The Government of South Australia has established a new taskforce to recommend actions that address the work insecurity and income inequality experienced by some South Australian artists and creatives.

The Artists at Work Taskforce is a non-statutory advisory body established in March 2024 to provide high level independent advice to the Minister for Arts on issues related to work insecurity and income inequality experienced by some South Australian artists and creatives.

Members will convene regularly over a four-month period to examine current challenges facing people working across the arts, cultural and creative industries in South Australia.

The Taskforce acknowledges that work for artists and creatives is particularly precarious, with only a small proportion earning all their income through their creative work alone. The reality is that many artists and creatives work casually or part-time, in both arts and non-arts-related work (industries like teaching, hospitality and tourism).

Members will use the first meeting of the Taskforce to define the direction, lines of enquiries and scope of work the Taskforce will undertake.

The Taskforce will make recommendations for actions within the parameters of authority and levers available to the South Australian Government to address these challenges. These recommendations will address industry-wide issues as well as the specific needs of different sectors of the South Australian arts and culture landscape. Recommendations will be detailed in a final report to the Minister for Arts.

For further information, Terms of Reference and Taskforce Members please visit Artists at Work Taskforce

The South Australian Government are developing a new cultural policy focusing on a long-term vision for the arts, culture, and creative sector.

We strongly encourage all artists, creative businesses, organisations and education providers to contribute insights to inform the policy. As such, we ask that you not only engage with this consultation process, but also share with your networks.

Registrations are still open to attend the online Town Hall Meeting on 27 March 2024.

For more information, please go to: yourSAy: Creating for the Future

Arts South Australia - Register of Prospective Peer Assessors Call Out

Submissions are now being accepted. Submissions close at midnight 30 June 2024 (ACST).

Arts South Australia is currently accepting expressions of interest from prospective peer assessors for opportunities in the financial years 2022–23 and 2023–24. Individuals are encouraged to register their interest if they would like to participate in the peer assessment process, drawing upon their arts-relevant knowledge to support the administration of the Arts South Australia Arts and Culture Grants Program. Those who express interest will be placed on an unpublished register of prospective peer assessors.

The newly established register of prospective peer assessors is part of an ongoing effort to identify and co-opt peer assessors of high calibre that represent the diversity of the South Australian community.

For more information, or to register interest, please see the Register of Prospective Peer Assessors web page.

NAVA achieved a sector win in April 2023 when Workforce Australia expanded the recognition of professional arts activities to meet mutual obligation requirements. Part-time workers and freelancers who receive income support payments may now log work undertaken as an artist or arts worker including applying for a grant, submitting an application for an exhibition, meeting a curator about commissioned artwork, or volunteering at a gallery.

For more information, click here

Are you an SA artist with a great idea for a SALA tour or workshop? Maybe you like the idea of jumping up on stage and being a guest speaker at Slide Night, or perhaps getting your art on our Festival cars or tote bags is more up your alley. If you would like to get involved in SALA 2024, let them know by filling out the Project Artist Expression of Interest (EOI) form via the link below:

SALA EOI

Following extensive collaboration across the sector, the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) today soft-launches the new Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design. NAVA’s comprehensive review ensures that the Code continues to reflect equitable, ethical and self-reflective standards.

NAVA Executive Director Penelope Benton said, ‘Co-designed and co-authored, the new Code is a celebration of good practice. This comprehensive resource has been written by over thirty arts practitioners, each with lived experience in their subject area.’

About NAVA
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is a membership organisation which brings together the many voices of the contemporary arts sector to improve fundamental conditions of work and practice. We do this through advocacy, education and the Code of Practice. For further information on NAVA visit www.nava.net.au

About the Code of Practice
The Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design (the Code) provides a set of good practice, ethical guidelines for the conduct of business between arts practitioners and arts sector employers in the Australian visual arts sector. To access the code visit https://code.visualarts.net.au/

If you have any questions or wish to speak to someone about the project please contact Kate via email

Edwardstown Industrial Art Trail

Placemaking Edwardstown

The Business Community Group recently held a workshop to discuss and map placemaking opportunities to capitalise on Edwardstown' s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people's health, happiness and well-being.

Below are the recommendations of what the group identified as critical for initial success, long-term success and desirable for long-term success.

To view the Place Audit of Edwardstown

For further information or you would like to speak to someone about Placemaking in Edwardstown please contact the Public Art and Placemaking Team via email

Further information on the Edwardstown Employment Precinct

Presented by Guildhouse and Arts Law Australia

Upcoming event on Thursday 23 November – INFORM: Brush with the Law, Contracts, Copyright and AI with Arts Law Australia. Plus, they are offering FREE 1:1 advice bookings with Arts Law for Guildhouse financial members.

Artists are increasingly using technology to create, promote and sell their work. Whether that is experimenting with AI, promoting yourself on social media or finding out your work has been copied online. This session will look at copyright, technology and how the law affects your creative practice online.

What does the law have to say about AI? What is copyright? How you can you use it and what you can do to protect it when working in digital spaces? The session will also talk about copyright licensing, contract basics and what to do when it all goes wrong.

Presented by Chloe Hillary, Secondee Solicitor, Arts Law Centre of Australia

Thursday 23 November 2023

12 – 2pm

Held at JamFactory, via Level 1 Reception

Are you a Guildhouse Member? To coincide with INFORM, Arts Law will also be offering free specialist Advice Bank sessions to Guildhouse financial members. You'll have the opportunity to ask a lawyer any questions you've ever wanted to know about your artistic practice, the law and how to safeguard your arts business and set yourself up for success. Spaces are limited so book now by emailing artslaw@artslaw.com.au with the subject line 'Guildhouse Arts Law' and Arts Law will get back to you directly to confirm your booking details.

BOOK HERE: https://events.humanitix.com/inform-brush-with-the-law-contracts-copyright-and-ai-with-arts-law-australia

NAVA was notified about more changes being made to the Premium Plus insurance policy NAVA members hold with QBE Insurance and brokered by Local Community Insurance Services (LCIS).

Three key changes for Members working at heights will increase premiums for some and exclude others from eligibility. The changes will apply from 1 October 2023, although some NAVA Members have already received notification directly from LCIS.

The changes include:

• Artists and arts workers who work at heights less than 2 metres* will be charged an additional premium of almost $100.
• Artists and arts workers who work at heights greater than 2 metres and less than 5 metres will be charged an additional premium over $600.
• Artists and arts workers who work at heights greater than 5 metres will no longer be eligible for this insurance package.

*2 metres indicates ‘fall height’, the height above the ground a person is standing: e.g. if working from a ladder, the rung the person is standing on.

Please note that these changes do not affect current policies.

NAVA is concerned these changes will directly impact the grassroots of the visual art and craft sector, where many emerging artists and curators install their own work. They are also concerned about the impacts on murals and public art works as artists are either priced out of insurance or no longer eligible. These changes also impact public galleries and local government programs where artists are required to have their own insurance.

Share how this will impact your practice

NAVA has been solidly advocating to contest these changes because they know how important adequate and affordable insurance is for artists, arts workers and the sector.

Your Member Impact stories were instrumental in NAVA advocacy to reverse past policy changes, so they are once again asking for your help before a critical meeting on Thursday 7 September 2023.

Please share how these changes will impact your work and practice as an independent artist, arts worker or organisation that requires artists and arts workers to have their own insurance.