ABOUT US

Arts Project Australia was founded in 1974 with the express purpose of exhibiting the artwork in a manner that accords artists with an intellectual disability the same dignity and respect as other artists.

Through the provision of a supportive environment, individual approaches and a professionally based exhibitions program, Arts Project Australia supports the engagement of people with an intellectual disability in educational, vocational and recreational aspects of visual art.

Mission Statement

To support people with disabilities to become practitioners in the visual arts and to promote their work as integral to the broad spectrum of contemporary arts practice.

Aims and Objectives

The principles that guided the early activities of the organisation still underpin its work today. The late founder of Arts Project Australia, Myra Hilgendorf OAM, ensured that work by artists at Arts Project Australia be presented in a professional manner and the artists be accorded the same dignity and respect as their non-disabled peers. These principles inform the values of the organisation.

Arts Project Australia's objectives are to:

Provide the means for people with an intellectual disability to participate fully in the visual arts;

Promote the work of people with an intellectual disability within the broad spectrum of contemporary art practice;

Facilitate participation by people with an intellectual disability in mainstream programs courses, and to encourage meaningful artistic exchange between disabled and non-disabled artists;

Broaden understanding and awareness of art by people with intellectual disabilities among artists and the general public;

Advocate art as both a vocational and a recreational pursuit;

Support and provide high quality community-based education and training in the visual arts.

In addition to the above, the studio workshop program specifically aims to provide educational experiences which;

Encourage personal development, particularly of self-confidence and self-esteem, which enhance the ability to function in other aspects of life.

Staff

Executive Director
Brendan Lillywhite

Business Manager
Samantha Roberts

Acting Studio Manager
Pierrette Boustany

ISP Project Officer
Jordan Crugnale

Studio Administration Assistant
Myfanwy Jones

Gallery Manager
Sim Luttin

Registration Coordinator
Penelope Hunt

Gallery Technician
James McDonald

Gallery Assistant
Melissa Petty

Artsworkers
Emily Bissland
Christina Hayes
Camille Hannah
Katie Jacobs
James McDonald
Lyn Young

Board

President
Jonah Jones

Vice President
Catherine Easton

Public Officer/
Treasurer/Secretary
Patrick O'Connor

Parent Advocate
Barbara Ajzenberg

Members
Rosemary Brennan
Wendy Foard
Sean Gaskell
Colin Rhodes
Kay Ronec
Norman Rosenblatt

Arts Project Australia runs its own studio where people can develop their artistic potential with the assistance of practising artists and have their work promoted as belonging to the broad spectrum of contemporary art.

The highly visible presence of the studio and gallery, as well as the profile gained through the inclusion of artists in mainstream art exhibitions and events ensures a continuing presence in, and involvement with, the wider community.

The Sidney Myer Fund acknowledged the special importance of this collection by supporting its documentation, preservation and conservation. The material continues to grow in significance as a unique resource for research into the development of artwork by people with intellectual disabilities, and as a valuable document of the creative energies and abilities of individuals who would otherwise have been forgotten.

Arts Project Australia Permanent Collection

A recent initiative of Arts Project Australia is to develop a collection representing a cross section of artists works. This collection ensures that a central body of artwork remains in the long term keeping of Arts Project Australia as a historic record of works produced in the studio. In addition, this collection will form the basis of research and exhibitions.

Sidney Myer Fund Permanent Collection

The Sidney Myer Fund Permanent Collection is one of the only collections of artwork by people with intellectual disability in Australia.

The Collection comprises over four hundred drawings and paintings collected in the mid 1970’s and featured in two landmark exhibitions: "Minus/Plus" (1975) and "Tommy’s World I" (1980) which opened at the Canberra Australian National University Gallery. The collection also contains some international works.