Originally a response to the pandemic, when local artists told us what they really needed was consistency of work, HOTA proudly placed four artists on the HOTA payroll in 2021 as part-time employees working 3 days/week, providing income security, fair work conditions and organisation-wide support to develop new work and ideas.
Our pilot program won national recognition, taking out the inaugural Innovator Award at Performing Arts Connections (PAC) Australia’s Impact Awards at the Sydney Opera House in 2022, and we’ve since put an additional 9 artists on the payroll to work on site 3 days/week for between 6-8 months creating new work.
While there have been many success stories from the program, we thought we’d share a few reflections directly from ArtKeeper artist alumni from our recent Impact Survey:
“Without the support of ArtKeeper and all those involved I would not have had the courage, connections, financial security, time and mentorship to take my arts practice to a higher level. I was able to tour my show to 9 different festivals across Australia, including GC Laughs and Bleach Festival.” – 2021 Artist
“The program allowed me to move beyond the single exhibition outcome I originally pitched and the ideas explored during this program are now central to my practice. Partaking in ArtKeeper fast tracked my development as an artist and I changed the way in which I approach my work.” 2021 Artist
“I have travelled a lot regionally and interstate since my time at ArtKeeper and so many other galleries have told me they are now considering similar programs because they have seen the value of ArtKeeper.” – 2022-23 Artist
“I've since received several grants towards my ArtKeeper project and created new partnerships with even more organisations (venues, festivals, arts bodies, etc). I've been arranging a national tour of the finished show and a Masters of Research given my experiences at ArtKeeper.” – 2022-23 Artist
“Going forward, I know that the institutional support for my practice - demonstrated by the fact that I have participated in this program - will open doors for me and make it easier for other institutions to feel confident about engaging me for other creative and professional opportunities” – 2024 Artist
ArtKeeper was transformational in demonstrating what practicing artists can contribute not just through their creative work, but through their unique perspectives in the workplace. It also had other positive impacts for participating artists with 100% of survey respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that the program improved their income security, wellbeing, allowed them to take creative risks and helped them make new connections with industry, audiences, other artists and artworkers. We’re proud to have achieved such great outcomes over the past 3 years.
While we are wrapping up the program, we’re also working on a brand-new opportunity for artists that will be announced soon. Sign up to HOTA’s newsletter or follow us on socials to be sure you don’t miss the announcement!
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