Melting pots for new talent and early career artists, artist run initiatives (ARIs) and not-for-profit spaces are places where artists have the creative freedom to flex their skills and experiment with new techniques and mediums, without the pressure of having to conform to commercial expectations. While art is occasionally for sale, it’s not the sole focus, allowing buyers to nab unique, one-off pieces to add to their collection.
The show includes ten newly commissioned furniture pieces alongside work by Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Hannah Gartside, Romance Was Born, Kate Just and Atong Atem. In Seppeltsfield, Material Metamorphosis looks at how eleven artists have repurposed waste materials and includes work by Polly Dymond, Sue Garrard, Numbulwar Arts, and Supercyclers.
HOBART
Further south in Hobart is Good Grief Studios. Currently home to fourteen practicing artists using multiple studio spaces, two galleries and a window box, Good Grief is an ARI nestled within the labyrinthine rooms of a former automotive warehouse. Aiming to be a bridge between commercial and government run galleries, Good Grief provides space for new and emerging artists to experiment and develop their practice. Heavily involved in annual art festivals like Dark Mofo, Good Grief has a full schedule for 2023 which includes Indy Blackmore’s Shrine to the 2014 tumblr girls, Rosanagh Shield and Icky Brothers Vicious Circles, and John Robinson and Xan Nunn’s Fish & Swish.
CANBERRA
In Canberra the Australian National Capital Artists Inc (ANCA) is open to artists at all stages of their career. A not-for-profit space, ANCA began in 1989 and has since grown to provide 35 artist studios across two locations in Dickson and Mitchell. In 1992, an ANCA gallery was founded and has since rolled out a continuous program of art exhibitions and events, describing its focus as supporting critical approaches to contemporary arts practice. In addition to the studios and gallery, ANCA also hosts a store (both online and on-site) as well as a blog. Textile artist Raquel Ormella and installation artist Hannah Quinlivan have each spent time as resident creatives at ANCA.
MELBOURNE
With a strong web presence, Melbourne and Victorian Artists Inc (MAVA) operates mostly online via their website and social media platforms. MAVA members regularly update their work on the site and there is an easy-to-use directory of artists and mediums to navigate at any time, with 95 percent of sale profits going straight back to the artist.
SYDNEY
Also maintaining a dedicated online space is Parramatta Artists’ Studios (PAS). Opening in 2006, PAS has hosted hundreds of artists in their studios (among the 2022 artists were Chris Dolman and Heath Franco). In 2019, PAS expanded to an additional facility in Rydalmere containing six warehouse-style studios. Regularly collaborating on projects and exhibitions with nearby cultural organisations like Museums and Galleries New South Wales and Mosman Art Gallery, PAS brings a diverse cultural experience to art audiences in Western Sydney. Over the next two years, PAS is collaborating with Powerhouse Parramatta to develop Weaving Garden. With Dr Virginia Keft as the lead, Weaving Garden will be made up of plants used in weaving practices by cultural groups in the Parramatta region and will become a permanent onsite garden at Powerhouse Parramatta in 2025.