Small to Mediums in CAOs – Alexie Glass-Kantor

“Previously, it was inconceivable that there would ever be a time where there was not a Contemporary Arts Organisation in every state and territory of Australia. As such, last week the CAOs network felt compelled to stand up and make a statement, supported by over 38 signatories from leaders across the sector. This act of solidarity was underpinned by a collective understanding that a review process is to take place in the wake of these events, and although these organisations may yet endure, we want them to succeed. However as it stands, this unfortunate outcome renders an already challenging situation much more difficult, and places the reach and impact our arts ecology at risk.” 

Alexie Glass-Kantor, Chair of Contemporary Arts Organisations of Australia and Executive Director of Artspace, with Chloe Gunn, Development Assistant, Artspace. First published by National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA).

Read the entire article here.

CAOs Statement: Visual Arts Sector Response to Funding Cuts

Audience numbers for visual art are up. Australian artists are driving the innovation agenda and are recognised globally. There has never been a more significant time to invest in innovation and creativity: and still our arts are in CAOs.

The announcement by the Australia Council that 65 organisations will no longer receive funding under its Four-Year Funding program (previously Key Organisations) delivers a major blow to Australia’s contemporary visual arts sector.

The Countess Report – CAOs 2014

“Our data collection on Contemporary Art Organisations found 47.5% female artists and 46% male artists and 6.5% collaborations participated in their exhibition programs in 2014. Women held 47% of the Director roles while men held 53%. The organisations’ board members were 45% women and 55% men, and the board chairs were 31% women and 69% men. When Countess blog counted a sample of CAOs galleries in 2011 women were at 35% representation in exhibitions and at 38% in 2013, so 45% in 2014 is a very healthy result.”

Read the entire report here.

21st Century CAOs – A Forward Plan for Contemporary Art

21st Century CAOs – A Forward Plan for Contemporary Art emerged from a year of significant reflection, research and debate – a process of prioritising issues, and planning for change. This publication introduces CAOs as a network, its member organisations and its place in the ecology of the Australian visual arts. It documents some of the collective successes of the CAOs’ organisations through statistics and case studies. And it presents five urgent recommendations addressing – Income and Career Development for Artists, and Audience Diversification and Engagement.