A Head Start For Arts Careers

“My practice is a life-long endeavour and I want to enjoy being an artist.”

Since coming into effect, ArtStart has supported just over 1,000 early career artists to develop a sustainable career in the arts.

Melbourne based video and performance artist Hannah Raisin, a recent ArtStart recipient, sees the grant has being instrumental in the development of her career.

“You have to be flexible and take opportunities that come, but developing a strategy is really critical and thinking about a pathway for yourself”.

The grant acts as a way for recent graduates to map out their careers and identify where they need improvements to realise their goals, from support for skills development to building resources.

Developing a strategy for a future career in arts is a key element in the application process. During the application early career artists are required to analyse their skills and where they need to gain more experience.

“For me, this was an opportunity to really focus on developing a strategy and long-term sustainability of my practice and focus on the professional elements of my career.”

Since 2007 Hannah has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout Australia, including her performance at Fluid Fantasy which was inspired by her time on a cattle station in the Northern Territory.  In the next few years, she will be focusing on developing new opportunities to perform and producer her work.

“The program I formulated for ArtStart connected me with artists, galleries and arts organisations throughout Australia reaffirming the need to be ambitious, flexible and take opportunities as they arise.

“Making the most of opportunities is critical and I find communicating about and involving people from all walks of life with my projects generates new and often unforseen opportunities and connections.”

And what is up next for Hannah?

“This year I am really excited about a few shows, particularly Mouthfeel at Brenda May Gallery in Sydney, and another exhibition in the pipeline for MARS gallery in Melbourne. This will be an exciting opportunity for me to showcase new performance based video work, including some that I developed during my ArtStart program.”

The next round of applications for ArtStart closes on 1 March 2015.

Image: Hannah Raisin, Pink Lakes, digital photograph,2014, photographer Will Heathcote.