youth@craft·design

Hi Gaida and the team at Craft Australia,

Congratulations on nearing the end of this wonderful project. I hope that all the bloggers' contributions have been beneficial to readers and that young craft and design practitioners have learnt something useful and been inspired about their developing careers.

The work of organisations such as Craft Australia and the State craft/design organisations is invaluable to young makers, and I'd like to stress to all readers the importance of supporting these organisations in any way possible.

I'm happy to field queries from any future readers of the blogs. And our door is always open at FORM, so if you would like ask us something, don't hesitate to ring, email or visit.

Well done, again!

Cheers
Kris Brankovic

There's currently a great export project on the boil for Tasmanian jewellers...read below!

arts@work Presents: Jewels of the South
Promotional Exhibition and Export Program


arts@ work is currently seeking expressions of interest from Tasmanian Jewellers to participate in Jewels of the South; a promotional exhibition and export program which aims to find new marketplaces for Tasmanian Jewellery, both interstate and overseas.

Jewels of the South will include:

A showcase of Tasmanian Jewellery to be exhibited in the foyer of the Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart. The Showcase will be curated by interstate professionals and will open on Friday 14 May 2007 to coincide with Design Island.
Interstate retail and gallery buyers will be brought to Tasmania to view the Showcase and meet individual jewellers.
Works will be professionally photographed to feature within the Showcase catalogue and other promotional opportunities.
Opportunity to feature on a CD Rom (artists statement, bio, and images) distributed to all Austrade offices around the world.
Opportunity for Austrade video link up with potential international buyers to discuss work.
Expressions of interest are being sought from both emerging and established practitioners who reside in Tasmania.

Enquiries contact Shannon Challis;
Phone: 6233 5937
Email: Shannon.challis@artsatwork.com.au

Expressions of interest close 24 November 2006

Hi Gaida,
I have to say that it's a bit of a mission trying to be a facilitator and a designer/ maker. Most often I feel like I'm not doing the very best I can at either, but I give it my best shot! Since finishing my PhD I've been having a break from designing. There's some work on the horizon but I'm pretty focussed on building opportunities in Tassie at the mo.

Last night we announced the Design Island event for 2007 - New Horizons. A big focus for next year aside from the New Horizons Exhibition, forums and workshops will be a jewellery exhibition presented by Arts@work, a business unit of Arts Tasmania.
The focus on Tasmanian contemporary jewellers is part of an export initiative to showcase Tassie jewellery and to provide professional development for those interested in more production style work.
To help us launch last night's event we were very lucky to have Mari Funaki come down and talk. Mari's presenation was absolutely inspirational. She talked about some of the national and international artists she represents as well as her own work. It has been a long time since I have heard someone so passionate, talented and articulate discuss the work of others and themself so genuinely and intelligently.
While in Tassie for only 2 days Mari is also undertaking jewellery studio visits in Launceston and Hobart. It's a great opportunity for everyone to have a dialogue with someone so knowledgable and gracious. I asked her last night how she might respond to someone who might make work completely outside of her aesthetic and she answered that it's important to hear what they have to say and ask them for direct questions thry would like answered about their work.
I guess this is the trickiest thing for anyone getting or giving feedback and it's important to keep in mind that there are potential markets of varying scale for most things....I've had some pretty terrible things said about my work, but in the end it makes me stronger....most the time people are right it's just the delivery of their opinion that is difficult!
Find your market....it might be that at the end of the day you need to export to get to it..

One very effective way that galleries and craft/design organisations can help artists and designers reach new markets is by touring local work interstate and overseas, via exhibitions. A great example that's currently generating a bit of a buzz is Object Gallery and Melbourne Museum's 'Freestyle' exhibition. It opened last week in Melbourne, and if you live nearby or are visiting the city, I'd encourage you to check out the show.

'Freestyle: new Australian design for living' brings together the work and stories of 40 outstanding Australian designers, many of whom have found success overseas. This exhibition presents contemporary objects for the home and body. From one-off pieces, limited edition objects to industrially manufactured items and prototypes, Freestyle reveals the personality and passion of Australian designers. It's accompanied by a great book, cataloguing the life and work of each exhibitor. It will show in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide and then tour overseas.

