Newsletters

Hi my name is Harmonie Downes and I’m currently doing a work placement for 6 months at Access Arts via Vision Australia. I hold an Advanced Diploma in Visual Arts majoring in Ceramics and I also hold a Cert IV in Music Performance both from South Bank Institute of TAFE. I have a young child so for me, getting real life experience working in an Arts organisation after working with community groups and co-ordinating community events while juggling parenthood has been a change in pace and something I have been looking forward to doing for some time. I’m passionate about people finding their inner drive and having a creative outlet to express whatever resides inside. I think this makes for a happier and more enjoyable existence and provides a good escape for our sometimes if not more than stressed lives. I look forward to connecting with you all while I am here and hope I can be of use to you all too.

Access Arts has a new website. The link is the same: www.accessarts.org.au

We would love to hear what you think of our new design!

Access Arts has recently joined Twitter and Facebook.To receive updates, keep in touch and give feedback you can:Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/aaqld

‘Like’ our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Access-Arts/228442137195356

 If your contact details have changed, or if you are not a current member, please contact us – info@accessarts.org.au or 07 3844 5897 to keep in touch.

Congratulations to all the artists selected to be part of the exhibition Polyphonic: Many Voices Many Styles, showing as part of the Wataboshi Exhibition in Bangkok from the 13 to the 18 November this year. The exhibition has been funded by a grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia Thailand Institute.  The host organisation in Bangkok, the Network of Music and Arts for People with Disabilities will provide assistance for two artists in the exhibition to attend the Wataboshi Festival and exhibition official launch at the Thai National Theatre in Bangkok. 

Congratulations to the artists from the Brisbane Outsider Artist Studio on the selection of their work to be shown at the Umbrella Studio of Contemporary Art in Townsville as part of the Artworks exhibition.  The exhibition will be held from the 19th to the 30th September, in celebration and recognition of Disability Action Week. 

Louis Leigh Lucas, a member of the Brisbane Outsider Artist Studio recently held his first solo exhibition at the ACRO Gallery, Clayfield. Congratulations to Louis on completing his first solo exhibition.  A special thank you is extended to Dr Ian Airey, for officially opening the exhibition and to Ben Carr from The Edge, State Library of Queensland, for filming and editing the audio visual component of the exhibition.

Lisa Blake, also a member from the Brisbane Outsider Artist Studio, received first prize at the Brisbane Exhibition in the wearable art category for her original hand painted shoes. Congratulations Lisa. Lisa is currently taking orders for her shoes. If you are interested in placing an order please email Lisa on  mousecycle@hotmail.com 

The Access Arts Performance Writing group have been working professionally recently on a training DVD for WWILD. WWILD is a not for profit community organisation that works with people with intellectual and learning disabilities that have experienced or at risk of experiencing sexual violence or have become a victim of crime.

WWILD has programs that provide:

 -   Counselling
-    Therapeutic groups
 -   Community Education regarding issues for people with intellectual disabilities
 -   Court and Legal support
 -   Research and Advocacy
 -   Information, Advice, Resources and Referrals

The purpose of this DVD is to complement other training resources and provide a snapshot of four counselling approaches that are useful in working with people who have an intellectual disability. The project was developed by WWILD’s Victims of Crime Disability Training Program and is funded by the Department of Justice and Attorney General’s Building Capacity for Victims of Crime Services Funding Program.

The performance group arrived early for a full day’s filming, starting at 8am. Performers had visited for a brief rehearsal and improvisation session some weeks before. And had then been provided with script and scenarios for role playing in Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or CBT), Art Work Therapy and Sand Tray Therapy 

There was the inevitable film set “hanging about” waiting

But with excellent on location catering to compensate

And then good hard work all round whe the words “quiet on set” and “action” set the cameras rolling:

Thanks and congratulations to all the performers involved for a smooth day’s work. And at Access Arts we are proud to have partnered with WWILD for this great project and for further information on WWILD, their excellent programs and this DVD contact: Ms Elly Emmett – WWILD Community Education Worker – on (07) 3862 4066 or visit their www site at: http://www.wwild.org/

Self Portrait with Werewolf by Mathew Lys

An Under the Radar Out the Back screening of art photography by:Stephen Corti-Griffiths, Colleen Stevenson, Mathew Lys, Brendan Huddy and Magda Labuda.

VENUE
Out the Back, Metro Arts109 Edward St Brisbane QLD 4000

WHEN
Thu 8 – Fri 23 September

www.brisbanefestival.com.au/Under-The-Radar/Access-Arts-Camera-Wonderers-Installation

Cultivate is a new professional development fund for Australian artists with disability. Cultivate will provide seed funding to artists who want to further develop their professional artistic practice with the aim of being better placed to pursue a professional artistic career and to compete for funding in general arts funding programs.

Grants of up to $8,000 are available for the costs associated with developing your professional practice as an artist. This could include specific skills or professional development opportunities including mentoring.

Cultivate is not intended to be project funding, but can include the cost of developing new artistic work if the lack of opportunities to develop or showcase your work has been identified as a problem in developing your artistic career. The focus of the proposal must be on career development, not the production of the work itself.

We encourage artists to apply independently, but you can ask an organisation to auspice your application. This means they will receive the funding on your behalf, organise to pay you, and help you make sure the project gets done on time.

