Join us on Saturday, the 18th of July, to hear from Dominic Kavanagh and Monica Rani Rudhar on developing relationships with and working alongside commercial galleries and gallerists as an artist.

Dominic Kavanagh began his career in the arts at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in the curatorial team, working in various roles across exhibitions, commissions and publishing, and supporting the Museum to deliver ambitious exhibitions by Australian and international artists. He moved to the Warmun Art Centre on Gija Country in the East Kimberley, Western Australia, where he spent two years managing the Centre’s exhibition program and assisting senior and emerging artists to develop new opportunities for their practice. He is now Director at Ames Yavuz, Surry Hills, and advises across public, private and corporate collections.

Dominic studied at Sydney College of the Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hons.) and discovered his enthusiasm for organising exhibitions rather than making them.

Monica Rani Rudhar is an artist based on Gadigal land, working across sculpture, video, and performance. Her practice explores the themes of longing and loss related to cultural identity, tracing intergenerational stories within her family to create space for imaginative possibilities. Born to Indian and Romanian migrant parents, her work is influenced by the forces of cultural conformity, essentialization, and commodification within a settler colonial context. Monica's practice seeks to restore familial histories, traditions, and rituals that have been dispersed by the migration and displacement of her ancestors. Through her auto-ethnographic approach, she translates her family’s fragmented oral histories to reclaim narratives of relationships, resistance, and ritual. These stories intertwine, weaving a personal mythology that manifests their cultural fictions and futures in so-called Australia.

Monica is represented by Ames Yavuz, Sydney.

Firstdraft’s Artist Development Program is a structured professional development program providing early-career artists with practical skills, industry knowledge, and mentorship to navigate and sustain their artistic careers within Sydney’s creative sector.

Workshop tickets are $20.00, if you are experiencing financial hardship please contact our team for a no questions asked, financial assistance ticket.

The Artist Development Program is supported by the City of Sydney.

venue accessibility information:

Getting Here

Gallery entry is on the ground floor via Haig Lane.
There is a grey wall with Firstdraft painted on it which you can see from the entry of the lane.
Train/Metro:
- St James is the closest station.
- Town Hall and Martin Place are also within 15 minutes walking distance.
- Gadigal Metro station via Park St within 10 minutes walking distance.
Bus:
- The closet bus stop is on Riley Street - the 461 bus stops here.
- The William St near College Cr bus stop is also close with 311, 324, 325, 333, 333N, 461, 501, 506 busses stopping here.
Pedestrians and Cyclists
- Firstdraft is accessible for pedestrians and cyclists via Haig Lane
- The footpaths surrounding the area are sloped and sometimes uneven
- There is a wide 3m gate at the entrance
- Bicycles can be parked next to the gallery gate
Private car and motorcycle
- Private car and motorcycle users can park in nearby car parks, and on-street.
- On-street parking is limited during business hours due to the busy area, but spaces are usually available.

General information

Gender-neutral bathrooms are provided. These are single-stall, with sanitary bins.
Assistance animals are welcome, and drinking water is available.
Our building is climate controlled, depending on the artwork being shown.

Access Parking

The closest car park with Mobility Parking (MPS) is Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Car Park at 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney. More info about that carpark here.

Access Information

Inside the galleries will be optimal white lighting.
The gate to the Firstdraft courtyard is 3 metres wide.
Gallery 1 and 2 are upstairs.
Gallery 3 is downstairs and entered through the courtyard, via a ramp. The entry is 110cm wide.
Gallery 4 is downstairs and entered via a ramp. The entry is 86cm wide.
The staircase has 17 concrete steps.
There is one gender neutral bathroom located on the ground floor. The entry is 74cm wide.
Please get in touch if you would like to meet someone one-to-one in advance, or turn up early to our events for an easier entry

Firstdraft is in a high pollen area, it may be useful to check the Pollen index here.
We welcome the use of safety/particulate masks for those that wish/need to use them.

Contact the host of Artist Development Workshop: Working with Commercial Galleries with Dominic Kavanagh and Monica Rani Rudhar

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