art and dole » Art and Dole in the Media

Art and Dole in the Media

A few articles on Art and Dole which have appeared in the media

Making a Living Turned into a Fine Art, The Sydney Morning Herald, August 2005
Australian Idle, The Age, July 2006

Please send us any other references to Art and Dole if you find them as a comment

If you are a journalist or arts writer and would like to arrange an interview, please leave a comment and we will get back to you. Please note - interviews will only be conducted anonymously (at our request).

A few facts about Art and Dole:

* Art and Dole is not aimed to keep visual artists on the dole, as a kind of subsidy scheme.
* Exists to help artists legally negotiate their situation. Unlike many developed countries, Australia has no specialist knowledge, tailored programs, welfare policies or staff training for artists accessing welfare. This is despite our unique needs (seasonal work, itermittent work, self employment, job creation, government grants, specialist job ad networks, et cetera.)
* Allows professional visual artists to have a support network (once leaving art schools) around a difficult issue which affects many of their lives.
* Is aimed at professional visual artists, with an existing track record - recognised by peers, critics, and/ or government funding organizations (not just anyone on the dole wishing to ‘have a go’). We actively seek to inform people about the breadth, quality, professionalism and sophistication of such artist’s practices today.
* Exists to help these visual artists get off periods on the dole, and into existing arts employment - employment which exists locally, nationally and internationally, but doesn’t follow the usual “jobs in the classifieds” model. Also exists to help professional visual artists create new arts employment, for themselves and the economy generally. Accessing these unseen employment opportunities helps all Australians.
* Also lobbies for welfare policy changes at the highest levels, to best help Australian professional visual artists, Centrelink staff, government officials, the Australian community, and the national economy, in ways that are mutually beneficial.
* Art and Dole also does not advocate or promote any illegal activities. Art and Dole has a lawyer who volunteers her time to see that our activities comply with Australian law. Art and Dole’s website is compiled from feedback from visual artists accessing the current system, and while we advocate free speech, if any references to illegal activities are noted here, please leave a comment to help bring it to our attention.

3:12 am by Intern in Uncategorized