Ten visual artists from across the Mid North Coast have been selected to take part in Shared Practice, a new 18-month artist development program delivered by Arts Mid North Coast. More than 45 artists applied, demonstrating strong demand for professional development opportunities for regional visual artists.
Executive Director of Arts Mid North Coast, Olivia Parker, said the quality of submissions made the selection process challenging, highlighting the strength and diversity of creative practice across the region.
“We are delighted to announce the selected cohort for Shared Practice. These artists stood out for the diversity and depth of their practices, as well as their readiness to embrace growth and professional opportunity. We are excited to support them as they take their next steps in their creative careers,” Ms Parker said.
Chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the ten selected artists from across the Mid North Coast are Bee Hudson, Joel Easson, Kellie DeWaal, Kelly Joy, Olivia Cotovich, Tori Ann Donnelly, Brad Collins, Anne De Nooijer, Kelly Finley, and Ros Fuhrer.
Shared Practice supports emerging and mid-career visual artists through a program of mentorship, professional development workshops and peer exchange, culminating in a final group exhibition. Designed specifically for regional artists, the initiative creates space for participants to deepen their practice, connect with peers and develop sustainable creative careers while remaining based on the Mid North Coast.
Lead mentor and artist Sara Bowen said she’s grateful for the opportunity to offer participants a breadth of perspective on what a creative practice can look like.
“It’s fantastic and also slightly nerve-wracking to be a mentor, but it does mean a lot professionally to be recognised as having accumulated enough experience to be able to share some of it with others,” Ms Bowen said.
The program will begin with the first professional development workshop held on Saturday, 18 April at the Bellingen Memorial Hall, bringing the selected artists together as a group for the first time. It is being facilitated by Hey Mate, which was funded by the NAB Foundation Community Grant to run Creative Resilience Wellbeing Workshops in regional locations.
Image: Shared Practice selected artists, images supplied
Find out more about the Shared Practice program here
Shared Practice has been funded by the Australian Government through Creative Australia and delivered in partnership with Yarrila Arts & Museum, Glasshouse Gallery, Nulla Nulla Regional Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater Arts and Nambucca Valley Phoenix.