direction of Australian culture have been something of an ongoing conversation over the past couple of years. more >
Australia Council CEO Steps Down
The CEO of the Australia Council, Ms Jennifer Bott, has resigned and will leave Australia’s primary arts funding and advisory body on 19 September to take up the position of chief executive of the University of New South Wales Foundation. more >
July 2006
New Media Discussion Paper Released
The Australia Council has released a discussion paper on the development of new media art in Australia. more >
June 2006
Australia Council scopes new media
The Australia Council for the Arts has commenced a scoping study of New Media Arts to aid future planning for the sector. more >
Arts resources easier to access at Fuel4Arts
Fuel4Arts, the online resource for arts information around the globe, has refurbished its website. The site makes the tools, ideas and research easier to access for all arts professionals. more >
Australia Council releases report on script development
The Australia Council for the Arts recently released a report into the development of script writing for theatre across the country. more >
Protein for your audiences
Fuel4Arts, an Australian organisation, has released Protein, a new online resource providing information on audience development programs. more >
Please, sir, we want some more
As James Strong prepares to take the helm of the Australia Council, the Herald asked people in the arts community what his priorities should be. more >
AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES NEW CHAIR
The Australia Council for the Arts has a new Chair. James Strong will commence in the position from July 1, replacing David Gonski, who recently stepped down. more >
New arts chief means business on funds
The new chairman of the Australia Council, James Strong, wants to encourage greater support for the arts from the private sector and bring arts and business closer together. more >
May 2006
Council braces for changes
The future of Australia Council chief executive Jennifer Bott seems less certain following David Gonski's surprise announcement last Friday that he will retire as chairman on June 30. more >
Australia council launches two new initiatives
The Australia Council for the Arts has announced a new three-year initiative for script development, putting aside $330,000 for a national program. Another $300,000 has been set aside for visual artists. more >
Kemp consults Aboriginal artists
Following a three-day trip to central Australia this week, Arts Minister Rod Kemp has promised to consult the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to find ways of cracking down on unethical behaviour in Aboriginal art. more >
April 2006
Australia's IP policies could drag us back warn experts
Australian and International speakers have debated whether Australia’s intellectual property laws are holding the country back from becoming a knowledge-based economy at a recent conference. more >
Fed Govt moves to clean up Indigenous art fraud
The Federal Government is set to investigate allegations of criminal activity and exploitation in the Aboriginal art industry. more >
March 2006
New report reveals participation in arts
The Australia Council for the Arts has produced a new report on the statistics of Australian participation in the arts. The report, Artswork 2: A report on Australians working in the arts has found that the participation of Australians in the arts rivals that in organised sport. more >
ACCC closes Indigenous art probe
A second major investigation into the Aboriginal art industry has been closed after it was unable to establish concrete evidence of fraud and misrepresentation. more >
Foreign media ownership laws to be relaxed
The Federal Government has unveilled its plan for a major relaxation of media ownership and digital broadcasting laws. Communications Minister Helen Coonan announced the proposals at a conference in Sydney. more >
What are the priorities for arts and cultural heritage research and statistics?
The National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in partnership with the Cultural Ministers Council Statistics Working Group (CMCSWG), is seeking to improve statistical and research information to support informed decision making and community debate across the arts and cultural heritage field. more >
February 2006
Tiptoeing around China's ire
What is it about ballet dancers and politics? During the cold war, the defection of Russian ballet dancers to the West - most famously Rudolf Nureyev in 1961 - was a regular feature of the political landscape. Such defections were viewed by Western politicians as useful propaganda events to signal the west's superiority over the Soviet system. more >
Call for cultural policy review
The Federal Government has been told it needs to show leadership in developing a new cultural policy for Australia. more >
The optimist versus the PM in the chase for a renaissance
Our cultural growth needs clear direction, David Throsby tells Sunanda Creagh. more >
January 2006
Australian dance hit in US
Australian dance is a big hit in the US it seems, with a leading performing arts presenter recently revealing that US universities are particularly interested in Australian exports. more >
December 2005
Australian culture donations improving
Arts and culture donations are improving, according to a survey of "giving" in Australia conducted earlier this year. more >
ABC continues in Asia-Pacific
The ABC in Australia has been selected as the preferred provider to continue to run Australia’s Asia Pacific television service. The announcement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Alexander Downer MP. more >
Attorney General still considering resale royalty
The Australian Government is in discussion about whether to introduce a resale royalty on secondary visual art sales. The decision has been postponed until next year, despite the fact that Attorney-General Philip Ruddock had said that the decision would be made by Christmas 2005. more >
November 2005
Alert and alarmed: art under fire
Sedition laws have been used to stifle dissent before. They must not be allowed to do so again, say leading Australian artists. more >
Australia Council appoints members
The Australia Council has recently announced the appointments of its Multicultural Advisory Committee. The Committee develops strategies and monitors the Council’s Arts in a Multicultural Australia policy, as well as recommending directions to the Council on issues that will affect cultural diversity in the arts. more >
Call for submissions to Cultural Trends
Cultural Trends is a journal focusing on empirical analyses of key trends in the cultural sector and cultural policy. The journal is planning to focus on some specific themes over the next 18 months and is inviting proposals for papers. more >
New director for Australia Council for the Arts
The Australia Council for the Arts has appointed a new director to the Strategic Development for Community Partnerships board. more >
October 2005
Vending machines - the new art space
You may see a vending machine on pretty much every corner of the street in the city. You may find some stocked with drinks, others with snack foods. But how many vending machines have you seen stocked with art? more >
Arts marketing website for artists
The fuel4artists.com is a leading arts marketing reference for artists internationally. It is a sister site to fuel4arts and can be accessed using your existing fuel4arts username and password. Fuel4artists is full of useful information and services specifically for the visual artist. more >
Arts Council increases funding for major arts organisations
Australia Council for the Arts has announced a 2.3% funding increase for 145 organisations that currently recieve funding on a triennial basis. more >
September 2005
Critic blasts Australia Council for leaving too many artists out in the cold
The arts are an ecosystem and artists are like slime mould, says the cultural critic Keith Gallasch. This, science confirms, is good, because slime moulds can turn themselves into new shapes for survival. But Gallasch believes there's a new omnivore threatening the ecosystem: the Australia Council for the arts. more >
August 2005
Australia Council offers support for dance exports
The Australia Council has announced it will be offering assistance to 'export ready' dance companies wishing to attend the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' (APAP) Conference, held in New York from 21 - 24 January 2006. more >
Australia Council presents award for best new Australian work
Actor and playwright Tony Briggs has been awarded the 2005 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work for his play The Sapphires. more >
Arts and media partnership receives Arts Council award
The talent behind an innovative creative partnership using art to promote water conservation and environmental sustainability in Brisbane, has been awarded the country’s prestigious Australia Council Media Arts Award. more >
July 2005
Philanthropists keeping the arts in business
Individual donors have become increasingly important to the survival of Australian performing arts companies. New figures show growth in private philanthropy last year outstripped corporate sponsorship for the second year in a row. more >
June 2005
International opportunity for youth to make some NOISE
New funding from the Australian Government sees the re-launch of NOISE, a year-long national youth arts initiative that will see collaborations between young international artists. more >
May 2005
Asialink and Australia Council share a dance with Japan
Asialink, in partnership with Australia Council, has selected five outstanding Australian choreographers to develop new collaborative works in Japan over the next two years. more >
Nanny culture in denial
Every parent knows what I'm talking about. Your little darling can be five, 15 or 25, but the instinct to nurture and protect them, to throw oneself in the way of harm, does not expire. What about when the beloved child is an entire culture? Is there a time to let go and allow our books, films, music and television shows to make their way in the world without further protection? more >
Curiouser and curiouser
'The arts must ask its audience to throw out a lifeline to curiosity in all things in order to survive and prosper,' says Robyn Archer in her Alfred Deakin Innovation Lecture "Imagination and the Audience: Commissioning for Creativity" delivered on Saturday at the Melbourne Town Hall. more >
New Arts RiPPA released
The Australia Council for the Arts has released the 20th edition of Arts RiPPA: Arts Research in Progress or Planned Across Australia. This digest profiles over 90 arts and cultural research projects currently underway across Australia. more >
April 2005
Australia and Indonesia collaborate on arts program
The Australia Council has teamed with The Australia Indonesia Institute to launch the new Saraswati Arts Program, named after the Indonesian goddess of learning and the arts, that provides up to $20,000 for up to 10 projects per annum to organisations and individuals. more >
A model of employment in the arts
Professor Franco Papandrea from the University of Canberra and Dr Rob Albon from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have published a paper examining models of employment in the arts through an economic lens. more >
A model of employment in the arts
Professor Franco Papandrea from the University of Canberra and Dr Rob Albon from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have published a paper examining models of employment in the arts through an economic lens. more >
Australia Council approves major changes