It's always hard to pull off a 'survey' exhibition, but from what I can tell, Object have done a great job. Being included in a show like this can really enhance an artist's reputation, leading to sales, commissions, higher profile, and other benefits. Of course, to get into a show like this requires years of hard work and some commercial success. But it's also important to maintain a good relationship with galleries and craft/design organisations, so that when opportunities to exhibit do arise, you're well placed to benefit from them.

Has anyone seen the show? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Check out: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/design/wo_show.asp?ID=562069 and http://www.object.com.au

PS. That funny-looking man in the photo is none other than Jon Goulder - one of Australia's best designers, I think, and recent FORM staff member! He's our industry liaison, providing mentoring and advice to local practitioners, so if you're in WA and are interested in chatting with Jon, give our office a call on 08 9226 2799.

Hi all - Penne posted a comment below about the importance of having business skills as an artist or designer - I'm having trouble replying to it on the comments page, so here it is (for all to see.)

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Hi Penne,

Sorry for taking so long to reply to you!

The issue you face is very common - artists and designers generally graduate without a huge amount of knowledge about business practice, yet it's the nature of our sector that many graduates will go on to try to run a business as sole practitioners, or perhaps in partnership with other artists. Business knowledge is absolutely critical, I think, to making a successful career as an artist, and if you have the opportunity to do a course or some other training program that would introduce you to the main business topics that are relevant for your practice, I would urge you to do so. Understanding how to manage distribution networks or your tax status as an artist or how to analyse profits/costs etc is fundamental to being in control of your business and being able to develop strategies to grow it.

There are plenty of organisations out there that offer great short-courses in business. In WA we have a government funded organisation, called the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) that provides great, easy-to-understand and cheap workshops in business practice - I'm sure other States have similar programs. If you contact your local craft/design organisation (eg Craft Qld, Craft Victoria, Object, FORM, CraftSouth, CraftACT etc) they will also know of any specialist courses run for artists and designers. Organisations like NAVA, ABAF and the like also tend to run useful workshops.

If you start now, you'll be in a much better position to run your business when you graduate!

Best of luck with it.

Kris

I was wondering if anyone has any comments on the value of attending workshops, forums and seminars with international presenters?
Have you ever had the opportunity to meet someone who has really inspired your practice?
We have a three year record now of partnering with Form to bring in international luminaries. Last year we brought Arik Levy and this year Harri Koskinen. Both have a varied practice and are well recognised in the field. What has been so appealing about both is the fact that they were able to surprise their audiences with recogniseable designs that people hadn't linked in their minds with this person. In some way their designs and objects had preceded them, they are not as much about the cult design and super-stardom that some design media personalities have successfully styled.
What we are also doing here is streamlining Design Island with Tasmania's international reputation for amazing landscape and great local produce. Taking a group of emerging designers into a remote and unique environment with an international guest aims to really open up the opportunity for a different kind of engagement. By hosting these activities we can further develop our repututation and develop linkages internationally, this is not all about us...Harri Koskinen recently said 'It would be difficult finding anything more inspiring than this place.'

I think Kris has made some interesting points about the importance of being export ready. For many of us it's difficult enough making sure that our product is successful locally. Living on an island sometimes feels very isolating....and W.A. is no different ( I actually grew up there and was hyper aware of how far away the rest of Australia was). Linked to this is the idea in Tasmania that 'export' can also mean just getting stuff to the mainland. I really like to encourage designers here to test their work in larger mainland capitals, it can help to get a sense of what it may be like to export internationally in terms of logistics (communication and freight). With the Design Island project we also spend a lot of energy bringing people in and showing their work and introducing them to designers. In many ways I feel that this is just as important as getting our designers out there. Making international connections can happen in a number of different ways and with limited budgets and emerging practices it seems more beneficial...

Hi readers! I thought I might start off my blog by introducing myself and the work that we do at FORM a little more fully. While much of what I have to say is based on the Western Australian context, I hope it's relevant for those of you who are elsewhere.

It's no secret that Western Australia is going through a major economic boom at the moment. Everywhere you look there are construction cranes dotting the skyline, and new buildings, restaurants and stores popping up. Everyone's talking about it. This presents huge opportunities to artists and designers, and so here at FORM, we do a lot to try and provide leadership and support to the sector to allow it to make the most of the good times.

