SmartArts

Bernard Caleo returns for his regular segment, Drawn Out exploring all things comics and visual novels.

Richard is also joined by Yarra Valley based photographer, Suzanne Phoenix to discuss her Isolation Portraits Exhibition which is now available online now. The portraits were taken during the various stages of Coronavirus restrictions in Upper Yarra Valley.

Lastly, CEO of the Contemporary Arts Precinct - AKA Collingwood Yards, Marcus Westbury chats to Richard about how the closing of arts precincts affected not only the venues themselves but the commercial outlets that also operate within these venues such as food and beverage outlets. Marcus also talked about the $300,000 grant from the Victorian Government issued to help venues such as the Collingwood Yards afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.suzannephoenix.com.au/isolation-portraits

https://collingwoodyards.org/

Richard starts the episode with Veronica Pardo, CEO of Multicultural Arts Victoria about a new commissions program Shelter. The program sees art as a powerful way to share the unique perspective of multicultural practitioners on the experience of Covid because "what artists do is kind of creep in under your skin".

Next Richard chats with Narungga and Trawoolwaway artist Daen Sansbury-Smith about his new exhibition Black Crow, which is available online via the Koorie Heritage Trust. Sansbury-Smith sees his art as a responsibility; a way to share his stories and culture with his family and those around him.

Richard finishes with a discussion with Lena Nahlous, the Executive Director of Diversity Arts Australia, about their Creative Equity Toolkit. Nahlous hopes the kit can provide tools for people in the arts industry to have empowered conversations about the underrepresentation of CALD people in every area, and particularly in management. Nahlous would like to see organisations proactively challenging systemic racism.

Richard chats with Lisa Byrne, the Director of McClelland Sculpture Park about the announcement of the Southern Way McClelland Commission 2021. The sculptures are initially exhibited for a period of four years at one of two sites beside the highway, before finding a permanent home at the sculpture park. The 2021 Commission recipient, Manon van Kouswijk, is a jeweller, which will be reflected in her piece Peninsula Pearls, due to be unveiled in spring, next year.

Richard follows with a conversation with Spiro Economopoulos, the Program Director of Melbourne Queer Film Festival, which had to cancel it's 2020 program only days after launching in March due to Covid-19. They've returned with a special Online MQFF streaming Festival built around representing the diversity of queer stories.

Finally Richard talks with Simon Abrahams, the Creative Director and CEO of Melbourne Fringe about their new festival, VCR Fest 2020. Melbourne Fringe have engaged big-name artists to create special online content, including a new work by Zoë Coombs Marr. Abrahams hopes to be able to keep artists in paid work and to continue the important contribution of arts to the community.

Richard speaks with Shadow Arts Minister Tony Burke about the government's arts package. He argues that arts workers need JobKeeper and not JobSeeker so as to keep them in the industry. "I've spent a lifetime arguing about the arts being important for our stories, for our soul, for oxygen, for our community to define who we are, how we see each other, how the world sees us. If that argument's not going to resonate with the government can they at least understand that the individuals concerned here are workers. They are part of an economy that functions as an ecology and if you cut out any section of it you harm the whole thing."

Next Richard is on the line with Ben Byrne, Founder and director of the Avantwhatever Festival, which bills itself as "an online festival of experimental music, sonic art and design." Byrne is not just interested in sonic art, he's also interested in the platform. He has concentrated on accessibility, both in the sense of securing alternative funding for the festival, and in ensuring that Avantwhatever is one corner of the internet that doesn't work to pull the user into a commercial space.

Richard continues the conversation about arts funding with Esther Anatolitis, who is the Executive Director of the National Association For The Visual Arts. Anatolitis says that the funding available isn't reaching the artists who need it because it has not taken into account the reality of how arts workers earn their income.

And finally a catch up with Fleur Kilpatrick for the Shoot the Messenger theatre segment. Kilpatrick appreciates artists' creativity, flexibility and resilience in creating new works that have embraced the mediums available during the pandemic.

Richard chats with Tariro Mavondo, co-Artistic Director of Western Edge Youth Arts. WEYA have put young people at the centre of their organising model because "at WEYA we really believe that our young people are the change".

