The conference was the idea of the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub WA (AACHWA), the peak advocacy and resource agency for seven Aboriginal art centres servicing 32 communities and over 450 Indigenous artists across Western Australia. AACHWA contracted Indigenous art consultant Anna McLeod to devise the three-day itinerary, drawing on her work with over 20 remote community Indigenous organisations in the last 15 years and her experience as the founder of the arts management business Axis Arts. Her brief was to inspire, inform and ignite the thinking of the managers and representatives of the Roebourne Art Group, Yamaji Art, Mungart Boodja Art Centre and Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage & Cultural Centre.
McLeod packed the program in early October with visits to key people in commercial and public galleries, presentations on current industry information and technical knowledge by professionals like Artslaw, Viscopy and St. Luke Artist Colourmen, and ample time to have hands-on experience to give the managers a better understanding of how to read, evaluate and price Australian Indigenous art. A conference highlight was a visit to Aboriginal art centre Baluk Arts on the Mornington Peninsula, where delegates were warmly received and found they had much in common operating an Indigenous art centre irrespective of where they practised.
Every year, AACHWA delivers a conference for the managers of its member art centres as part of their professional development. This year’s conference was supported by funding from the Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts.
The clip below is an introduction to the Roebourne Art Group.
