Artist Opportunity Rockhampton Museum of Art - Regional Art Commissions - Rockhampton Art Gallery

Rockhampton Museum of Art

Artist Opportunity
Regional Art Commissions

Rockhampton Museum of Art Artist Opportunity

Regional Art Commissions

Rockhampton Art Gallery in preparation for Rockhampton Museum of Art seeks to engage
three artists from the Central Queensland region to produce artwork commissions. These three
artwork commissions will encapsulate the artists’ practice through creative place making that
responds to the architecture of the newly developed Rockhampton Museum of Art building.
This commissioning process will ensure artists who work in the region are at the forefront
of Rockhampton Museum of Art and represented clearly during opening celebrations. The
artists will be identified via an Artist Opportunity Call Out and will work collaboratively with
Rockhampton Art Gallery to foster both conceptual and practical development.

Rockhampton Museum of Art
In 2021 Rockhampton Museum of Art will open its doors for the first time, following a major
capital infrastructure project. Rockhampton Museum of Art will be a place of community and
gathering, where connections are forged, skills acquired, a love of art nurtured and history
celebrated. Delivering services to the broader Central Queensland region, Rockhampton
Museum of Art aims to increase exposure to art and culture through a range of innovative and
participatory onsite and offsite activities.
As a regional centre, Rockhampton Museum of Art will strive to provide the community with
access to practicing artists and arts organisations, to ignite arts and culture as an interest area
for future generations. It will challenge the notion of ‘regional’ and sit purposely out of line with a
deliberate curated program that develop new audiences.

Our Building
The floor space of Rockhampton Museum of Art has increased from 650m² to 4711m², and
features two large flexible gallery spaces, three multipurpose education spaces, permanent
collection storage, an industry standard loading dock, a restaurant/café and retail store.
The redevelopment will exceed international contemporary public art museum industry
standards and will provide a variety of programmable spaces to meet community and arts sector
demands. This includes space for the permanent collection, in-house curated and touring
exhibitions, large-scale art commissions and an education suite, plus flexible spaces for corporate
hire and other key events and activities.

Our Location
Positioned at the centre of Rockhampton’s CBD, Rockhampton Museum of Art will be located
along Quay Street. The building will be located next to the heritage listed Customs House to
overlook Tunuba (Fitzroy River). There are multiple points of entry, and the central location
will ensure Rockhampton Museum of Art building is physically accessible to both visitors and
locals. Flexibility of design has been built into the facilities through inclusion of multipurpose
spaces, compartmentalised climate control systems, 24-hour educational suite access, as well as
ergonomic furniture, fittings and equipment.
Rockhampton Museum of Art will be accessible to the whole community, and the design
considers people with special access needs, including young children, elderly and people
with disabilities. Rockhampton Museum of Art’s layout, entries, acoustics, furniture, fixtures,
floor coverings, and lighting have been developed with consideration to diverse audience
requirements.
Opportunities for creativity are foundational to Rockhampton Museum of Art. The building
features several sites for activation projects: including newly commissioned artworks,
collaborative community programs, arts events and performances, and corporate hire.

Rockhampton Museum of Art Artist Opportunity

Regional Art Commissions

The artwork commissions will be showcased as part of Rockhampton Museum of Art’s opening
exhibition to create a lively, accessible, genuine and welcoming atmosphere. The artwork
commissions will build new local and inter-state audiences. This will be achieved through
presenting artworks that are:

Engaging
   •   Encourages participation; and is
   •   Mentally stimulating to prompt further discussion.
Relevant
   •   Is centered around locally relevant issues; and
   •   Directly involves or showcases people from the region.
Inclusive
   •   Is accessible to visitors with disability access requirements;
   •   Considers the needs of young and elderly visitor demographics;
   •   Is culturally safe and representative of Australia’s First Nations people; and
   •   Is welcoming in nature and prompts ‘first-time’ visits to both Rockhampton Museum of Art
       and the Rockhampton Region.
Interdisciplinary
   •   Displays a range of contemporary art forms (drawing, sculpture, digital); and
   •   Actively incorporates public programs and considers associated events.

Note: Further details regarding the curatorial scope of the opening exhibitions and architectural
specifications will be provided to the successful Commissioner/s.

Eligibility Requirements
The successful Commissioner/s will:
   •   Hold public liability insurance ($20 million).
   •   Reside in any of the following Central Queensland regions: Rockhampton, Livingstone,
       Gladstone, Banana, Woorabinda, Central Highlands, Isaac, Barcaldine, Blackall-Tambo,
       Longreach, Winton, Barcoo, Diamantina and Boulia.
   •   Not derive their principal income from Rockhampton Regional Council.
   •   Hold an established arts practice.

Project Budget
The total artist fee is $10,000 (GST inclusive). This fee will cover:
   •   Concept development and research with the assistance of Rockhampton Museum of Art.
   •   Physical artwork development with prior approval from Rockhampton Museum of Art.
   •   A minimum of one public program or event held during the exhibition period.
   •   Attendance at publicity and promotional opportunities, if required.
   •   Assistance with installation and de-installation, if required.

Rockhampton Regional Council will cover costs associated with:
   •   Project consultation
   •   Documentation
   •   Installation
   •   Media and advertising
   •   Signage
   •   Other associated presentation costs.

Rockhampton Museum of Art Artist Opportunity

How To Apply

Applications will close 3pm Monday 21 September.

Any appliction received after the closing date will be deemed non-compliant and disqualified by
Rockhampton Regional Council (in its absolute discretion) from the assessment process.

For an application to be considered, the applicant must ensure documentation is completed in
full. Applications should include the following information:

Contact details
• Artists’ full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Street address
• ABN details

Curriculum Vitae
• Current and relevant to the advertised opportunity
• Maximum 2-page

Artist biography
• Must highlight the artists’ practice
• Must detail the artists’ relationship to the Central Queensland region
• Maximum 500 words

Capability statement

A maximum 2-page statement responding to the following selection criteria with specific
examples:

1. Demonstrated ability to produce high quality artworks, cultural projects or commissioned
   work.
2. Potential for the opportunity to significantly impact the artists’ professional career.
3. Potential for the Commission to reach new audiences and represent the Central Queensland
   community.
4. Demonstrated viable skills; including an ability to work creatively within project constraints,
   communicate effectively with stakeholders and take on feedback.

Any application that does not comply with the above requirements or meet the minimum content
standards may be deemed non-compliant and eliminated from the assessment process unless it is
clear that the artist has made an unintentional error of form.

Applications must be lodged with Rockhampton Regional Council electronically.

Applications should be submitted to:
gallery@rrc.qld.gov.au

Artists are responsible for ensuring that any documents or information sent electronically are in
an acceptable format (such as PDF, Excel or Word).

For any questions please contact:

Bianca Acimovic
Gallery Director | Rockhampton Art Gallery
E Bianca.Acimovic@rrc.qld.gov.au
T 07 4936 8173

Madeline Brewer
Curatorial Assistant | Rockhampton Art Gallery
E madeline.brewer@rrc.qld.gov.au
T 07 4936 8178

Rockhampton Art Gallery

Rockhampton Museum                    62 Victoria Parade
                     PO Box 1860 Rockhampton Qld 4700

of Art                            Phone: (07) 4936 8248
                             Email: gallery@rrc.qld.gov.au

Artist Opportunity        rockhamptonartgallery.com.au