Plus Martina Copley, Gallery Coordinator and Artistic Director of BLINDSIDE Gallery hops on the line to talk about reopening during COVID-19. She reflects upon their experience and the way it has influenced artistic practice. "I have to thank the artists. It's quite incredible their resilience and their ability to shift the orientation of their work at quite short notice."

Finally Richard chats with Dr Darrin Verhagen about his new projecting Remixing ACMI. Verhagen's research is on the relationship of sound to emotion in the context of the moving image. In collaboration with ACMI he has led a team to produce some creative re-mixes of archival works.

Richard speaks with Nicole Beyer, the Executive Director of Theatre Network Australia about the Federal Government's recently announced $250 million arts sector bail-out package. Beyer shared her cautious confidence in the government implementing a strategy that takes into account the long-term impacts of COVID.

Plus Richard chats with David Berthold, the executive chair of Playwriting Australia, about an exciting new work that speaks to the COVID experience. Dear Australia is a collaboration of 50 Australian playwrights creating 50 "postcards" which will be livestreamed. The works diverge, but Berthold said a theme that has emerged is 'hope'.

Finally Richard chats with Lesley Harding, the Artistic Director of Heide Museum of Modern Art, which is reopening with a retrospective of Joy Hester. Hester has been somewhat overlooked amongst her modernist contemporaries such as Albert Tucker and Sidney Nolan. This exhibition aims to showcase her powerful work to a wide audience.

Richard talks with Mary Jane Warfield from Regional Arts Australia, the Manager of the Regional Arts Fund, which has received a significant increase in funding. She hopes that the money will aid community building in regional areas.

Plus a conversation with Artshouse Artistic Director Emily Sexton about BLEED, a digital festival that will be held in collaboration with Campbelltown Arts Centre. The idea of a digital festival was in the works before the pandemic. Sexton doesn't want to simply use digital technology, but also to interrogate its place in our lives.

Finally Richard talks with Jason Smith, Director and CEO of Geelong Art Gallery which is set to reopen on Monday 22nd June. Smith says that the work people have done to maintain engagement with the arts throughout the pandemic has been terrific, but nothing quite compares to being in the same room as an artwork.

This week on SmartArts, Richard chats with Simon Abrahams, the Creative Director and CEO of Melbourne Fringe about the plans for the upcoming festival. Simon outlines plans on how the festival will adapt around covid-19 with four planned scenarios in the works, from business-as-usual to a full lockdown. One way or another the show must go on.

Melbourne Theatre Company are facing a different set of challenges. Richard discusses these with the Executive Director Virginia Lovett. MTC heavily relies on their live audience, so Lovett predicts it will be a long time until the MTC returns to profitability. She hopes that the organisation will receive external support to continue their work.

Richard continues the theme with Jessica Bridgfoot, the Director of Bendigo Art Gallery. She's overseeing the grand re-opening of the gallery this week. She is optimistic about the future saying "if anything, the pandemic's demonstrated how agile we can all be".

In new segment Demystifying the Arts Richard explores the work of a choreographer with Jo Lloyd. Lloyd says choreography is all around us and describes it as "an intersection of space and time. It's also about structured action".

Richard speaks with Maree Di Pasquale who is the Fair Director and CEO of Melbourne Art Foundation about their annual Melbourne Art Fair and the trials and tribulations of transitioning the format of the festival during COVID-19.

Plus Richard speaks with Joel McGuinness, CEO of Geelong Arts Centre, about considerations for re-opening the space. The challenge is to continue to engage artists and audiences while considering their safety. He sees some of the restrictions as an opportunity to think about new ways of doing things. For example, the travel restrictions have meant that Geelong Arts Centre are focusing more on local talent.

Richard chats with Gideon Obarzanek and Hannah Fox, the co-artistic directors of RISING, a new festival taking the place of Melbourne Festival and White Night. RISING has put a call-out for new works from Victorian artists  with the aim to showcase pieces that are bold, outside of the box and very Melbourne.

Richard also speaks with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young about the Green's push for a generous new arts package. For Hanson-Young it's about what kind of society we want to build with the stimulus that will necessarily take place after COVID. She shares the adage that "it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease".

Finally Richard chats with Tahli Corin who is one of the co-creators of Mountain Goat Mountain. Corin says that part of their inspiration for the work was reading that theatre was not just a place for people to enjoy productions, but to connect. As such they have created an online, interactive theatre experience designed for the whole family to enjoy together.