This June AGWA hosted a three-day series of free workshops for Aboriginal artists, imparting new and invaluable skills in areas of arts administration, arts law, copyright, and more. The series was the first of its kind at AGWA, and we hope it will be the first of many.
The workshops were made possible by AGWA’s Next Collective, our dedicated group of young and emerging philanthropists, and the generous support of the Minderoo Foundation through their matched funding, which doubles the funds raised by each Next Collective donation.
Each year AGWA hosts a Pitch Night event, at which Next Collective supporters choose where to direct their collective donations by voting on the project they wish to see brought to life at AGWA the following year. At our 2021 Pitch Night, Next Collective voted to support Aboriginal Artist Workshops, providing over $30,000 of collective funding to make this new initiative possible.
The workshops garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback and, as a result, AGWA is already looking into the possibility of hosting a second series later this year.
Workshop participants came from all walks of life and roles within the arts industry. Several attendees were practicing artists, one attendee was a digital producer, another had started a community art space for Aboriginal artists, another worked with artists in prisons, and two participants on the final day were so inspired by the workshop they decided to join the AGWA Gallery Guides. We currently do not have any Aboriginal Gallery Guides, so this would be a wonderful step up for AGWA.
Around half of the attendees had never been inside AGWA before. Just getting our local community of Aboriginal artists and arts workers through the Gallery doors and letting them know that AGWA is a safe and welcoming place for everyone was an important objective and will enable us to expand our networks and offerings for Aboriginal artists in the future.
The topics covered over the three-day series ranged from copyright, intellectual property, and contracts, to how to value, market, and promote artworks. At the end of the final day, Senior Curator and Head of Indigenous Programs, Clothilde Bullen, took participants on a guided tour of AGWA’s current exhibitions. Clothilde’s tour sparked a lot of excitement, inspiring attendees to consider their own practice and opening ideas for new ways of working, particularly after a conversation with Lilly Blue in our Gallery 9 Boorongur learning space, a collaboration between AGWA and Nyoongar artist Sharyn Egan.
Participants gathered at the end of the last day to informally provide feedback. One participant commented, "I just want to say a huge thank you for putting the workshop together. You both do great work. I hope to see more workshops like this in the future.”
All in all, the workshops were truly a positive experience for everyone involved. The project demonstrates how impactful a single donation can be, with the power to make a positive contribution to the lives and careers of artists and arts workers in our state.
AGWA is incredibly grateful to our Next Collective donors and the Minderoo Foundation for making this project possible. Each new $700 Next Collective donation between 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023 will be matched by the Minderoo Foundation, potentially providing up to $40,000 of additional funding, giving us the ability to raise up to $80,000 towards our next project.
Projects previously funded by Next Collective include AGWA’s first-ever foyer mural wall by Emerging Australian First Nations artist Tyrown Waigana (2021), and an artist-led creative learning project for independent artists and school children with Andy Quilty (2020).
To be part of this dynamic group of change-makers or for more information about Next Collective, please contact AGWA.
