Up-and-coming artists to step out

EMERGING visual artists are encouraged to sign up for a free, day-long professional development program that’s on offer at La Trobe Art Institute in View Street next month.

The Stepping Out day will include three 90-minute sessions covering various elements of a working arts practice, an hour-long session on how to obtain funding, as well as a networking lunch.

Event organiser and La Trobe Art Institute curator Amelia Wallin said the program will help aspiring creatives obtain answers to questions.

“What’s my place? Where do I get my work shown? Who do I approach? Do I wait for them to approach me?” she said.

“You can hear from professionals from around the region, experts and insiders and other artists about how they (can) build their careers.

“It’s an industry where there’s not a lot of transparency. There’s no clear rule book and there’s no clear trajectory. Events such as this really help to break down some of that opacity and let people see how it works.”

Ms Wallin said the art industry is not one-path-fits-all.

“It’s really only through this exercise of learning and sharing and asking questions that you start to understand that it’s quite a complex ecosystem,” she said.

“Everyone who you’ll hear from on the panels have been attending conversations like this or listening or volunteering or interning. Everyone had to start at the very beginning.”

Emerging artists or early career artists of all ages are welcome to take part.

“That could be someone in their 70s who’s wanting to have a crack,” she said.

Stepping Out: A professional development program for visual artists is set for Saturday 15 June, 9am to 4.30pm. Register at Humanitix.