Arts Project Australia

Arts Project Australia Inc. is a registered charity and non-profit organisation located in Northcote, an inner northern area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[1] The organisation provides facilitation/mentoring, studio and exhibition spaces for artists with intellectual disabilities,[1][2][3] and as such has been identified as a major centre for the promotion and exhibition of outsider art,[4][5] or art that has been produced outside of the contemporary and historical mainstream. In 2016 there were approximately 130 artists attending the studio,[6] with the work of exhibiting artists featuring alongside works from the broader contemporary art community in the annual rotating exhibition program.[7]

Arts Project Australia
Formation1974
FounderMyra Hilgendorf OAM
TypeCharity and non-profit organisation
PurposeProvides facilitation/mentoring, studio and exhibition spaces for artists with intellectual disabilities
Location
  • Northcote, Victoria, Australia
Arts Project Australia

History

Arts Project was founded in 1974 by Myra Hilgendorf OAM and was the first full-time not-for-profit art studio in Australia for artists with intellectual disabilities.[7][8][9][10] Hilgendorf sought to provide the opportunity for artists with intellectual disabilities to access the same resources, materials and opportunities to exhibit, as non-disabled artists.[11][12][13][10] The seminal exhibition Minus/Plus was launched in 1975, the title working as a counter response to the negative implications of a series of articles printed in The Age newspaper, entitled ‘The Minus Children.’[14][15][16] This was followed in 1980 by the exhibition Tommy’s World, which opened at the Australian National Gallery[17] in Canberra.

In 2004, APA moved to its current premises where it is governed by a volunteer board and operates via funding attained from government grants, the sale of artwork, donations and bequests from private groups and individuals, as well as grants from philanthropic trusts and foundations.[9][10] [2][6]

In recent years, a greater interest in contemporary Outsider art, as evidenced by Massimiliano Gioni’s 2013 Venice Biennale which included several exhibits dedicated to self-taught or Outsider artists, has led to an increase in the media exposure and significance attributed to organisations such as Arts Project Australia.[4] In 2013 three artists represented by APA, Boris Cipusev, Alan Constable and Patrick Francis, were featured in the Melbourne Now exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, which also acquired a collection of work by Cipusev and Constable for its permanent collection.[10][18][19][20][21][22]

In 2014, APA partnered with Melbourne University to host the international conference Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context.[23][24][4] The conference coincided with several outsider art exhibitions at major institutions in Australia, including Albert Tucker and the Mystery of HD at Heide Museum of Modern Art and exhibitions at the Dax Centre and the Social Studio.[4] In 2016 APA received the Award for Outstanding Organisation, in the HESTA Community Sector Awards.[7][25]

Notable curators and artists who have produced exhibitions at APA include Philadelphia-based curator Alex Baker (former Curator for International Art at the National Gallery of Victoria),[26] Ricky Swallow, Karra Rees (Centre for Contemporary Photography), Vincent Alessi (Ian Potter Museum of Art), Emma Busowsky Cox (Castlemaine Art Gallery), Richard Lewer, Linda Judge, Jim Pavlidis, Angela Cavalieri, Paul Hodges, Katherine Hattam and Judy Holding. Additional significant figures from Australian public life who have collaborated in APA artistic projects include Michael Caton, John Clarke, Fiona Corke, Abi Crompton, Brian Dawe, Mick Harvey, John-Michael Howson OAM, Lukas Markovic and Thérèse Rein.

APA has collaborated to produce exhibitions at a number of major Australian institutions, most recently for the Centre for Contemporary Photography (Clay Cameras, 2009), Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Outsider Art Shorts, 2014),[27] Ian Potter Museum of Art (Everyday Imaginings: new perspectives on Outsider Art, 2014),[28][29][30][31] Melbourne Theatre Company (The Sublime 2014, Endgame 2015),[32][33] Art + Climate = Change (Altered Vistas, 2015),[34] Art Centre Melbourne (Home, 2015),[35] Linden New Art (Wild Lands, 2016),[36] Next Wave Festival (Telltale, 2016),[37] Gertrude Contemporary (In Concert, 2016).[38]