In your application form, you will need to provide a budget outlining all the income and expenses relating to your project. If the Cultivate grant does not cover all your costs, you will need to seek other support and/or include your own contribution (cash or in-kind support) towards the project.

 To apply, you need to:

-      Identify as an artist with disability

-      Be either an Australian citizen or have permanent residency status

-      Have unsuccessfully applied to any State, Territory or Federal Government arts funding agency between 2006 and 2011 or have experienced access barriers that have prevented you from applying during this period

 Applications will be assessed for:

-      The artistic quality of the applicant and other project partners

-      Suitability of the proposal to the artist’s professional development

-      The direct benefit to the artist involved

-      Good planning and effective use of resources

Closing date: 10am 12th September 2011
More information and the application form is available through Arts Access Australia’s website: www.artsaccessaustralia.org

Or contact Kate Larson, CEO  0419 201 338 (voice / text) 

Cultivate is an initiative of Arts Access Australia and the Australia Council for the Arts. It is supported by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts.

Young and emerging artists from across Australia are encouraged to make their artistic match and apply for JUMP 2012. As the Australia Council’s national mentoring program for young and emerging artists, JUMP identifies and promotes excellence in artistic practice for artists aged 18 – 30 who are in the first five years of their professional practice.

Already Australia’s largest artist mentoring program, in 2012 JUMP offers its highest number of mentorship places yet, with up to 80 positions available nationally.

You can accelerate your career through a one-on-one mentoring relationship with a leading arts professional of your choice, and join a diverse national network of program participants and alumni making their mark on the industry.

To find out more, visit www.jumpmentoring.com.au or phone 3252 5115 and attend your local JUMP info session.

Artists with any accessibility requirements or questions not covered by our FAQs are encouraged to contact JUMP’s partner organisation in their home state/territory.

Applications close 28 October 2011

As part of the opening celebrations of the new Kangaroo Point Multicultural Centre local artist Natalie Billing is creating an interactive artwork recording the memories of those who passed through the doors of Yungaba House. 

Natalie is an artist commissioned by the Queensland Government Public Art Unit to create an interactive temporary artwork for the opening celebrations of the new Multicultural Centre currently being constructed next to Yungaba House on Main Street at Kangaroo Point. In her art practice she works a lot with memory and is interested in meeting with people who would be willing to share memories of immigrating to Queensland, and in particular, those immigrants who may have once stayed at Yungaba House. The building was also a military hospital and home to various organisations.

The proposed temporary artwork honours the fact that Australia, and Queensland, is built by many diverse individuals. The artwork will be in the form of a jigsaw puzzle which has the ability to fit together in many different ways. Each piece of the puzzle would bear an individual’s written memory gathered from the meetings. Participants would write on the pieces of the puzzles themselves, allowing them to choose not only what they say but also in what language, so the final artwork is truly multicultural and accessible to people of all backgrounds.

Meetings to gather and record memories will be held at Yungaba House at 11am on Wednesdays 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th of September.

To register your interest, please contact Natalie on:
Mobile:  0422 287 358
Email:   natbilling@bigpond.com.au
Mail::     PO Box 831, Toowong, 4066

Are you a musician that works collaboratively? Are you interested in broadening your compositional skills? Are you looking to take your music to another level?

Applications for Rewriting the Score are invited from professional musicians who experience disability, practicing in all genres from across Australia.

Orange Regional Conservatorium, in partnership with Accessible Arts, is offering this opportunity to promote inclusive performance opportunities and collaborations that include musicians with and without disability working together.

Thirteen musicians will work together to create new music, led by Artistic Director Graham Sattler. The residency will culminate in two concert performances at the Orange Regional Conservatorium on Friday 25 and Saturday 27 November 2011.

Rewriting the Score provides a high profile professional development opportunity for musicians with disability in a supportive arts environment. Recipients will receive an honorarium fee of $1400, plus travel and accommodation expenses. Support workers/carers travel and accommodation expenses also covered where required.   

More information on eligibility and the application process is available online for download www.aarts.net.au/projects/rewriting-the-score

Deadline for applications is Monday 19 September 2011.

When:        Sunday 20 November to Sunday 27 November 2011
Where:       Orange Regional Conservatorium, Central West Region NSW
Who:          Professional musicians who experience disability from across Australia
Contact:     Belinda Quince – Events & Promotions Officer – Orange Regional Conservatorium
Phone:       02 6361 7974
Email:         events@orangecon.org.au

Rewriting the Score is an initiative of Orange Regional Conservatorium, with support from Arts NSW, Accessible Arts, and Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol services and Western NSW Local Health Network.

This photo competition by the Australian Human Rights Commission will explore the theme of the Right to Education, and will showcase on their website and on their Flickr website a selection of the best photos they receive. They’re looking for great photos about the broad theme of education – maybe it will be you and your classmates, an exciting event your school or local library held or anything about education – from Kindergarten to life-long learning. So crank up your imagination and grab your camera!

Each month we will choose a winner who will receive an Apple iPod shuffle. The overall winner will receive a $500 voucher from Apple and have their prize presented at our Human Rights Awards in Sydney on 9 December.

Good luck and happy snapping!

There are two categories – under 18 and over 18
Entry is free, and you can submit up to six photos per month.

Photos may be submitted via email (Photocomp@humanrights.gov.au) or through their Flickr group.

For more details please phone (02) 9284 9600 or see their website: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/PhotoCompetition2011/index.html