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Dream Big: Emerging Creatives Lab

The ‘Dream Big: Emerging Creative Lab’ by Flame.Arts is only a week away. This session will focus on personal branding and raising your profile with seasoned industry professionals.

NorthSite’s Communication Officer, Jamie Clarke will be presenting alongside musician LT (Leanne Tennant) and Angelo Saliba with Anthea Saliba from Bang Media.

If you’re an emerging creative dreaming of making it in the arts join this free interactive session.

Price: Free
When: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Duration: 6pm-8pm
Location: Tank 4, Tanks Arts Centre | 46 Collins Ave, Edge Hill QLD 4870


REGISTER HERE

Facilitator: Sharon Timms (Creative Life, Cairns Regional Council)
Presenters: LT (Leanne Tennant, Musician), Angelo Saliba and Anthea Saliba (Bang Media) and Jamie Clarke (NorthSite Contemporary Arts)

Selina Kudo | Australian Photobook Awards

Ahead of the Photobook workshop this Saturday, Cairns-based Artist Selina Kudo has been shortlisted for the 2024 Australian & New Zealand Photobook Awards.

Facilitated by Photo Collective in partnership with Photo Australia the 2024 Australian & New Zealand Photobook Awards will be announced on the 23rd of March, 2024 at the Photobook Weekend as part of the PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography in Melbourne. All shortlisted photobooks will be on display including Selina’s Photobook ‘As I Was Searching [For Another]’.

Congratulations Selina!

MORE INFORMATION


Workshop in Cairns | Selina Kudo: Moments in Monochrome

Exhibition at NorthSite | Selina Kudo: Conversations with My Barista (Real or Imagined)

2024 Australian and New Zealand Photobook Awards

Photo Collective

As I Was Searching [For Another] | Bad News Books

The Back and Front cover of a photobook with gold writing. On the front is the text 'Selina Kudo' and the back 'As I Was Searching [For Another]' and 'Bad News Books'

Image courtesy the artist.

IWD | Pressing Topics

This International Women’s Day (IWD) we are celebrating the incredible powerhouse duo, The Ironing Maidens.

The Ironing Maidens, led by Cairns-based Artists Melania Jack and Patty Preece, is an experimental art duo turning domestic objects into electronic instruments to explore themes of gender, domestic labour and technology. In 2022, The Ironing Maidens presented their exhibition ‘Pressing Topics‘ in the NorthSite galleries at Bulmba-ja.

This multi-media installation of projection, sculpture, digital collage, video and sound was a low fi wonderland that smashed pink, Pop and the industrial into a new and playful aesthetic. The work disrupts the ideal proposition of the perfect housewife or the perfect domestic worker and aims to elevate and confront historical and ongoing contemporary issues of discrimination in the domestic labour force.

More recently, The Ironing Maidens have delivered the immersive and interactive performance experience ‘Hot & Heavy’: A speculative fabulation. A non-binary, de-capitalised, de-colonised, de-extinction future imagining.

Where to after NorthSite
Since presenting their exhibition ‘Pressing Topics‘ at NorthSite, The Ironing Maidens work has been presented at IWD Canada – Victoria Society of the Arts in 2023. Later this year they will be exhibiting at ISEA (International Symposium of Electronic Art) in Meanjin / Brisbane.


View the ‘Pressing Topics’ Exhibition at NorthSite

Visit The Ironing Maidens

Pressing Topics. An installation by The Ironing Maidens.

NGURRUWARRA/ DERNDERNYIN: Stone Fish Traps Of The Wellesley Islands

The exhibition catalogue from ‘NGURRUWARRA/ DERNDERNYIN: Stone Fish Traps Of The Wellesley Islands’ is available to download from the link below.


FOREWORD

WORDS: SEAN ULM, JOHN ARMSTRONG AND BERELINE LOOGATHA

Fish traps are central to Kaiadilt, Lardil, Yangkaal and Gangalidda culture, story and very identity.

Fish traps are a key element of material culture shared across the Wellesley Islands region.

This mammoth Ngurruwarra/Derndernyin canvas is a celebration of culture, story and relationship across the seas, lands and skies of the Traditional Owner communities throughout the Wellesley Islands region.

The artwork is a collaboration between ten Kaiadilt, Lardil and Gangalidda artists working together across a massive 20-metre-long by 2-metre-wide canvas. Each artist painted multiple sections of the canvas, with artists negotiating with each other to ensure continuity of story across contiguous elements of the canvas.