Artists who work in the studios at APA are represented in major Australian art institutions. Some notable examples are the National Gallery of Australia (Lisa Reid, Dorothy Berry, Valerio Ciccone, Brigid Hanrahan, Chris Mason, Steven Perrette), National Gallery of Victoria (Boris Cipusev, Alan Constable, Bobby Kyriakopoulos ), Shepparton Art Museum (Michael Camakaris), State Library of Victoria (Chris Mason), Monash University Museum of Art (Julian Martin), National Sports Museum (Valerio Ciccone) Gold Coast City Gallery (Kaye McDonald), La Trobe University Museum of Art (George Aristovoulou), Deakin University Art Collection (Julian Martin), City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection (Julian Martin).

Selected Exhibitions
  • Minus/Plus, Georges Gallery Melbourne, toured to regional centres in Victoria, Australia, 1975.
  • Tommy’s World, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, toured nationally, 1980.
  • Inside Out, Outside In, VicHealth Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, 1992.
  • Home Sweet Home, National Gallery of Australia, travelling exhibition, 2004.
  • Pearls of Arts Project Australia – Stuart Purves Collection, Australian touring exhibition, 2007.
  • Portrait Exchange, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2010.
  • Peripheral Vision, Valerio Ciccone retrospective exhibition, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2012.
  • Imaginarium, Cathy Staughton retrospective exhibition, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2013.

Selected External Exhibitions
  • Moet & Chandon Touring Exhibition, 1994 (Julian Martin).[39]
  • Centre D’Art Differencie, Belgium, 1994.
  • MADMusee, Leige, Belgium, 1995.
  • 2nd Annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, 2004.
  • From Australia with Art, Une sardine collee au mur, Switzerland, 2005.
  • Outsider Art Fair, USA, Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, 2005.
  • 17th Annual Outsider Art Fair, The Mart, USA, 2009
  • The Shilo Project, The Ian Potter Museum, University Of Melbourne, 2009.
  • Exhibition #4, Museum of Everything, London, 2011.
  • Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2013 (Boris Cipusev, Alan Constable and Patrick Francis).

Collection

The Arts Project Australia Sydney Myer Fund Permanent Collection is one of the few collections of artwork by artists with intellectual disabilities in Australia.[17] It comprises approximately 500 drawings, photographs and paintings from the mid-1970s sourced from the organisation's pioneering exhibitions Minus/Plus (1975) and Tommy’s World I (1980).[17][40] APA additionally houses a permanent collection of significant works from studio artists and international work, as well as an historical archive of organisational letters and documents.[40] Artists from Arts Project Australia are widely represented externally to the organisation in international, Australian and private collections.[17]

Industry Partnerships and Affiliations
  • Sidney Myer Foundation
  • Public Galleries Association of Victoria
  • Leonard Joel Auction House

Publications
  • Cathy Staughton's Wondrous Imaginarium, ISBN 978-0-9586659-0-2
  • Julian Martin Transformer, ISBN 978-0-9586659-1-9
  • The Inner View - Arts Project Australia, ISBN 978-0-9586659-2-6
  • A Sense of Place, ISBN 978-0-9586659-3-3
  • John Mackay Northe, ISBN 978-0-9586659-4-0
  • Dorothy Berry – Bird on a wire, ISBN 978-0-9586659-5-7
  • Alan Constable – View Finder, ISBN 978-0-9586659-6-4
  • So Far..., ISBN 978-0-9586659-7-1
  • Somewhere in the City, ISBN 978-0-9586659-8-8
  • Lisa Reid – The Devil's in the Detail, ISBN 978-0-9586659-9-5
  • It Takes More Than 140 Characters to Write a Novel, ISBN 978-0-9943995-0-2