The governing body of the Australia Council has responded to mounting challenges for the arts by approving major changes to the organisation's structures and processes. more >
Disquiet over Australia Council changes
The Australia Council is to go ahead with restructure plans that will have a severe impact on community arts and new media, but has guaranteed that existing budgets will be maintained at least until 2007. more >
March 2005
Orchestras 'safe', but no new funds
Symphony orchestras around Australia were told categorically yesterday player numbers would not be cut. That just left the ticklish problem of how they would be funded. more >
Australia Council to host arts in education symposium
Ahead of the UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education in Lisbon, Portugal in early 2006, Australia Council is to host a national symposium, Backing Our Creativity, exploring the role of the arts and creativity in educating children and young people. more >
Australian Government releases national review of orchestras
Australian Minister for the Arts, Senator Rod Kemp, has released the findings of a national review into the the country's orchestras. more >
February 2005
Multiculturalism nod for Australia Council
The Australia Council for the Arts has been recognised for its commitment and contribution to multiculturalism by the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia. more >
Australia Council forges ahead with restructure
The governing body of the Australia Council has resolved to reorganise the Council's structures and processes to make it a stronger catalyst for arts growth and development in Australia. more >
Getting bums on seats
Across Australia, small and medium-sized theatre companies are failing to attract enough funding to produce new work. The result could be disastrous for Australian culture as a whole. more >
Arts bodies tussle over takeover plan
The Government's peak grant-giving body, the Sydney-based Australia Council, has proposed taking over its newer sibling, the Melbourne-based Australia Business Arts Foundation, whose raison d'etre is to foster sponsorship and philanthropy for the arts. more >
January 2005
Board changes irk artists
The Australia Council's changes to funding for new media and community projects appear to be set in clay, if not in stone. But that hasn't stopped angry artists from raising their voices about the restructure. more >
At last, professional artists catch a tax break
Professional artists will be entitled to new tax breaks, after years of lobbying from arts organisations. more >
Tax victory for Australian artists
After years of lobbying pressure from the creative industries, the Australian Taxation Office has today signed off on a landmark taxation ruling for professional artists. more >
Funding the arts in a world of rapid change
The Australia Council has adopted a new system of art support, writes Jennifer Bott. more >
December 2004
Funding body's big-bang strategy
The Australia Council plans to be more aggressive in picking winners, by strategically funding arts projects it feels are important. more >
Australia Council's makeover 'step backwards'
Key elements of the Australia Council's structural makeover have been greeted with anger and bemusement. more >
Australia Council undergoes major restructure
The Australia Council for the Arts has announced a major overhaul of its structures and processes, in an effort to function as a stronger catalyst for arts growth and development across the country. more >
Funds boost Australian audience figures
Five years after receiving a $70 million injection of government funds, the nation's major performing arts companies are attracting bigger audiences, staging more new work, touring more regularly and, by and large, staying out of the red. more >
October 2004
Virtual tools preserve heritage
The Co-operative Research Centre for Interaction Design at Australia's Queensland University of Technology has initiated a new project called Digitial Songlines that utilises video game technology to create software in order to build virtual heritage sites of cultural significance to indigenous Australians. more >
Cultural brokerage expert to visit Australia
The Australia Council for the Arts is bringing the creator of the term 'cultural brokerage', Professor Richard Kurin, to Australia on a public lecture tour. more >
Quiet achievements count more than media noise
Australia Council CEO, Jennifer Bott, comments that media interest in the arts, and in the Australia Council, focuses on the funding of big-ticket items - the major companies - or on smaller grants to individual artists whose work is controversial or quirky. more >
Cultural body gets cold shoulder from pollies
Who listens to the Australia Council these days? Not politicians, it seems. The council's role in helping set the nation's cultural funding framework seems to have been reduced in recent years, and if the federal election policies of the Liberal and Labor parties are any indication, this situation is not about to change. more >
Australian Government commissions Indigenous contribution to French museum
The Australian Government has announced it will fund the commissioning of a major permanent artwork by Australian Indigenous artists for the Paris-based Musee du quai Branly. more >
September 2004
The Australian Research Council funding model condemns art schools to a bleak future
Given the emphasis on corporatising universities and commercialising research, today's art schools face a bleak and unpredictable future. more >
August 2004
New study reveals arts education benefits
A new study released jointly by Australian Education and Arts ministries, demonstrates that school-based arts programmes play an important role in encouraging students to embrace learning, with particular benefits for Indigenous students. more >
Just who works for the new creative class?
It was cultural critic Meaghan Morris, I think, who observed that for all the talk of inner-city 'edginess' and bohemia, we are reaching the point where for many of those privileged enough to now live, work, and play almost exclusively in our inner cities, it is difficult to imagine a more homogenous, less diverse lifestyle. more >
July 2004
We must do more to protect cultural property in wartime
Last year’s invasion of Iraq provoked much discussion over international law issues. But one matter that did not get much attention was the role of international law in the protection of cultural property. more >
Confusion on rights for Aboriginal art
New funding contracts for remote Aboriginal art centres carry a first-time recognition by the Australian Government of special Aboriginal intellectual property rights. more >
June 2004
$5m arts windfall bypassed council
Members of the music community have attacked the federal Government for bypassing its own arts funding body in awarding a $5 million grant to classical recording outfit the Melba Foundation. more >
May 2004
Look forward to some cultural exchange
With the ongoing global fracas where colonisation, racism, intolerance and cultural mis-exchange are grabbing headlines, it is worth noting that perhaps our next generation is working towards something better. more >
Funding: A Hard Act To Follow
Today's Australian Federal budget is an important one for the arts. It won't have the headline-grabbing impact of recent budgets that gave large funding boosts to the major performing arts companies and to the visual arts and crafts. more >
City Rethinks Art Policy
Melbourne City Council has moved to withdraw support for political art, after this week's row over anti-Israeli artwork in a major city street. more >
Due South
Why is the Southern Hemisphere always looking north? The South Project, commencing this July, aims to answer that, and other, questions, in a unique series of events designed to unite the cultural energies of Southern Hemisphere nations. more >
April 2004
Circus Settles HIV Lawsuit
Cirque du Soleil has agreed to pay $US600,000 to settle a lawsuit by an HIV-positive gymnast who the circus fired as a health risk to other performers. more >
Free Trade Agreement To 'Reduce Cultural Voice'
Australia's cultural voice would be reduced to a whisper if the proposed free trade agreement with the United States went ahead, a federal government committee was told. more >
New Education and the Arts Strategy for Australia
Central to its commitment to expanding the role of the arts in education, the Australia Council has released its draft National Education and the Arts strategy, the first of its kind for the country. more >
March 2004
Arts data a few keystrokes away
Life just got a little easier for arts scholars, journalists and authors with the launch today of a free online performing arts database. Called AusStage, the website is an index of live arts events in Australia. more >
February 2004
Central Desert Gallery Continues Namitjira's Legacy
A new art centre featuring the works of artists from Central Desert region has opened in Alice Springs, Australia. more >
Australia To Host International Conference of Artist Residencies
Australia’s two largest capital cities will play host to the 'Res Artis International Conference' of artist residencies this August. more >
Asia Pacific Arts and Cultural Practice Explored in New On-line Journal
The first Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management was recently launched in Australia. more >
International Literary Festival explores identity
The Kuala Lumpur International Literary Festival will take place from July 29 to August 1, and is now calling for papers from writers the world over. more >
December 2003
New body to help Indigenous artists in NT
The Northern Territory Government has established an Indigenous arts reference group to advise it on how Indigenous artists can make the most of their talents. more >
Funding overture for Youth Orchestra Network
The Music Board of the Australia Council has welcomed the establishment of Youth Orchestras Australia, a national network of Australia's peak youth orchestras, rewarding the entity with $154,000 to support its aims. more >
High Beam on disability
A two-day international conference on the social impact of disability culture and arts will be the centrepiece of next year's High Beam festival in Australia. more >
Ancient rock art found in Tasmania
Aboriginal rock paintings believed to be thousands of years old have been discovered in Tasmania's south-west. more >
Touch of Mandela
South Africa's Robben Island is a long way from the waters surrounding Sydney's harbour foreshore at The Rocks. Yet that's the most recent home to artworks by Nelson Mandela. more >
The South Project
The South Project is aiming to strengthen relations and cultural interactions in the southern hemisphere, a region emerging from long periods of civil conflict and colonialism and too often engaging with the north than along the southern latitudes. more >
November 2003
Film, TV industry concerned over free trade talks
Prime Minister John Howard has indicated the Federal Government may be willing to negotiate over Australia's film and television content laws to secure a free trade agreement with the United States. more >
Australian artists earn below the poverty line
The Australia Council has released a report revealing that one third of Australian artists earn less than the poverty line. more >
October 2003
Creative class to develop 21st century economies
Australia Council CEO, Jennifer Bott, has urged future leaders from the Commonwealth to factor the abilities and enthusiasm of ‘the creative class’ into their planning for 21st century economies. more >
Govt should not veto arts festival, Minister says
The Victorian Government is dismissing suggestions that it should take control of the program for the Melbourne International Arts Festival. more >
