Talk Cultural - Showing & Telling: The critical role of city based artists & artist run initiatives

Date: Wednesday 5th Sep 2007
Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Venue: City Library

Presenters:

• Brett Jones
• Kristy Edmunds
• Amanda King
• Angela Costi
• Eloise Peace

Moderator:

• Peter Mares

Description:
In a venue, on a wall, on the street, in a laneway, in a bar - no matter where, the performance or presentation of art in the city contributes to an often unexpected yet authentic, inner-urban cultural experience. Melbourne benefits from artists and their constant contributions and even sometimes their unwanted interventions as they boost the city's cultural claims of cultural depth and diversity.

However, are suitable venues and spaces for art drying up or will artists always find a way? What are the possibilities for individual artists in the city? Other than housing, what sort of support and structures do artists and artist run initiatives need to thrive in the city? Who's not getting a chance to present their art in the city and why? Are there local and state government policy settings or barriers that need adjustment or removal?

Speakers:
Brett Jones has worked for artist-run spaces for the last 17 years. Being included in the first Platform exhibition in 1990 left an indelible impression on Brett. He jointly established West Space in 1993 with Sarah Stubbs. Brett has initiated, co-ordinated and curated more than 20 projects through West Space, including publications, international exchange projects, collaborations and cross artform projects. Parallel to these projects has been his own art practice and work as a lecturer in design.

Kristy Edmunds is the Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. In 1990 she became the Curator of Performance Art at the Portland Art Museum. During this time she also coordinated the Northwest Film and Video Festival, the National Endowment for the Arts Western States Regional Media Artists Fellowship Program and the Young People's Film Festival. Kristy works very closely with the Melbourne's diverse artistic communities.

Amanda King is a visual artist. Amanda coordinates the Chocolate Studio. The Studio creates original and dynamic artwork for festivals. It specialises in participatory projects, from children's workshops at festivals, to sustained community programs that draw on multicultural themes and cultural practices. Amanda is also working as a mentor on a graffiti project coordinated by the City of Melbourne.

Angela Costi was writer in residence at the now demolished Kensington Public Housing Estate where she worked on the award-winning Relocated arts project. She is a founding member of Saloni M, a cross-cultural and hybrid arts collective, which works with artists from Mediterranean and Middle East communities to develop their work and present it to a wider Australian audience. Her latest poetry collection is Honey and Salt.

Eloise Peace has been involved with Melbourne's zine culture on and off since the 1990s. She has worked at Sticky alongside Luke Sinclair for just over a year and makes her own monthly zine. Peace also works at the State Library of Melbourne helping them maintain their zine collection in Rare Printed Collections.

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