New Artists Networks

A look in the mirror!

Our culture and arts industry is constantly evolving. By enlarge our sector is dependent on government investment. The amount in the kitty is never secure and changes with the government agenda. At present the arts industry is suitably unfashionable. To depend solely on arts funding for income if foolish, and no way to found a reliable arts base business.

As artists and arts workers we need a reality check. We can whinge to the cows come home about unfair pay rates, unpaid hours and lack of opportunities or take positive steps to address the gaps in the industry and local community. Inactivity and game blaming isn't, going to put food on our tables.

Luckily for me, I am not the only one in Ipswich who shares this views. . . Opportunities do not just present themselves, we create them. Very rarely does someone knock on the door and offer a job to a stranger.  Yet, as artists sometimes that is way we behave.

Sometimes I just want to get paid for my work.

As being self-employed, which most artist are we forget the first rule of business. "Investment", into the business, very few of friends who own small businesses do not draw a wage in their first year of operation and most of their savings went in to purchasing the business, not only are they not drawing a wage their repaying a loan.  So our first step is to stop thinking we're hard down by due to the industry we chose to work in.

We can do one of two things, continue to fight over every last dollar, or work together so we all earn something.  We need to accept art will not be our sole income.

In Ipswich a few splinter groups, including ArtISability are starting to grumble about establishing better networks and working together to pool resources to market the arts community as a whole. Its a model that works very successfully in other industry, putting us behind the eight ball, but at least we're joining the game.

We at ArtISability see value in working with existing networks as we have in the past with disability sector.  We partnered with ALARA Queensland for  three years and the Ipswich City Council.  Now we want a change in direction so we are seen  purely for our creative abilities.  To do that we need to be part of the arts community. Rather than seeking support from the sidelines.

Thus we are moving from a workshop based program to an arts community who support each other to achieve our own goals through collective marketing and advertising.  This will allow me to offer something I've wanted to do but haven't achieve, give artists the power to chose the skills and art forms they want to participate in.

The network will match artists with tutors and mentors who can best enable them to achieve their nominated goals.  Thus in many ways we are a referral service.  However a network structure allows other artists networks to access our services.

We are a meeting place for those who potentially want to work together.  The good news is individual tutors may chose to run workshops through our service, by access of database for direct marketing.

To ensure the skill base of our artists are growing we will be seeking artists working at national and international level to provide our scholarship mentorships.  This type of opportunities are lacking in the area and not everyone with disabilities can travel as much as I do for training.

So there my (manager's) reasoning behind our rethink and restructure.  We hope to start recruiting in September.

Changing Tides and the NDIS

From July 1, the way we think about supporting people with disabilities and their families change. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is about providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in the life of the community. Support or care moves away from a medical model which focuses on the impairments, to a system that supports them to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

People will now have a say in how they are supported and the activities they chose to participate in.  The NDIS is geared towards employment (paid or unpaid) and learning and training.

While respite will continue the way it is funded will look very different.  The way to address aging carers issues is to assist people to be more independent and independently living options as a long term goal. The NDIS will be looking at the most cost effective means to support people to achieve their goals.

Many artists I have worked with over the last three years have a goal to establish their own art practise and sell their work.  Sadly in Ipswich we have thus far fail to promote these artists as 'artists' the drive towards therapy art is strong.

ArtISability has always had a vision to build a social inclusive community through engaging in community classes, workshops and retreats. This is the main reason I am relucent to hire our own space.

Thus we as an arts based program, primarily funded by arts funding is viewed as a disability support provider or a stem of ALARA Queensland.  The fact we are artists in our own right evades all.

The NDIS presents new opportunities and new way of doing things. I get that this is scary . . . But the unknown provokes fear.  If we don't try we have failed before we begin. July 1, presents the prefect opportunity to 'change our strips', and cut tides with 'ability' or 'disability' tags.

To quote one of our ArtISability tutors,

" Once my artwork is hanging on a gallery wall. my disability becomes invisible."

Judith Baker (2014)

Ipswich Poet, Author and Artists

Labels only service to undermine this extremely powerful statement by Judy. Our work at ArtISability has nothing to do with abilities or disabilities. Our work is to work together in the mainstream to build inclusion.

Our new look network system is run for the arts community and our rates will be consistent across the board.  I want to send a clear message to the public - we are artist working together.

Primarily this will not involve workshops, we will act as an agency who supports assists to find the resources the need.  This individual approach is consistent with the mainstream art world and the changing land scrape under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

We're reaching for the stars

Restructing

Towards Independence

Pilot Program 2014

In 2014 Deb Chilton has a Regional Arts Develop Grant through Arts Queensland to run a professional development program for artists living with disability and mental illness. Six artists took part in this program with 4 artists successfully connecting with the local arts community following the program.

We gained funding for a further 2 programs to connect artists with disability and mental illness with the Ipswich arts community. To date over 30 artists have been involved in our programs.

2015 Art Exhibition and Graduation

ArtISability is a community connections program designed to connect artists with disability and mental illness to their mainstream community. From today the National Disability Insurance Scheme rolls out across Australia.  In Queensland people are already participating on Palm Island and Townsville. 

For those living in Ipswich and thinking of being involved in our future programs the start up date is July 1, 2017. However, the time to get ready for the NDIS in now! Those currently supported by Disability Services will be contracted by the NDIA in early 2017.  You will need to have all your documentation ready. This will include:

• Your participant statement
• A carer's statement
• What you receive now
• Your plan for the first 12 month, linked to your immediate goals; your short term goals and any long term goals.

Templates for all these documents are available from the NDIS website and your current providers are obligated to help you get ready to transfer to the Scheme.  This involves a number of significant changes in the way people with disabilities are assigned their funding.  In simple terms the NDIS is about choice.

Choice around who provides your support, how you want to be supported, how you want your funding to be administered and by whom. You can even chose to administer your funds.

The major change is how you package is now determined. In the past this was based on what you could not do for yourself. Now it is about what you would like to do and how you want to achieve that.

Essentially the National Disability Insurance Scheme is about people with disabilities and their families connecting and engaging in the life of their community, through employment, volunteering, education, life skills training, independent living - moving out of home, early prevention or community groups.

Participation in the local arts community is at the heart of why I wanted to establish ArtISability. My vision was not to add to the 110 art groups in Ipswich or establish a center or organisation for artists with disabilities and mental illness.  It was to assist artists to participate in mainstream art groups. The concept that the Every Australian Counts Campaign fought for - this was lead by people with disabilities themselves.  This is what the and their families told us they wanted.

ArtISability's current structure is not what artists with disabilities are looking for, nor is it sustainable. Each artist is an individual with their own goals and aspirations. Thus a individual approach is needed.

Which is why we're introducing our new artists network to provide individual tutoring.  Matching artists who work with the same mediums.  This see artists with disabilities making direct choices about the direction of their artistic practise.

Workshops may continued to be offered from time to time.  Our new network is Ignite Artists any is open to all artists to access.  Applications will open in September for our 2017 mentorship programs.  We will continue to apply for arts funding, but individuals are as to make a personal contribution. 

We're getting closer to our relaunch so watch this space.