Confronting the culture wars
The 'thrust' of a controversial review of the National Museum of Australia has been endorsed by its council and staff, the museum's chairman, Tony Staley, said yesterday. more >
Culture on the agenda at environment summit
The 15th National Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Conference will have a cultural twist this year, with the formal launch of the Regional Cultural Alliance. more >
September 2003
Australia's first international arts and disability festival launched
Australia’s first international arts and disability festival will be held from November 16-23 in Brisbane, showcasing the talents of over 300 artists from 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific. more >
Australia Council initiates mentorship program
Ten young theatre artists from around Australia have been selected to take part in a national mentorship program initiated by the Australia Council for the Arts and managed by Youth Arts Queensland. more >
August 2003
Protect our culture from the FTA, urges AFC chief
The Australian Government should ensure any Free Trade Agreement made with the United States is fair and balanced in regard to culture, asserted cultural industry representatives in Canberra recently. more >
Cultural Gifts Program celebrated online
An online gallery of the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program was launched on August 20 by the Australian Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp. more >
Contemporary Australian art in Berlin
Face Up – Contemporary Art from Australia, will run from October 2 – January 4 as part of a six month program of contemporary Australian performance, literature and visual art in Berlin entitled 'Artsaustralia Berlin 03'. more >
July 2003
Aborigines to fight museum for return of remains
ATSIC will be asked to fund a legal challenge to a British museum's refusal to return the remains of 450 Australian Aborigines being used for scientific research. more >
OZeCulture Conference opens in Brisbane
The 2003 OZeCulture Conference kicked off at Brisbane Powerhouse today, with 200 delegates coming together to discuss and debate a wide range of digital media issues in the cultural industries. more >
Museums Australia revises indigenous culture policy
Museums Australia has redrafted its 1993 policy document regarding indigenous cultural heritage to reflect changes in areas like technology and reconciliation over the past ten years. more >
Australia presents festival in Japan
Australia is participating in the world's largest open-air visual arts festival, the Echigo Tsumari Triennial, presenting Japan with an image of Australia that goes beyond beaches and koalas. more >
International Indigenous Authors to tour Australia
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of the Australia Council is set to host the second Honouring Words: International Indigenous Authors Celebration Tour starting July 30. more >
June 2003
Inter-country Comparisons Of Government Arts Expenditure
In response to an 'Ask IFACCA' question from Keith Kelly of the Canada Council for the Arts we have prepared a short statement about making inter-country comparisons of government expenditure on the arts. This can be viewed at our research topics page here. The response highlights three research reports from 1998 and 2000. If you know of more up-to-date work or would like to share your opinion on this crucial issue, you can do this using IFACCA's new forum facility. Just log onto the IFACCA website [www.ifacca.org] with your email address and password, go to the 'browse more topics' link, click on the forum icon and post your comments. more >
May 2003
Australia Council promoting cultural exchange
Eight young arts leaders will take part in the Australia Council's first-ever international community cultural development residency project, entitled 'Out There, Everywhere', the Australia Council announced recently. more >
Australia calls for cultural exception
The Australian Film Commission is calling for recognition of the special status of Australia's film and media industries in trade agreements between Australia and the US. more >
March 2003
Treading the boards
Whether an arts company 'sings' is dependent not only on its artists, but on those behind the scenes - its management and board. more >
Paintings at a premium
Spiralling insurance costs sparked by worries over terrorism are threatening the future of blockbuster exhibitions, long vital to drawing crowds and filling coffers at museums worldwide. more >
Coup d'etat of the media by young creators
The Australian Federal Government's youth arts and media festival, 'noise', will take place during October 2003. more >
February 2003
Australia Council releases Young People and the Arts policy
The Australia Council has released a Young People and the Arts Policy. more >
January 2003
ACCD to attend world summit
Members of the newly-formed Australian Coalition for Cultural Diversity (ACCD) will next week represent Australia at the second International Meeting of Professional Cultural Organisations, in Paris. more >
New branding for Indigenous funding board
The Australia Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board (ATSIAB) has a new look. more >
Australia Council report on trade released
The Australia Council recently released its background report on trade, entitled the 'Cultural Trade Background Report'. more >
International residencies offered to young CCD leaders
The Community Cultural Development Board (CCDB) of the Australia Council has announced a series of international residencies available for young Australian leaders in community cultural development practice. more >
Arts marketing site fuels explosion
The Australia Council initiative, fuel4arts.com, has become one of the fastest growing international online communities, after having recorded a 924% growth in membership over the past two years, according to a statement from the council. fuel4arts.com now has 8000 members in 94 countries. more >
Australian dance to feature in New York
Following a feature program at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music during 2001, Australian contemporary dance is to take centre stage at the upcoming Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Market, to be held in the US city during January, and expected to attract some 3,000 professionals in the field. more >
December 2002
Cultural cringe as review eyes arts
Fifteen of the nation's most prominent cultural institutions including the National Gallery, National Museum and National Library are under pressure to justify their existence to the Government. more >
Top museums unite to fight Aboriginal claims
Several museums in Europe and the United States have issued a landmark declaration opposing the wholesale repatriation of cultural artefacts seized during imperial rule or by means now considered unethical. more >
November 2002
CCA rewards excellence in Literature
The Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) has recently announced the winners of the 2002 Governor General's Literary Awards, in the categories of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, children's literature (text and illustration) and translation. more >
Indigenous performing arts to feature at CINARS
The Australia Council has announced that it will focus on Indigenous arts product for the tenth Canadian performing arts trade show, CINARS (Commerce International des arts de la scene), at the invitation of organisers. more >
Oz films head to Berlin
The Australian Film Commission (AFC) has today announced that a significant program of Australian feature films, television programs, documentaries and short films, will screen in Berlin in early December. more >
Multicultural Development Program launced
The Multicultural Arts Professional Development (MAPD) program, a new training module initiated under the Australia Council’s Arts in a Multicultural Australia policy, has recently been launched. more >
Entrepreneurship in museums
'Entertainment' has been simplistically adopted as one means of gaining more visitors, but there is less understanding of the learning experience in museums than is necessary for the pursuit of entrepreneurial approaches to improving the visitor experience. more >
October 2002
Strategy tool for Arts Councils
Brenda Rawson from Silicon Valley organisation Cultural Initiatives will be demonstrating how to use its recently released tool for cultural policy makers, the Great Cities Simulator at the Creative Clusters Summit, England November 20 to 23. more >
Gallery trust accounts investigation launched
The Australia Council recently announced that it will be investigating whether or not art dealers should be forced to set up trust accounts to protect the income of artists whose works have been sold by their galleries. more >
Indigenous Australian music for WOMEX
According to the Australia Council's latest newsletter, its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board (ATSIAB) is set to promote Indigenous Australian music for the first time at the World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Germany next week. more >
MSA to host international symposium
The Musicological Society of Australia will co-host the 2004 Symposium of the International Musicological Society (SIMS) in Melbourne, and is now calling for proposals for papers for the event. more >
OzCo Supporting theatre diversity and innovation
The Theatre Board of the Australia Council (OzCo) has recently awarded over $8.5 million to 65 diverse theatre companies and artists in its latest grant round. more >
Mentoring guide released
The Australia Council's Getting Connected: Making Your Mentorship Work is a handbook on mentorship programs in the arts industries. It offers best practice guidelines, discusses mentorship models, warns of the pitfalls and highlights the benefits of mentorship programs. more >
WIPO launches website in Chinese
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently launched a Chinese language version of its website. more >
September 2002
New partnership aimed at increasing Indigenous participation in the arts
Developing strategies to promote, grow and foster greater participation in arts-related activities by Indigenous people within the Many Rivers region (NSW South Coast) is the main focus of a new partnership developed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board (ATSIAB) of the Australia Council. more >
Vietnamese government bans artists from Melbourne Festival
Melbourne performance company Chamber Made has announced that three Vietnamese artists scheduled to perform in its upcoming premiere work, 'Motherland', have been banned from participating by their national government. more >
Australia Council grant recipients announced
Recipients in the latest round of grants from the Australia Council's Community Cultural Development Board (CCDB) have been announced. more >
Films coming to Australia
As reported in Movie Trader the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals were a great time to buy and sell. more >
Australia’s arts workers get reSAUCEful
A new initiative of the Australia Council (OzCo), reSAUCEful Media Relations; a professional development program for the arts, recently kicked off its national tour with courses in Tasmania. more >
Patricia Piccinini to represent Australia at Venice Biennale
Digital artist Patricia Piccinini has recently been selected by the Australia Council to represent Australia at the 2003 Venice Biennale. more >
The Myer Report for the Visual Arts and Craft sector
Mr Rupert Myer, Chair of the Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry is said to be pleased with the release of his report into the status of visual arts and craft in Australia. more >
