La Trobe Art Institute, Emporium Creative Hub and City of Greater Bendigo have come together to shine a light on the visual arts ecosystem. This full-day professional development program is suited to emerging artists who want to navigate the art world, build a sustainable practice and get their work seen.

The event will be hosted through out the day across multiple venues:

La Trobe Art Institute, 121 View Street, Bendigo
The Engine Room, 58 View Street, Bendigo
Dudley House, 60 View Street, Bendigo
Bendigo Art Gallery, 42 View Street, Bendigo

This is a free event, but places are limited so please register now to secure your place. Full program and session details below:

SESSION 1: 9.30am LAI Auditorium

What spaces are for me? Getting to know the arts ecosystem

Have you ever imagined your work on the walls of one of Bendigo’s prestigious galleries? Or wondered how to gain commercial representation? Perhaps you’d like advice about how to find the right exhibition spaces for you. In this session, representatives from Bendigo Art Gallery, La Trobe Art Institute, City of Greater Bendigo, Dumawul, Create A and Shepparton Art Museum explain the type of art they show and why. Facilitated by Aimee Chapman, Programmer, Emporium Creative Hub.

· Aimee Chapman, Programmer, Emporium Creative Hub (facilitator)

· Daine Singer, Daine Singer Gallery

· Karen Annett, Director, La Trobe Art Institute

· Rohan Phillips, Arts Officer, City of Greater Bendigo

· Danny Lacy, Head of Curatorial Programming and Collections, Shepparton Art Museum

SESSION 2: 11am, LAI Auditorium

Artists at work – how do you sustain your practice?

Join artists Annie Brigdale, Adam John Cullen, Noriko Nakamura and Genevieve Thornton as they discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist for artists living and working in regional Victoria. You’ll hear about their studios, where and when they exhibit and how their regional environment enriches their work. We’ll also gain an insight into the ways they fund and sustain their practice. Facilitated by Dr Jacqui Shelton, Curator, La Trobe Art Institute.

· Jacqui Shelton, independent artist and Curator, La Trobe Art Institute (facilitator)

· Genevie Thornton, artist, art therapist, La Trobe Alumni, (Bendigo)

· Noriko Nakamura, artist and educator (Castlemaine)

· Annie Brigdale (artist in schools with Arena Working with young people)

· Adam John Cullen, International residencies & representation artist (Castlemaine)

NETWORKING LUNCH: 12.30 – 1.30pm

Bendigo Art Gallery, Sculpture Annex

SESSION 3: 1.30pm, LAI Auditorium

Self-organising and creating space

Would you like to be part of a new gallery, collective workspace, or art event in regional Victoria? This panel will share how they joined forces with peers to create spaces for the development and presentation of their practices. Their activities are as diverse as the artists and audiences who access them. We’ll hear about a studio collective, a 22-year-old ARI, a First Nations Gallery, a regional contemporary art festival and an artist who co-founded a collaborative publishing house.

· Amelia Wallin – Curator, La Trobe Art Institute (facilitator)

· Sophia Cai, Bus projects (Melbourne)

· Janet Bromley, First Nations Arts Officer, City of Greater Bendigo (Djaa Djuwima)

· Josephine Mead, Milk Gallery

SESSION 4: 3pm , The Engine Room

Seeking funding: what grant bodies want

Applying for grants can be daunting. Do you want to crack the language of arts funding so that you can turn your great idea into a perfect pitch? Do you wonder what makes a project persuasive, distinctive and fundable? Or perhaps you have a project and want to know which grant would be the best fit. Drop in and chat to the experts who are responsible for reading and selecting winning proposals, from National, State and Local funding bodies.

· Arts Development, Creative Victoria

· Thea Jones, Grants Manager, Regional Arts Australia (Castlemaine)

· Rohan Phillips, Arts Officer, City of Greater Bendigo

GROUP EXHIBITION: Arrive 4 ~ 4.30pm, Dudley House

The Robots are coming (to Bendigo)

Contact the host of Stepping Out: A professional development program for visual artists