Artshed was an Artists Run Initiative (ARI).

12 artists with and without disability came together to shape and design a 12-month program of professional development; including workshops, training and day trips to an exhibition opening at BRAG and the Bathurst Writer’s Festival.

Facilitated by Art OutWest these artists connected with one another, naming the ARI ‘Artshed, a collective of artists under one roof’.

Their first exhibition was called ‘Natural Spaces & Faces’ held at BMEC. The following year they presented their second group exhibition ‘Invincible’ at Tremains Mill Bathurst.

An ARI is a group run by artists for artists.  ARI’s can be a group of individuals who work in a specific art form or they can be a collective of creatives e.g. a collective of multidisciplinary and/ or cross-disciplinary artists, including writers, filmmakers or performers.

This ARI’s aim was to support the autonomy of artists with disability within the CentralWwest region to provide:

• Social inclusion
• Opportunities to network
• Broadening skills development
• Peer-reviewed arts practice
• Assistance to overcome accessibility barriers to develop professional arts practice
• A place to share ideas and opportunities for artistic development

Natural Spaces and Faces

The ‘Natural Spaces and Faces’ exhibition was held at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre from 2 December – 16 December 2016.

Arts OutWest’s Tracey Callinan conducts the Sounds Live Choir at the launch, with Stefan Elbourne’s artwork in the foreground

The crowd mingling at the exhibition launch

Will’s experience

“When I saw the call for artists to join an Artist Run Initiative I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as a young artist at the start of my career. I am looking forward to the exhibition and the chance for lots of people to see my work,” said the youngest member of the group, 15-year-old Will Hazzard.

Will joined Artshed with the support of his parents, Ian and Kelly Hazzard, who have both also joined the group.

“I have always enjoyed creating my artworks and the opportunity to be in a group with my husband and son, Artshed has been a wonderful experience. I love that the art we all produce is very different and I am looking forward to the upcoming exhibition,” Kelly Hazzard said.

Artshed members also attended a National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) workshop.