Royalties for art's sake
In light of how an investor can grow rich on works of art, but artists can sell their work only once and must watch its value soar - Australian artists want a piece of the investor's action. more >
New Board Members for OzCo
The Australia Council for the Arts (OzCo) has recently welcomed the appointment of twelve new members to its artform Boards by the Federal Minister for the Arts, Senator Rod Kemp. more >
August 2002
OzCo developing professional skills among artists
The development of professional skills across the spectrum of new media practice is the main focus of grants recently awarded by the Australia Council’s (OzCo) New Media Arts Board (NMAB). more >
Ticket scam hits the world's great opera houses
Patrons of the world's great opera houses - including Sydney's - are being stung by an Internet ticketing scam. more >
Peer success a factor in increased grants applications
The Australia Council has recently commented that the success of contemporary Australian artists overseas is providing increased recognition and encouragement to new artists locally. more >
Australia Council meets in Melbourne
The Australia Council met in Melbourne recently to discuss a wide range of policy issues, as well as to meet with Federal Arts Minister, Senator Rod Kemp, and key members of the Melbourne arts community. more >
Australia Council puts multicultural arts on tour
A 12-month collaboration between the Australia Council for the Arts and 11 multicultural arts organisations has come to fruition, with the first-ever national touring program dedicated to multicultural arts recently kicking off in Adelaide. more >
Australia Council awards CCD grants
The Australia Council for the Arts has announced a total of more than A$1 million in grants awarded by its Community Cultural Development (CCD) Board under the funding categories 'New Work', 'Presentation and Promotion', and 'Skills and Arts Development'. more >
July 2002
No drama on foreign films
An Australian Film Commission study into foreign film and television drama production here has concluded both local and foreign industries do, and should, work together for mutual benefit. more >
Churchill Fellowship for public art study
Senior Arts Queensland officer, John Stafford, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in Australia to study public art programs in the USA. more >
Popcorn Taxi Sydney screens AFC shorts at new guidelines session
As part of the AFC's free guideline information session on Monday July 8, Popcorn Taxi Sydney will screen two AFC-funded shorts. more >
June 2002
Australian Council considers giving up instrument collection
The Australia Council wants to sell a valuable 18th-century Italian cello, currently on loan to young musician Liwei Qin. more >
Cultural Loss in New York
'Cultural Loss In Lower Manhattan' covers Heritage Preservation's publication 'Cataclysm and Challenge: Impact of September 11, 2001, on Our Nation's Cultural Heritage' and focuses on the massive losses of the Five Points archaeological collection. 'Only 18 of about one million unique artifacts documenting the lives of nineteenth-century New Yorkers survived.' more >
Tropfest announces Tropfest Signature Item (TSI)
Intel Tropfest invites filmmakers to ‘ROCK’ the world’s largest short film festival by entering Intel Tropfest #11, held Sunday February 23, 2003. more >
Program of Australian art for Berlin
A six-month program of Australian performance, literature, visual arts and film at cultural venues in Berlin, expected to involve more than 80 artists, was launched yesterday at the city's Hebbel Theater. more >
Training young musicians a serious business
Are we being serious enough about our youth music in New Zealand? more >
Queensland celebrates cultural relations with Japan
A gathering to celebrate Haiku poetry took place in Queensland on June 6, further cementing cultural relations between that state and Japan. more >
Torres Strait artefacts return to Australia
One of the most culturally significant collections of Torres Strait Islander artefacts has returned to Australia for the first time in more than 100 years, providing 'an exceptional record of the knowledge and traditions of the region's social and cultural history', Queensland Minister for the Arts Matt Foley, noted in a media release. more >
Cuban dancer appointed UNESCO ambassador
Cuban ballerina and choreographer Alicia Alonso has been appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her 'outstanding contribution to the development, preservation and popularisation of classical dance' and for her 'devotion to the artform', according to a recent UNESCO news release. more >
Quartet to get cavernous response
No, it's not some weird conspiracy by rock fans to silence classical musicians, but, as part of a new sponsorship deal, Australia's award-winning Tank Stream Quartet will play classical music 450 metres underground. more >
NT seeks submissions to tourism plan
The Northern Territory Tourist Commission (NTTC) is seeking submissions towards the development of a new five-year strategic plan for tourism. more >
Federal cuts to arts training boards hit hard
State and territory arts training boards across Australia have had their budgets cut by 40% in the 2002/2003 Federal Budget, leading to some being forced to close up shop and others wondering how they will continue to provide services. more >
May 2002
Producers unite against American rule
The controversy generated by the US Screen Actors Guild's 'Global Rule One' has been reverberating at Cannes, where producers from five English-speaking countries have joined forces to denounce the guild's attempt to 'impose working conditions on actors beyond the union's jurisdiction'. more >
Former Australia Council chief lands top gig in London
Another Australian has landed a plum British cultural job, with the surprise appointment of Sydney Opera House CEO and former Australia Council boss Michael Lynch as the head of central London's most controversial arts complex, the South Bank Centre. more >
Cultural Ministers Council meets in Melbourne
Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory ministers responsible for arts and cultural portfolios met earlier this week in Melbourne, for the 15th gathering of the Cultural Ministers Council (CMC), discussing issues such as the small-to-medium performing arts sector, a review of the key needs of the collections sector and the cultural benefits of public broadcasting. more >
Government partnership to assist artists and the environment
A new partnership between Creative New Zealand and the Department of Conservation that encourages artists to create works inspired by New Zealand's natural and historic resources has been launched by Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Judith Tizard and Conservation Minister Sandra Lee. more >
April 2002
New Australia Council Chair announced
Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, and the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, announced today that they would recommend to the Governor-General that businessman and corporate adviser, David Gonski, be appointed to chair the Australia Council, following the sudden resignation of Dr Terry Cutler late last week. more >
Australia Council Chair resigns
Dr Terry Cutler has tendered his resignation from the chairship of the Australia Council, in order to focus his attention on emerging opportunities in the information technology field. more >
Australia Council appoints new policy director
The Australia Council has announced the appointment of Lisa Colley as the new Executive Director of its Policy, Communications and Planning Division. more >
March 2002
Australia Council 'plays the world'
The Australia Council recently released details of 'Playing the World', an initiative of its Theatre Board and Audience and Market Development Division, designed to extend the ability of Australian performing arts practitioners to tour internationally and attend overseas ‘markets’ or trade fairs. more >
Australia Council offers Lebanon residency
The Australia Council's Theatre Board has initiated a new program of three-month residencies for local performance artists of non-English speaking background (NESB), to assist them in strengthening their links with their overseas cultural heritage. more >
Australia Council announces new media arts funding
A total of more than A$500,000 in funding from the Australia Council's New Media Arts Board, to be spread among some 40 recipients nationwide, was recently announced. more >
Australian CCD website launched
Australia Council Chair Terry Cutler has launched a new website aimed at community cultural development workers nationwide. more >
Literary VIPs visit Australia
The Australia Council is this week hosting nine publishers and literary agents from Europe, the UK and USA, as part of its Visiting International Publishers (VIP) program. more >
Australia Council news
The Australia Council recently released its February 2002 newsletter, which details progress in a number of areas, including: a youth policy, recommendations from the Regional Panel, and the Federal Government's Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry. more >
February 2002
Australia Council excited by ARCO results
Dr Terry Cutler, Chair of the Australia Council, believes that the gains from Australia's recent presentation at the 'Arte Contemporaneo' (ARCO) Fair in Madrid wil be far-reaching and long-term. more >
Australia Council funding announced
Australia's national arts funding body, the Australia Council, has recently announced almost AUS$4 million in funding for visual arts and craft, community cultural development and literature. more >
January 2002
ARCO 2002 to have Australian focus
Australia is to be the focus country at the upcoming ARCO (Arte Contemporaneo) international contemporary art fair, in Madrid in February. more >
APAM draws delegates
The Australia Council's fifth Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) will draw a record number of first-time attendees this year, on top of the hundreds of return visits. more >
May 2012
Making Culture Count: Rethinking measures of cultural vitality, wellbeing and citizenship
In recent years, culture and cultural development have become internationally recognised as important dimensions of contemporary governance and public policy. more >
November 2011
2011 Arts and Health International Conference
The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing, 3rd Annual International Arts and Health Conference, will present best practice and innovative arts and health programs, effective health promotion and prevention campaigns, methods of project evaluation and scientific research. more >
Yulkuum-Jerrang: 3rd Indigenous Economic Development Conference
Following the success of the 2009 conference hosted by the Koori Business Network (KBN), this unique conference will provide key stakeholders with an opportunity to share perspectives, increase business and create employment opportunities. more >
October 2011
Artspoken Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Conference 2011
Bundaberg Regional Council will host the Artspoken - Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Conference from 13 – 14 October, 2011. This biennial Conference is an opportunity to explore new ideas and share excellence in arts and cultural development. more >
Call for Papers: Making Culture Count, Rethinking measures of cultural vitality, wellbeing and citizenship
The submission of abstracts for presentations at this conference, on diverse aspects of cultural measurement, are invited. In particular, proposals that address the following topics are welcome:
- Critical accounts of forms of cultural measurement, including cultural indicators.