References
  1. "About Us". Arts Project Australia. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. Harper, Alli (16 December 2015). "A Thousand Words | Arts Project Australia". The Northsider. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  3. Stone, Tim (26 April 2013). "Video Doctor - pop culture distorted through a lens of personal experience". ABC Arts. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. Gruber, Fiona (1 October 2014). "Outsider art and why the mainstream always wants a piece of it". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
  5. Grishin, Sasha (10 May 1995). "Inner Glow from Outsiders". Canberra Times.
  6. "Supported Studios - Arts Project Australia". aarts.net.au. The Supported Studio Network.
  7. Williams, Wendy (18 November 2016). "Community Sector Scoops Awards". Probono Australia.
  8. "Celebrating artistic differences". The Melbourne TImes. 8 December 2010. p. 29.
  9. Banks, Laura (9 February 2014). "Arts Project Australia artists team up in name of creativity and inclusion". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  10. Cuthbertson, Debbie (25 November 2016). "Emerging painter and autism ambassador Patrick Francis expresses himself through his art". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  11. Webb, Penny (19 July 2013). "Darkness of night aflame with colour". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. Webb, Carolyn (12 May 2003). "Artistically Enabled". The Age. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  13. McQuilten, Grace; Ross, Tom (2015). "Self-Made: Arts Project Australia". Assemble Papers.
  14. Hills/Larkin, Ben/John (1973). "The Minus Children". The Age.
  15. McCulloch, Alan (23 July 1975). "The Genius of Minus Plus". Melbourne Herald.
  16. "Through Different Eyes". The Australian Women's Weekly. 25 June 1975. p. 63. Retrieved 7 February 2017 – via Trove (National Library of Australia).
  17. Stone, Dulcie M. (2009). Apects of Creativity. Australia: Zeus Publications. ISBN 9781922155023.
  18. "Melbourne Now Meet the Artists: Patrick Francis". NGV | National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  19. "Melbourne Now Explore Art & Projects: Boris Cipusev". NGV | National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  20. "Collection Online: Boris Cipusev". NGV | National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  21. "Melbourne Now Meet the Artists: Alan Constable". NGV | National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  22. "Collection online: Alan Constable". NGV | National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  23. Millen, Virginia (October 2014). "Art Outside the Square". The Melbourne TImes.
  24. Grant, Katrina (24 September 2014). "Conference | Contemporary Outsider Art: the Global Context". Melbourne Art Network. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  25. Blacher, Gali (22 November 2016). "2016 Hesta Award Winners Announced". Third Sector. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  26. Gomez, Edward M (Winter 2014–2015). "Bold Essays in Colour and Form". Raw Vision. 84: 24–27.
  27. "Creative Collaborations: Outsider Art Shorts". Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  28. Bosse, Joanna (1 October 2015 – 18 January 2015). "Everyday imagining: new perspectives on Outsider art". The Ian Potter Museum of Art | The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  29. Dawkins, Urszula (February–March 2015). "The outsider on the inside". Realtime. 125.
  30. Cathcart, Michael; Kanowski, Sarah (22 October 2014). "New Perspectives on Outsider Art". ABC Radio National | Books and Arts. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  31. Bunyan, Marcus (7 December 2014). "exhibition/text: 'everyday imagining: new perspectives on outsider art' at the ian potter museum of art, melbourne". Art Blart. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  32. Cathcart, Michael (28 March 2015). "Samual Beckett, through the artists' eyes". ABC Radio National | Books and Arts. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  33. "Visual Artists to Create Works Inspired by MTC's Endgame". Creative Victoria Website. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  34. Abrahams, Guy; Johnson, Bronwyn; Gellatly, Kelly (2016). Art + Climate = Change. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780522869569.
  35. Irwin, Julia (3 January 2015). "Art Centre's new miniature house exhibition goes public". The Northcote Leader. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  36. Gustilo, Vanessa Gail (May 2016). "Review: Wild Lands exhibition at Linden New Art Gallery". SYN FM. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  37. Rainforth, Dylan (17 May 2016). "Telltale improvisations". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  38. "In Concert". Gertrude Contemporary. 5 March – 14 May 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  39. Lester, Libby (23 May 1997). "The art of communication". The Age.
  40. "Art Collections". Arts Project Australia. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
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