For those young and emerging artists in Melbourne there is an ArtStart information session at the old council chambers on the corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton on Tuesday the 25th of May, 6 – 8pm.

You can “hear from successful ArtStart recipients about how they are using ArtStart to fertilise their careers, ask questions and find out what activities ArtStart could fund and find out other ways the Australia Council can support you and your art”.

If you’re interested in attending RSVP to Melissa Habjan, ArtStart Administration Officer via m.habjan@australiacouncil.gov.au or on (02) 9215 9162.

There is an ArtStart information session tomorrow (20th January) at Fraser Studios, 10-14 Kensington Street, Chippendale NSW. If you’re interested in learning more about this new Australia Council grant for young and emerging artists drop by the studios at 1pm.

Kath Melbourne will be running the session, with short talks and Q&A by recent grant recipients Anna Lise De Lorenzo, Claude Jones and myself.

Anna was awarded an ArtStart grant for her ‘object design studio launch supported by a series of curated exhibitions investigating emerging local object design’, Claude was awarded a grant ‘to develop and implement a marketing strategy to raise [her] profile, increase gallery and media attention and sales’ and I am using the grant for ‘laying the foundations to make a living as a sound and multimedia artist’. You can read more about what other recipients are using their grants for in the ArtStart December 2009 Assessment Meeting Report.

The Australia Council for the Arts just awarded me a $10 000 ArtStart grant to assist in “laying the foundations to make a living as a sound and multimedia artist”.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Amongst other things I will be using the money to upskill, purchase new equipment and collaborate with interstate artists and organisations. Check out the ArtStart December 2009 assessment meeting report for further information.

If you are a recent creative arts graduate I highly recommend submitting an application in a future ArtStart grant round. The next deadline is the 8th of March 2010.

Successful applicants for the YAK Summer Residency 2010 were announced on Monday. Congratulations to  Sophie Webb, Mark Pritchard, Bits and Pieces (Felicity Nicol, Joanna Erskine, Grant Moxom, Jessica Falkholt, Carolyn Eccles and Michael Cutrupi), Luke Holmes and Faustina Delany.

YAK Events is looking forward to see what you make of your two week residency at Shopfront Contemporary Arts Centre.

There will be a public showing of work developed during the residency at Shopfront on the 16th of January. Members of the arts industry and general public will be welcome to attend. Check back here closer to the day for further details.

YAK Events is offering groups and individuals the opportunity to develop new or existing work during a two week residency at Shopfront Contemporary Arts Centre. There are no restrictions on the style, genre or nature of the work you want to make. The YAK Summer Residency is about giving artists the freedom to do as they please.

The residency will take place at Shopfront in Carlton NSW from 4 – 17 January 2010, culminating in a public showing of your work on the 16th. Spaces are limited, so move fast. Applications will be accepted up until Friday, 4th December 2009.

Check out the YAK Summer Residency 2010 Application.