- The emergence of new cultural measures, such as categories of cultural vitality, wellbeing, citizenship, sustainability and heritage.
- Cross-cultural measurement, the relationship between mechanisms and categories of measurement and cultural difference.
- Community-driven cultural indicators, including attempts to democratise the processes of cultural measurement.
- The use of arts-based processes in the measurement of culture.
- The implications of new technologies, digital research methods and information visualisation for the measurement of culture.
more >
5th World Summit on Arts and Culture
The Australia Council for the Arts and IFACCA will co-host the 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2011. more >
March 2011
HASS on the Hill
HASS On The Hill is a landmark event for the humanities, arts and social sciences. It is a key opportunity for the sector to communicate directly with government and senior policy makers, in a frank and open exchange, showcasing ideas and research. more >
February 2011
Building a Team
What teamwork principles can we learn from the stage and employ in our offices, board rooms and box offices in order to make our organisations and jobs the best they can be? more >
November 2010
The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing
Call for papers: The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing - 2nd Annual International Arts and Health Conference. The conference will present best practice and innovative arts and health practice and programs, examples of effective healthcare promotion, methods of project evaluation and data from scientific research. more >
September 2010
Creative Communities 2
‘Creative communities’ is a phrase that appears in a wide range of government policy and strategy documents, commissioned reports and academic texts. more >
August 2010
Junction 2010: Connecting the future
Junction 2010, the seventh biennial Regional Arts Australia national conference, presented in partnership with Tasmanian Regional Arts and the host community Launceston, is set to unleash an explosion of ideas and creativity. more >
May 2010
17th Biennale of Sydney
The 17th Biennale of Sydney will be presented free to the public from 12 May until 1 August 2010. more >
April 2010
International Society for Contemporary Music
This year Sydney is hosting the 2010 International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM)World New Music Days Festival from 30 April to 9 May and in doing so heralds the first time in the 88-year history of ISCM that the prestigious event will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. more >
March 2010
Arts Activated Conference 2010
The Arts Activated conference provides an opportunity for those passionate about the arts and disability sectors to come together to explore, debate, discuss and connect ideas and practice. more >
February 2010
PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office
People help deliver the service of live performance in a variety of roles from the usher to the artist to the person behind the bar after the show and many other supporting roles. The staff in your box office are often the first point of contact for a patron and hopefully .. not the last! more >
January 2010
10th Cultural Diversity in Music Education Conference: The cultural aesthetics of teaching
Increasingly, scholars are turning their attention to the development and use of culturally appropriate pedagogies that match the music they chose to teach. Tensions between ways of teaching, what happens when music travels to new teaching and learning settings, the outcomes of mismatches between culturally developed learning styles and teaching methods in music, how teachers adapt methods to suit learners from different learning backgrounds - all of these are issues on the agenda if music education is be truly culturally diverse. more >
November 2009
International Arts and Health Conference
Arts and Health Australia is convening an international arts and health conference, The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing. The Conference will explore best practice policy, programs and research across primary care, community health, healthcare promotion and medical humanities. more >
October 2009
ArtsHealth Conference #2
Arts/Health Pain/Pleasure - the image music text of pain and healing. more >
September 2009
ReGenerating Community: Arts, Community and Governance National Conference
ReGenerating Community Conference is about ways in which global issues are being addressed locally through collaborations between artists, communities and local government. more >
July 2009
2009 International nonprofit and social marketing (INSM) conference
The theme of this year's conference is 'Sustainable Social Enterprise'. Call for papers includes 'Arts, Sport and Sponsorship' as a topic. Co-hosted by Victoria University and Swinburne University of Technology the conference will take place in Melbourne, Victoria. more >
2nd International Conference on the Inclusive Museum
An outstanding group of diverse museum leaders and specialists will deliver plenary addresses. more >
October 2008
Call For Papers ArtsHealth Symposium #1
Associate Professor Graeme Sullivan from Columbia University is a keynote speaker and other keynote speakers will be announced soon. In response to Reflections on Arts and Health, the Steering Committee especially welcomes proposals that address 'Revealing the Body' and 'Healing Arts' more >
2008 Regional Arts Australia Conference "art at the heart"
Proposals are being sought from artists and those who work in the arts, including volunteers, with ideas for presentations, exhibitions, displays or performances. more >
September 2008
Community, Health and the Arts 'Vital Arts - Vibrant Communities' Conference
Today there is increasing awareness that the arts play a crucial role in improving the health and social wellbeing of communities. more >
Community, Health and the Arts 'Vital Arts - Vibrant Communities'
Today there is increasing awareness that the arts play a crucial role in improving the health and social wellbeing of communities. more >
July 2008
Re-imagining Special Education through Arts Education and Arts Therapy
Special education through the Arts delivers a sensory approach to learning assisting students to move from the non-verbal to the verbal, from being an observer to a participant and to fully awaken student potential. more >
Arts Leadership - Leading In Creative Contexts
Arts educators, leaders and researchers should note that the conference includes a special stream specifically aimed at leadership in the arts sector - "Leading in Creative Contexts". more >
June 2008
Creating Value: Between Commerce and Commons
Second information bulletin: Updated call for papers, Registration and Accommodation details more >
March 2008
The Arts, and the Innovation Agenda
A one-day workshop to discuss how the Arts sector can respond to the new Government's innovation agenda. more >
February 2008
Communities and Memories – a global perspective
The third UNESCO International Memory of the World Conference: Planning is progressing for the conference which looks back on the achievements of the Memory of the World programme and forward to its sustained growth, wide acceptance and importance. more >
Ticketing & CRM: A Box Office Headache or A Marriage Made in Heaven?