It's always tricky highlighting what could be done better when things are going so well. But the reality is, while opportunities abound for artists and designers, many aren't able to take advantage of them. One of the biggest problems the craft and design sector faces in WA is that many makers don't have the right skills or experience to maximise these opportunities, and the local market is still relatively small. The skills problem stems partly from the state of our education and training systems, and partly from the fact that, historically, most of our talented artists and designers have left WA in order to secure their future in other, bigger markets. As a result, there isn't the critical mass required for the sector to be innovative and competitive on its own accord. Also, having a pretty small pool of people here who have been able to forge successful practices (both artistically and financially), who are still doing innovative things and who and can pass on that knowledge and experience to emerging makers, disadvantages emerging makers.

This is where FORM steps in - as the peak body for craft practitioners and designers in WA, we see our role as one of providing leadership and support to the local sector to alleviate some of these challenges.

FORM provides support to local artists and designers to develop their skills and access new markets through a range of programs. We provide training and assistance with product development and business management through our Designing Futures course; we run exhibitions and public programs to explore new or interesting elements of contemporary practice; we have some mentorship schemes; we are a sounding board for advice on a range of issues; and we market the sector actively.

Through other initiatives, FORM is also encouraging community debate about the value of creativity for the economy and social well-being - this includes 'creativity' in its broadest sense, encompassing all people who rely on creative ideas to produce value. FORM also strives to create networks with individuals and organisations nationally and overseas, connecting local practitioners with new markets and audiences, and mitigating some of the introspective and inward-looking aspects of the local sector that have been of concern in previous years (this is just my opinion – I’m happy to hear other perspectives on this issue!)

Finally, a word about exporting! You might expect that, given the small size of the Western Australian market, FORM would be actively seeking to help as many artists as possible to export their works. But while there are numerous practitioners who are successfully exporting or who could do so, there are many pitfalls, and we’re very conscious of those. Exporting is an extremely difficult thing to do.

You will already know that it’s important to understand your export market, who you're dealing with at the other end, and how this fits with your business strategy. I always re-iterate that it is more expensive, stressful and time-consuming to target distant markets rather than local ones, so you should only head in that direction if you’re sure it is a good strategic move for you.

Also, it is absolutely essential that you are able to meet any subsequent demand that may arise from you finding success in a foreign market. It is pretty bad business practice to tempt a market with your products and then discontinue supply because you simply can't make enough work or you decide that a different market is a priority. That won’t do your reputation much good with retailers or consumers. So be sure that you have the right strategies in place before you go offshore.

I would really stress to any makers out there who wish to start exporting that you must get a lot of advice and assistance before you take that leap. Speak to your local craft or design organisation; speak to other makers who are managing export businesses successfully; and speak to Austrade, the federal government export agency.

And if you have any questions you'd like to ask me… fire away!

I work for Arts Tasmania which is the State funding body for the arts here. I've been here since 2001 off and on and in different capacities so I have come to know the organisation pretty well. Recently I was appointed to the Board which is great because it allows me to see the whole of what we do and the outcomes. I think that crafts people and designers are really well supported in Tassie. Since 2002 we have held an event called Young Designers Month which has now grown into a new program called Design Island. For me it is really important that the event focusses on professional development as well as public exposure and audience development.
All of the opportunities, I hope, in the end allow both designers and the general public to see the value of what they do both culturally and economically. The event started with a state focus but in the last few years it's focus has shifted to national and international opportunities. As a State body we hope to really raise the profile of Tassie designers and give them the tools (including confidence) they need to work on a national and international platform. One of the key things is to bring international designers to Tassie to talk about their own projects but also engage one on one with designers, to help demysify the whole process of getting your work out there.
I'd really like to hear more about what emerging designers in Australia feel their own governments are doing for them and also what we may do better here.

Hi! I'm Pippa Dickson and I wear lots of different hats - I've just finished my PhD, I'm a furniture designer/artist and work at Arts Tasmania part time. I'll use this blog opportunity to share some of my experiences in developing and promoting the Design Island project in Tasmania but would also really like to get some feedback from you!

Hi, I'm Kris Brankovic and I work at FORM in Perth. In my role as Industry Development Manager I am lucky to be working with a number of very talented artists and designers.

The amazing 'boom' we are having in Western Australia at the moment is providing lots of different opportunities and I am looking forward to sharing them with you.