Between them, the artists are custodians of intimate knowledge of Country. The most senior Kaiadilt artists of the work, for example, were amongst the last coastal Aboriginal people to be institutionalised in Australia, being forcibly removed from Bentinck Island to a European Mission on Mornington Island in 1948.

One of the first things the Kaiadilt community did when they arrived on Mornington Island was to build their own fish trap near their camp, which is still visible in the intertidal zone in front of the
Kuba Natha Hostel.

This artwork was commissioned by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) to celebrate the relationships between Traditional Owners and researchers working on Country.

The artists dedicate this artwork to the late brilliant Dibirdibi Elsie Gabori, who passed away after the work was completed. She is sorely missed.


DOWNLOAD CATALOGUE HERE

VIEW EXHIBITION

A person holds a catalogue with the text ' Ngurruwarra/ Derndernyin' on the front cover

Photographer: Cristina Bevilacqua

Artisan’s emerging regional Queensland artist residency

An artist wearing earmuffs and safety glasses and is sanding a block. They wear a red cardigan and a bright yellow apron with hair tied in a pony tail. Text in the top left corner reads 'artisan residency program'.

Applications are closing soon for Artisan’s emerging regional Queensland artist residency.

This Brisbane-based residency offers you a career-changing opportunity to immerse yourself completely in your art – with all expenses covered for up to six weeks. Open to all craft and design practitioners. The program includes:

  • Travel, accommodation, living costs and material expenses for up to 6 weeks
  • Mentoring and career development
  • Vocational training
  • A curated exhibition at artisan

But don’t wait, apply now! Submissions close on 20 February 2024.

For full information and to apply, visit https://artisan.org.au/pages/artisan-residency-program-queensland-2024


Please note that the Artisan’s emerging regional Queensland artist residency is not associated with NorthSite Contemporary Arts and this is general information.

Careers: Print Coordinator

DOWNLOAD POSITION DESCRIPTION

 

Position title: Print Coordinator
Category of employment: Permanent, full-time
Salary: $65,000 per annum, plus superannuation
Locations: NorthSite Art Studios (55 Greenslopes St Edge Hill 4870)
Closing date: 5PM, Wednesday February 7, 2024

NorthSite Contemporary Arts seeks a Print Coordinator to revitalise printmaking initiatives and support artists. This role focuses on fine-art printmaking, editioning and offers printmaking development programs specialising in techniques such as intaglio etching, relief printing, screen-printing, and more.

 

ABOUT NORTHSITE

NorthSite Contemporary Arts (formerly KickArts) is a leading arts organisation with a 30-year history of exhibiting exemplary art and supporting contemporary artists in Far North Queensland. The organisation has a fundamental role in ensuring the advancement of contemporary art in Cairns and greater North Queensland, through the on-going development, delivery and promotion of exhibitions, programs, events and provision of artistic services.

Our mission is to link ideas, artists, audiences and supporters to present contemporary art and design that brings people together, stimulates conversation and provides transformative experiences.

NorthSite Art Studios, located within the Cairns Cultural Precinct on Greenslopes Street, (previously run by InkMasters Inc. and as Djumbunji Press) is a professional studio for training, community workshops and the production of high-quality fine-art-printmaking.

 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Print Coordinator is a new position that will drive the activation of the NorthSite Art Studios and the revitalisation of printmaking in Far North Queensland.

Focused on printmaking and print education initiatives, working closely with leading contemporary artists and the broader community, the Print Coordinator will bring a strong network and an innovative, sustainable approach to the role.

In collaboration with colleagues, they contribute to shaping NorthSite Art Studios as a recognised hub for fine-art-printmaking offering various techniques including intaglio etching, relief printing, screen-printing and other print methods.

Prioritising skills development and income-generating opportunities for artists, the Print Coordinator ensures increased participation in print initiatives, effective editioning and costing of new fine-art prints and a positive workshop environment. They will actively support artists from the region to take ideas from conception to actualisation, and acquisition into targeted marketplaces and collections. Responsibilities include managing the printmaking studios, facilitating workshops, making new print works available for distribution and fostering relationships.

NorthSite presents and promotes the work of Far North Queensland contemporary artists and celebrates the cultural diversity of the North. This position requires a person that works well with varied artists and cultural groups, and engages well with the broader arts community including artists, guest curators, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders.