The conference starts with training sessions with a variety of ticketing providers and will also feature a trade show to allow system demonstrations and comparisons so you can really get under the bonnet. more >
December 2007
Sustaining Culture
We welcome proposals for papers and panel presentations engaging with the full range of current themes and issues in contemporary cultural studies, cultural theory, cultural research and cultural production. more >
November 2007
September 2007
The Arts Activated
The Arts Activated Conference in 2007 will be a celebration for all those passionate about people with disabilities and their active inclusion and participation in the arts. more >
July 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
November 2006
August 2006
July 2006
May 2006
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
April 2005
February 2005
January 2005
November 2004
October 2004
August 2004
July 2004
April 2004
February 2004
December 2003
April 2003
March 2003
May 2002
February 2002
December 2011
Creative Industries, Culture and Policy
The Creative Industries sets the agenda for these debates, providing a richer understanding of the dynamics of cultural markets, creative labor, finance and risk, and how culture is distributed, marketed and creatively reused through new media technologies. more >
November 2011
It's a given: tracking private sector support for the arts
The Australia Council for the Arts has released a new report which analyses levels of private sector income of Australia Council funded key organisations for the years 2008 to 2010. more >
August 2011
Strategic Digital Industry plan released
The plan – Creative Industries, a Strategy for 21st Century Australia – outlines whole-of-Australian Government action to support the country’s creative businesses and talent. The plan highlights the significant contribution of Australia’s creative industries to the broader economy. more >
June 2011
Connecting:// arts audiences online
With Connecting:// arts audiences online we wanted to see how arts organisations can use the internet to build audience engagement and drive attendance. more >
Creative Industries And Economic Evolution
The creative industries are key drivers of modern economies. While economic analysis has traditionally advanced a market-failure model of arts and culture, this book argues for an evolutionary market dynamics or innovation-based approach. more >
Call for papers and referees: UNESCO Observatory refereed e-journal
The UNESCO observatory is looking for looking for informative and thought-‐provoking papers that challenge or shed light on the participation of young people in the arts. more >
April 2011
Copyright in a digital era
Copyright can seem like a complex area, but it is important to understand the rights you have over the work that you create. Knowing how to protect those rights, and what options there might be around licensing your work for sale, free use or re-purposing, can increase both audiences and income. more >
March 2011
A case for literature: The effectiveness of subsidies to Australian publishers 1995-2005
A case for literature, a new report to the Literature Board of the Australia Council has shown the vital impact its publishing subsidies program has had on the industry. It has also prompted the Board to re-consider the way it funds Australian publishers. more >
Technology, arts and social connection
Information communication technologies provide many new and exciting opportunities for creative initiatives that promote participation, social connection and community engagement, which have positive health and wellbeing outcomes. more >
February 2011
The arts and Australian education: realising potential
As Australia moves towards the implementation of a national curriculum in the Arts, a new review of research, released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), calls for the Arts to be embedded in all academic disciplines and fields as a way of cultivating creativity and imagination. more >
Australian arts: strategic directions
The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body. Our vision is to enrich our nation by supporting the practice and enjoyment of the arts. more >
Art in Prisons: a literature review of the philosophies and impacts of visual art programs for correctional populations
This review was commissioned by Arts Access Australia to examine evidence for the value of visual arts programs in Australian prisons and their impact on adult inmates. more >
January 2011
Removing the obstacles: Disability Access and the Arts
This project involves researching disability and heritage state, federal and international legal frameworks and their application for arts organisations and services that are located in heritage buildings. more >
October 2010
Community Museums Pilot Project
A pilot project was initiated to test a model for supporting the diverse community museum sector. A Community Museums Officer 'broker' was employed in Victoria's Goldfields region to work with different community collecting organisations. The purpose was to explore opportunities for improved collections management and community engagement outcomes. more >
Greening the Arts
Think pieces for a zero carbon future and a survey of sustainable arts practices. more >
Creativity as emergence : policy issues for creative cities
The creative industries concept was born in the UK, nurtured in Australia (among other countries), but is now being implemented most vigorously in China. more >
Redefining Places for Art. Exploring the dynamics of performance and location
Observing an apparent shift in the relationship between place and performance, this book explores whether, how, why and to what extent artists, administrators and audiences see place as an essential part of the twenty-first century performance experience. more >
September 2010
Music & Copyright
This book provides a more in-depth analysis of key copyright issues that those in the music industry face in their day-to-day operations. It contains lots of practical information, references to other useful resources and relevant examples. more >
International visas and taxation: a guide for performing arts organisations in Australia and New Zealand
Each year hundreds of Australian and New Zealand artists perform overseas. This guide helps navigate the sometimes complex processes surrounding visas, work permits and taxes when preparing to tour internationally. more >
August 2010
Artist Careers
Artist Careers, two research projects released today by the Australia Council for the Arts, paints a comprehensive picture of the working lives of Australia’s 44,000 professional artists. more >
Building health through arts and new media VicHealth Action Plan 2010-13
To promote health in our population we need improvements to social, economic, cultural and physical
environments in addition to developing skills and knowledge for individuals and the community. The role of the arts and new media in contributing to improving these conditions is clear.
more >
Picture This: Increasing the cultural participation of people with a disability in Victoria
These reports provide a unique snapshot of a dynamic and burgeoning Victorian arts and disability sector, and identify some of the barriers that we need to continue to work to remove. more >
An arts guide to philanthropic gifts and tax: the dry stuff
This guide will help not-for-profit cultural organisations and individual artists understand the formalities associated with receiving philanthropic gifts. This is your one-stop-shop for tax and legal information about philanthropic fundraising. more >
Arts, access, excellence 2010 - conference papers
The second Arts Activated National Conference bought together leading thinkers, artists, advocates, practitioners and producers from across Australia and overseas, to create dialogue about and showcase examples of excellence in arts and disability. more >
Raw Law booklet & DVD
Barrister and human rights advocate Julian Burnside AO QC launched Raw Law, an essential guide for artists with disabilities. The Raw Law booklet and DVD package can be ordered from the Arts Access Victoria website. more >
July 2010
Arts indicators for local government
This paper presents a set of arts indicators for local government, developed particularly for Australia. It includes a brief overview of the emerging international literature around arts and ‘cultural’ indicators, focussing particularly on work that has informed the current project, especially that of Maria Jackson and colleagues from the USA. more >
The Asialink Essays
Ignorance is Not Bliss; Art and its place in Australia-Asia Relations [pdf, 348kb, 9 pages]
Vol. 1, No. 10, 2009
Alison Carroll reveals how the Arts are a microcosm of our Australia-Asia engagement. Unless we are proactive in Asia, the burgeoning Arts community in Asia will continue to grow in complexity and internal goodwill, and Australia will remain forever on the edge. Australia must make some harder decisions, including re-looking at the Australia Council’s quota of half its international funding being for Asian projects. That quota, set in the early 1990s, was never met. It reached 35 per cent around 1993, and has since quietly fallen away.
Media Coverage: "An art for blurring borders", Gabriella Coslovich, cover story, The Age, Holiday Edition [pdf, 540kb, 2 pages], also available online
more >
June 2010
New models, new money: a foundation for the artist
The arts, creativity and culture are central to social and economic life, highly valued and greatly enjoyed by almost all Australians. The creative economy contributes as much to the national economy as agriculture, and the importance of these activities is set to increase in the twenty-first century. more >
May 2010
Narratives of community: museums and ethnicity
This groundbreaking book brings together a collection of essays on the revolution taking place in museums around the world as they look anew at the ways communities are represented. more >
Plugged in: remote Australian Indigenous youth and digital culture
Even in the most remote Indigenous communities, global influences pervade everyday life and new forms of media and communications are reshaping youth culture. more >
Supporting Australia's Live Music Industry: suggested principles for best practice 2010
The document looks at issues to do with live performance which are affected by regulation and highlights a number of best practice principles which could be considered by government agencies in their own regulatory environments. more >
April 2010
Marketing smarter through effective branding.
The Australia Council Speaker Series, 8 April 2010
Marketing smarter through effective branding
Presented by David Snead, Vice President of Marketing for the New York Philharmonic and Kate Prescott, President of Prescott & Associates.
This presentation shows the benefits of a multi-year program of research, giving guidance on a number of aspects of ‘brand’ when it comes strategic and tactical marketing, communications, and programming - where each component builds on the other to produce dramatic cumulative results.
more >
March 2010
Journal article: The state of arts and health in Australia
The paper concludes by suggesting that under the current federal labor government arts and health may benefit from increasing recognition of the intrinsic benefits of arts participation and cultural rights. more >
December 2009
Your genre is black: indigenous performing arts and policy
In February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian people. Now what? In this Platform Paper, mid-career Indigenous performing artists think about their post-apology future. more >
Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management
The Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management is an online, free to air, fully peer reviewed academic journal. The journal publishes articles about arts and cultural management and cultural policy issues. more >
November 2009
Indigenous Art and the Law
This project is premised on the objective of promoting full recognition and protection for what has been variously defined as Australian Indigenous peoples' cultural knowledge, traditional cultural expression, traditional knowledge or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). more >
Annual Report 2008-09
The annual report is a report on the operations of the Australia Council for the 2008-09 financial year. more >
August 2009
Call For Papers - Making The Case for The Arts
In recent years it has become increasingly evident that those who wish to advance the cause of the arts, culture and creativity as a recognized element of social policy and as a significant contributor to the new imagination economy have to find new arguments and evidentiary materials in their support, and new ways to present them. more >
Call For Papers - Making The Case for The Arts
In recent years it has become increasingly evident that those who wish to advance the cause of the arts, culture and creativity as a recognized element of social policy and as a significant contributor to the new imagination economy have to find new arguments and evidentiary materials in their support, and new ways to present them. more >
July 2009
Evolution and creation: Australia's funding bodies
Our funding bodies are designed for the mass scale and based on the idea that culture comes from a relatively small number of large places, yet as Marcus Westbury argues, the dominant trend of our era is that culture is diversifying and moving away from this model. more >
Adjust your view: developing multicultural audiences for the arts - a toolkit
Multicultural marketing is not rocket science. But it is complex and needs passion, commitment and a willingness to learn. more >
D'Art report: The Independence of Government Arts Funding: A Review
The degree of independence that governments afford arts support is a universal concern. more >
June 2009
D'Art report: Major performing arts organisations: A Review of the Issues for Funding Agencies
This report brings together the three elements of the research project on the major performing arts sector: the 2006 D’Art question, the 2007 survey and the 2008 mini-summit. more >
Tax - Creating a Sustainable Arts Industry
This, the third report in a series, concludes with 47 recommendations, some of which suggest tax reforms and others outline practical strategies to assist the arts. This report also details a survey conducted to ascertain opinions, awareness and attitudes to taxation and potential reforms. more >
A case study of career development in the dance industry: Australia's SCOPE initiative
Unlike much of the work in the field that concentrates on organization career development and knowledge management, this paper takes an industry sector perspective. more >
Beyond Guarding Ground - the case for a National Indigenous Cultural Authority
In the past 20 years Indigenous Australians have called for greater recognition of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights. more >
D'Art report: Global financial crisis and recession: Impact on the arts
The aim of the report is to consolidate the collective expertise of IFACCA members as quickly as possible in order to help members respond to the downturn in a timely and informed way. more >
May 2009
Creative Ecologies: Where Thinking is a Proper Job
Creativity depends on a mix of environmental conditions, such as diversity, change, learning and adaptation. This radical combination of creativity and ecology provides a holistic, visionary model for everyone who wants to think for themselves and develop new ideas. more >
Background Note: Commonwealth arts policy and administration
This paper attempts to give an overview of Commonwealth arts policy and administrative developments from Federation to the present day. more >
Arts Sponsorship Outlook Survey
The global financial crisis will impact on corporate sponsorship of the arts, with 49 per cent of companies stating that they expect to decrease their arts sponsorships over the next 12 months. more >
Commonwealth arts policy and administration
This paper attempts to give an overview of Commonwealth arts policy and administrative developments from Federation to the present day. It will not deal with film policy as that will be the subject of a separate paper. more >
March 2009
Review of ConnectEd Arts
Review of the effectiveness of the ConnectEd Arts program. more >
February 2009
Making the intangible tangible: the economic contribution of Australia's copyright industries
This report looks at the economic contribution of Australia's copyright industries. more >
On Board: serving on the board of an arts organisation
Effective governance is one of the most important aspects of running a successful arts organisation. But what makes a great board? What are a board’s responsibilities? And how do you attract terrific board members? more >
January 2009
Art for art's sake: a qualitative study exploring the facilitation of creativity within disability services
This qualitative study focuses on how creativity is facilitated within a range of creative art services for adults with disabilities. more >
December 2008
Love your work: training, retaining and connecting artists in theatre
A new report into Australia's theatre sector highlights the many interconnections between artists, larger companies, smaller companies, venues and festivals. more >
Don't panic: The impact of digital technology on the major performing arts
The Australia Council's major performing arts board has produced a discussion paper on the impact of digital technology on the sector. more >
The writer’s guide to making a digital living
The writer's guide was developed through the Australia Council's Story of the Future project to explore the craft and business of writing in the digital era. more >
Taxation issues and the Australian arts industry
In 2008 Arts Queensland commissioned Brett Freudenberg from Griffith University to provide reports relating to taxation issues effecting the Arts industry in Australia. more >
November 2008
Service charter
The Australia Council's Service Charter is available online. more >
Cultural Funding in Australia: Three Tiers of Government 2006–07
A new report, Cultural Funding in Australia: Three Tiers of Government 2006–07, indicates federal, state, territory and local government funding for cultural activities increased by 2.6 per cent in 2006–07. more >
October 2008
Arts and culture in Australia: a statistical overview, 2008 (second edition)
This release covers a range of topics including employment in culture, time spent on cultural activities, attendances at cultural venues and events, expenditure on culture, and imports and exports of cultural goods and services. more >
Securing the Future: An assessment of progress 2001 to 2007
Australia’s 28 major performing arts companies experienced strong growth in box office, private income and main stage attendances in 2007, according to a report from the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
National Arts and Disability Strategy - discussion paper
The National Arts and Disability Strategy is an opportunity for the Australian Government and state and territory governments to make a national commitment on arts and disability issues. more >
Getting creative in healthcare: the contribution of creative activities to Australian healthcare
The contribution of creative occupations to Australian healthcare was examined using a mix of statistics and case studies. more >
September 2008
D'Art report: Grant Assessment Timeframes
This report analyses the length of time it takes for arts funding agencies to complete a grants giving process, from application closing date (or receipt of applications) through to notifying applicants of results. more >
August 2008
Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management, vol 5 no 1
Volume 5 issue 1 of the Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management is available online. more >
Arts RiPPA no 22
Arts RiPPA is an arts and cultural policy research digest that profiles the range of current and planned research activity in Australia. more >
First We See: The national review of visual education
A new report that provides a vision for the visual education of Australian students into the future. more >
Artistcareer Website
A new website has been launched for visual art, craft and design practitioners. more >
July 2008
Dance Plan 2012
A four-year action plan for the Australian dance sector. more >
Innovation Policy in the Creative Industries
A call for papers has been issued for a special issue of the journal Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice. more >
June 2008
Creating value: between commerce and commons conference papers
Full-text peer reviewed papers from the Creating Value conference, 25 - 27 June 2008, Brisbane.
more >
Data collection for arts organisations: a pan-Tasman initiative
Articles that explore the value of data collection, how new information arising from data can be integrated by organisations and the ins and outs of implementing an integrated audience data system by the Australia Council and Creative New Zealand. more >
May 2008
Arts and disability action plan 2008-2010
An arts and disability action plan 2008-2010 to guide the Australia Council in its operations, programs and strategies in relation to access and equity for people with disabilities. more >
The arts, and the innovation agenda workshop
Papers are available from a one-day workshop to discuss how the arts sector can respond to the Government's innovation agenda. more >
Anticipating Change in the Major Performing Arts
Considers the impacts on the major performing arts sector of trends such as rapid economic development in the Asia region and shifts in the demographics and leisure time options of the Australian population. more >
Towards a creative Australia: The future of the arts, film and design
A record of the 'creative' stream of the Australia 2020 Summit, including recommendations for consideration by the Australian Government. more >
Fluid cities create
A paper from Issue 20 of the Griffith Review on what makes a city culturally dynamic? more >
March 2008
Arts and Cultural Heritage - An Information Development Plan
Identifies the agreed priorities and action for statistical information development in the area of Arts and Cultural Heritage. more >
Arts royalties and droit de suite
The March 2008 issue of Gas Quarterly focuses on issues related to arts royalties across literature, design, music, theatre and visual arts. more >
Design works: Towards a national policy
Scans design policies around the world to draw lessons for Australian design policy directions. more >
February 2008
Building a Creative Innovation Economy report
A report that highlights the value of the creative sector in driving innovation and growth throughout the economy. more >
January 2008
It opens a whole new world: Older people’s perceptions of the role of the creative arts as leisure in their lives
Examines the benefits gained by older people through participation creative arts and makes recommendations for policymakers and funding bodies. more >
A Sustainable Arts Sector: What Will It Take?