The Print Coordinator will think critically about the work they undertake in collaboration with artists, by employing strong listening, empathy and engagement skills. The Print Coordinator plays a crucial role in delivering printmaking activities that support NorthSite’s vision, and mission.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Development:

  • Shape development of NorthSite Art Studios as a recognised site of fine art printmaking, and an active hub that also facilitates professional development of artists across creative technology and design.
  • Contribute to strategic, operational, business plans and budgets for the Print Program from 2025 onwards.
  • Explore new markets for artists with the Retail Manager and contribute to the marketing plan with the Communications Coordinator.
  • Contribute to longer term studio strategic planning with CEO.

2. Program Implementation and Printmaking:

  • Organise education, community workshops, fee-for-service initiatives, and fine art editioning.
  • Participate in, and coordinate talks, masterclasses, and consultancies.
  • Actively increase the organisation’s reputation, participation levels and sales through print initiatives.
  • Facilitate outreach programs and foster collaborations, linking back to artist-in-residence program.
  • Engage artists, curators, sponsors, partners, and stakeholders in programs.
  • Work closely with partners to achieve outcomes.
  • Collaborate with the Programs Coordinator to schedule and host weekly activities at NorthSite Art Studios.
  • Oversee professional development of printmakers, facilitators, and interns.
  • Commission limited edition prints in collaboration with the Artistic Director and Curator.
  • Work with Curator to prepare print works for outgoing exhibitions including framing, freight, condition reports and insurance arrangements.
  • Provide content for online promotion, sales, and storytelling.

3. Financial Management and Print Administration:

  • Work to set budgets and contribute to the formation of detailed strategic, operational and business plans and budgets for the Print Program from 2025 onwards.
  • Achieve annual KPIs, contributing to print initiative growth.
  • Edition and cost prints for wholesale, retail, and the NorthSite Store.
  • Maintain accurate databases records for all prints and stakeholders.
  • Contract artists, prepare commissioning agreements, licensing, and support services.
  • Identify and seek project support.
  • Manage project budgets, stock levels, material orders and sales.

4. Community Engagement:

  • Prioritise local artist opportunities.
  • Demonstrate high cultural and community engagement skills.
  • Travel for delivery of outreach programs.
  • Promote wider public engagement with printmaking.

5. Studio and Facility Management:

  • Develop effective systems for workflow and resource management.
  • Oversee building maintenance, personnel training files, and key registers.
  • Implement and oversee WH&S processes.
  • Ensure sustainability targets are set and met.
  • Conduct inductions, maintain studio order, and manage equipment.
  • Present studio to highest professional standards and nurture a positive workshop environment.
  • Manage professional print studios and foster relationships to drive sustained growth and productivity.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Minimum 5 years of printmaking experience.
  • Tertiary degree in visual arts or related field, strong knowledge of printmaking techniques and industry, facilitation experience.
  • Understanding Queensland and Australian arts ecologies; regional printmaking gaps and opportunities.
  • Strong technical, communication, administration, WH&S, and project management skills.
  • Knowledge and understanding of the visual contemporary arts industry and ability to articulate important issues relating to the arts and culture.
  • High cultural competency to work well with diverse Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and local cultural groups.

 

REQUIREMENTS

  • Proficiency in printmaking techniques and education.
  • Demonstrated experience in art studio management.
  • Experience in developing and delivering printmaking workshops.
  • Strong community engagement and facilitation skills to work well with diverse cultural groups and community.
  • Ability to effectively edition and cost prints for different markets and outlets.
  • Strong ethical approach to printmaking and engagement with artists.
  • Team player with autonomy aligned with the organisation’s strategic plan.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects in an organised and flexible manner.
  • Computer and software competency.
  • Strong verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
  • Current Driver’s license.

 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

  • Reports to Artistic Director and CEO.
  • Collaborates with artists, workshop facilitators, peer organisations, community groups, suppliers, members, patrons, NorthSite Curator, Retail Manager, Programs Coordinator, Communications Coordinator, and Administrator.

 

TO APPLY

Download the Position Description document to ensure you meet the criteria.

If you are passionate about printmaking, community engagement, and supporting a new chapter for printmaking in northern Australia, submit your resume and a cover letter to hello@northsite.org.au by 7 February 2024.

For further details about the position or organisation contact Ashleigh Campbell director@northsite.org.au.

Closing date: 5PM, Wednesday February 7, 2024

 

DOWNLOAD POSITION DESCRIPTION

 

APPLY NOW
 

Programs Coordinator Melania Jack

NorthSite is pleased to welcome Melania Jack as the Programs Coordinator.

Melania has worked with NorthSite over the past three years and stepped into the Programs Coordinator role in November 2024. Melania is underway with a great line-up of events and workshop for 2024 which includes the monthly Artist Connect group. Keep an eye out on our events page for all our upcoming events and workshops.

Melania has 15 years of experience as an artist and facilitator. With a multi-arts practice, video, sound, performance, installation and projection, Melania has exhibited locally and internationally and is part of the award-winning duo, The Ironing Maidens. Melania has a Masters in Creative Industries and is passionate about creating opportunities for regional artists.

Planetary Gestures travels to Melbourne

Planetary Gestures was exhibited at NorthSite Contemporary Arts earlier this year. Curated by Tess Maunder, the exhibition explores ideas surrounding ecological systems, ancient knowledge, celestial blueprints and tidal movements across the land, sea and sky known as Australasia, part of the wider Asia­-Pacific and the ‘Great Ocean’. The exhibition includes work by artists Amrita Hepi, Susie Losch, Raqs Media Collective, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Jimmy John Thaiday and Trevor Yeung.

We’re thrilled to see Planetary Gestures touring to Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre in Dandenong, Melbourne. The opening preview is this Saturday, 23 September from 2PM-4PM with the exhibition running until 3 November 2023.


Location: Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, Cnr Walker and Robinson streets, Dandenong
Opening Hours: Tues-Fri 12pm – 4pm
Exhibition runs from 26 SEPTEMBER 2023 until 3 NOVEMBER 2023


 

LINKS

Artists’ Residency

NorthSite will host four senior artists from Moa Arts during a month-long residency at NorthSite Art Studios. David Bosun, Solomon Booth, Fiona Mosby and Paula Savage will be participating in a series of intensive printmaking sessions through September and October 2023 to develop new works.

During the residency, these four senior artists will be preparing new works for an exhibition at Tarnanthi in Adelaide later this year as well as two international exhibitions planned for 2024 and 2025. This is an exciting time for these artists who are looking forward to getting into the print studio alongside Moa Arts long-term printmaking facilitator Dian Darmansjah from Firebox Studios.

This year David Bosun, Solomon Booth, Fiona Mosby and Paula Savage displayed work in the CIAF2023 satellite exhibition ‘Malu Bardthar Dapar | Sea Land Sky’ at NorthSite Contemporary Arts. We’re excited to welcome them into NorthSite Art Studios and continue to follow their success.

2023 Queensland Regional Art Awards

The Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA) is an annual visual arts prize and exhibition for established and emerging artists living in regional and remote Queensland hosted by Flying Arts Alliance.

This year the highly anticipated regional art awards offer a record prize pool of over $140,000. The theme for the 2023 QRAA is Perspective, calling artists to enter work which considers the concept of perspective in its many facets, viewpoints and nuances. The theme plays on a term known in the visual arts and relevant to our modern society, reflecting different individual and collective viewpoints and opinions, stemming from varying life-experiences, perceptions, understandings, memories and emotions. Flying Arts Alliance is looking for stimulating entries that address this broad concept through the visual arts and share story-telling that extends notions of individual and collective perspective.

Call for Entries

The 2023 Queensland Regional Art Awards are now open, with artists from across Queensland living outside the Brisbane City Council boundary encouraged to apply for the prestigious visual arts competition.

Click Here to Enter

Key Dates

11 August, 4pm AEST — Entries open
6 October, 4pm AEST — Entries close
24-29 November — Finalists exhibited at Judith Wright Arts Centre
24 November — Winners Announced at Gala Reception

Award Categories Include

‘Art for Life’ Award
Total prize pool of $40,000.

The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award
Total prize pool of $28,900.

First Nations Artist Award
Total prize pool of $15,000.

Remote Artist Award
Total prize pool of $15,000.

Emerging Artist Award
Total prize pool of $15,000.

Environmental Art Award
Total prize pool of $15,000.


A text based image with the text "Queensland Regional Art Awards Responding to the theme perspective. Total prize pool over $140,000 across 10 award categories. Enter Now. 2023 QRAA. Hosted by Flying Arts Alliance inc. Connecting Queensland to the arts".

Image courtesy of Flying Arts Alliance INC