A new publication on multi-dimensional policy approaches to achieving artistic, financial and organisational sustainability in the arts. The authors argue for the establishment of a public-private endowment fund for the arts in Australia. more >
November 2007
Evaluation of school-based arts education programs in Australian schools
An evaluation of four school-based arts programmes which finds no evidence that the arts enhance academic outcomes, but that the arts do impact positively on broader factors such as attitude, engagement, and social skills. more >
October 2007
UNESCO Observatory E-journal Vol 1, Issue 1
This inaugural edition of the UNESCO Observatory, Faculty ABP, UM refereed e-journal offers a variety of perspectives on the term “multi-disciplinary”, particularly in relation to the arts. more >
D'Art report: National Visual Arts and Craft Sector Associations
The report details of thirty-one visual arts and craft organisations in sixteen countries, plus two international organisations. A summary table provides a quick reference to the main activities of the national associations. more >
September 2007
Media arts: protocols for producing Indigenous Australian media arts
The Australia Council for the Arts fully revised second edition of its Media arts protocol guide will help Australians better understand the use of Indigenous cultural material. more >
Australia's creative economy
The project has developed new definitions and methodologies for revealing the employment and business characteristics of the creative industries. more >
August 2007
Unlocking the potential through creative commons: an industry engagement and action agenda
This report evaluates and responds to the outcomes of a forum designed to follow up the Action Agenda’s recommendation that industry "engage with work occurring in the area of alternative approaches to intellectual property licensing, such as Creative Commons". more >
Arts Law Centre of Australia
The Arts Law Centre of Australia is the national community legal centre for the arts in Australia. more >
Rural Cultural Research Program
A three year (2006-2008) university-based program on rural cultural research. more >
Arts RiPPA - 21st edition
Arts RiPPA is a digest of arts and cultural policy research... more >
Australia's public diplomacy: building our image
Report of the Inquiry into the nature and conduct of Australia's public diplomacy. more >
Payment of artists advice at OZCO
The Australia Council's website has recommendations on payment of artists. more >
Multiculturalism: A position paper by the Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner
Australia’s acting Race Discrimination Commissioner Tom Calma has called on the federal government to re-commit to Australia’s successful multicultural policy to combat the ambivalence and sometimes antagonistic approach to multiculturalism in the community which has fuelled racism and racial violence. more >
July 2007
Communicating Value: Arts Marketing Summit 2007
Presentations from the Australia Council for the Arts' Arts Marketing Summit 2007. more >
June 2007
D'Art report: Support for Major Performing Arts Organisations: Preliminary Report
In preparaton for the Mini Summit on this topic, respondents were asked to provide the definition (if there was one) of major performing arts organisations used by their agency, and to rank by order of importance a list of issues relating to the support of major performing arts organisations. more >
May 2007
April 2007
D'Art report: Policy research by government arts agencies: a review of approaches
According to the report, the majority of national agencies undertake some sort of research activity, with all but four respondents undertaking research 'in house' and all bar one agency contracting research externally. more >
February 2007
Resourcing Dance: An analysis of the subsidised Australian dance sector
The Australia Council has published a report of which the D'Art was a part. more >
January 2007
Arts Queensland Code of Conduct
Our professionalism and high standards of ethical conduct are shown in all our work activities and are supported in this Code of Conduct by a clear statement of what is expected of us and how we should behave and perform our work. more >
December 2006
D'Art Report: Cultural Development in Rural and Remote Regions
D'Art report number 23 provides an audit of research and information on cultural development in rural and remote areas. more >
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
A Statewide Report on Participation in the Arts
Results of a study aimed at identifying the barriers experienced by consumers to participation in the arts. more >
New media scoping study report
Sets a future for media arts at the Australia Council that sees it integrated across the funding programs of the organisation and more broadly through the production and presentation infrastructure in the arts sector in Australia. more >
June 2006
May 2006
March 2006
January 2006
Does Australia Need a Cultural Policy?
A cultural policy would show what we really value about being Australian. A national debate, to define and assert our common values could well alleviate the fears at present dividing us. more >
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
D'Art Report: Assistance to Arts and Culture Festivals
This inquiry was undertaken by Peter Inkei of the Budapest Observatory in response to some disquiet within Hungary at the level of subsidies given to festivals by the National Cultural Fund of Hungary (NCF) and the NCF’s subsequent desire to get a picture of levels of support for festivals internationally. more >
Shooting Through: Australian Film and the Brain Drain
A study of the Australia Council’s declined interest in new media. more >
September 2005
Accessing the Arts
‘Accessing the Arts’ is a collection of practical checklists and information sheets for arts and cultural organisations to assist in improving access and developing audiences. more >
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
D'Art Report: Statistical Indicators for Arts Policy
A discussion paper (D'Art report number 18) that identifies current global resources and work being undertaken to develop cultural indicators and provides a literature review on the topic. more >
May 2005
April 2005
D'Art Report: Arts and Education Research; Towards an International Compendium
The development and publication of 'The Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education' and related resources. more >
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
The Art of Renewal: A Guide to Thinking Culturally About Strengthening Communities
Part 2 of the Guide suggests a pathway through the three community planning steps. more >
December 2004
D'Art Report: Artists' International Mobility Programns
This report examines policies and strategies for international artists’ mobility and considers the different points of view of key players. more >
October 2004
Making Cross-Country Comparisons of Cultural Statistics: Problems and Solutions
A paper on methodological issues in making cross-country comparisons of arts and culture data. more >
The Arts, New Technologies and Innovation
Presentation papers and rapportuer notes are available from the Arts, New Technologies and Innovation workshop at IFACCA's 2nd World Summit on the Arts and Culture, Singapore, 2003. more >
September 2004
D'Art Report: Arts and disability policies
Looks at definitions, concepts and the terminology surrounding disability in the arts. more >
August 2004
June 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
Code of Practice for the Australian Visual Arts and Craft Sector (2nd edition)
Provides a set of practical and ethical guidelines for the conduct of business between visual and craft artists and their galleries, agents, retailers, buyers, sponsors, commissioners and the managers of residencies and workshops and competitions, prizes and awards. more >
December 2003
November 2003
Making the case for the arts
Reports from the advocacy session at the second World Summit, Singapore, November 2003. more >
October 2003
D'Art Report: Successful Dance Policies and Programs
A brief summary of dance programs, policies and challenges in various countries. more >
July 2003
D'Art Report: Musical instrument banks: online materials
Surveys programs that lend musical instruments such as instrument banks, libraries and loan schemes. more >
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
January 2003
December 2002
D'Art Report: Conflict of interest policies in arts and culture funding agencies
Investigates how national arts support agencies manage conflict of interest policies and provides exampels of policies. more >
November 2002
D'Art Report: International comparisons of arts participation data
This report reviews seven cross-country comparisons of cultural participation data. more >
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
D'Art Report: Copyright management systems
Reviews copyright agencies and systems in the USA, Australia, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. more >
January 2002
D'Art Report: Defining Artists for Tax and Benefit Purposes
A research report on how governments approach the difficult task of defining who is an artist for the purposes of tax, benefit and other policies and programs. more >
Living Diversity: Australia’s Multicultural Future
A landmark Australian survey has found widespread support for immigration, cultural diversity and multiculturalism. more >
Administration of grants : better practice guide
The guide aims to provide practical assistance to those who may be involved with the planning, project selection, management and review of grant programs within the Commonwealth of Australia. more >
Getting connected: making your mentorship work
This is the handbook for you if you are seeking or planning a mentorship in the arts industry - either as a mentoree or mentor. more >
January 2001
Centre for Best Practice in Grants Management
The Centre for Best Practice in Grants Management is devoted to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian government grants managers. more >
January 2000
What's my plan? A guide to developing arts marketing plans
This step-by-step guide provides useful information on how to develop arts marketing plans. more >
December 1999
Securing the future
Final report of the Major Performing Arts Inquiry. more >
October 1999
Cultural Policy and the National Debt
A talk to the X Club, University of Western Australia by Katharine Brisbane, with a range of thought-provoking comments on support to major performing arts organistions and Australia's 'Nugent report'. more >
January 1999
Corporate Governance and Resource Management in the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio
This Handbook has been designed to assist you in your role as a director of a Commonwealth authority in the portfolio, by providing you with an overview of the whole-of-government context and the corporate governance framework within which Commonwealth authorities operate. more >
Marketing strategies for arts organisations
Provides arts organisations with easy to follow instructions for developing effective marketing strategies. more >
Access all areas: guidelines for marketing the arts to people with disabilities
How to identify this audience, how to reach them and how to provide what they want is the key advice contained in Access all areas. more >
January 1998
Our Culture: Our Future - Report on Australian Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights
This Report is part of a process to develop practical reform proposals for the improved recognition and protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. more >
Disability fact pack
Outlines a variety of issues for arts organisations regarding people with disabilities including access, attitude, employment and discrimination. It also provides an overview of the Disability Discrimination Act. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >