2020 ANNUAL REPORT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS (NAVA) ANNUAL REPORT 2020 NAVA leads advocacy, policy and action for CONTENTS an Australian contemporary arts sector that’s ambitious and fair. Reflecting on 2020 2 Through the Code of Practice for the Professional Australian Visual Arts, Media, Craft and Design ARTIST FOCUS Sector, we set national best practice standards Membership 3 for the contemporary arts industry. Professional Development 4 Artistic Leadership 6 Our vision – that artistic courage ignites Australian culture – drives everything we do. INDUSTRY FOCUS The National Association for the Visual Arts First Nations 7 (NAVA) acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of Industry Leadership 8 the Eora Nations where our office is located and Code of Practice 9 all Custodians of Country throughout all lands, Cross-Sector Partnerships 9 waters and territories. Sovereignty has never Access 9 been ceded. We pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. PUBLIC FOCUS The words “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Policy Development 10 Islander’, ‘Blak’, ‘Indigenous’, ‘First Nations’ Public Engagement 11 and ‘First Peoples’, are used interchangeably in this report to refer to both Aboriginal and ABOUT NAVA 12 Torres Strait Islanders, and global First Nations Our board 13 artists in the Australian arts and culture sector. Staff 14 NAVA understands the complexities in the use Acknowledgements 14 of these words and that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may not be 2020 FINANCIAL REPORT 15 comfortable with some of these words. We would like to make known that only the deepest respect is intended in the use of these terms. The National Association for the Visual Arts in partnership with First Nations peoples across Australia is working to position First Nations living cultures, practices, stories and knowledges at the core of our practice. Front Cover Image: Sophia Cai Safety Yellow Woman, 2020 – 2021 Handknitted wool garment, adult size Yarn support provided by Fancy Tiger Crafts Photo by Malcolm King. NAVA in conversation podcast, Episode 58: Sophia Cai NAVA Artist File: Jeanette James, December 2021. Photo by Jillian Mundy. 1 REFLECTING ON 2020 NAVA started 2020 with a strong sense of A really important aspect of NAVA’s work contin- Internally, 2020 was a period of considerable national collegiality as we joined emergency ued to be the engagement with and upskilling of change for NAVA. In May, we farewelled Hannah response collaborations and began work on a full the arts community. In the lead up to Arts Day on Matthews, William Morrow, Sally Smart and Ionat revision of the Code of Practice for the Professional the Hill 2020, NAVA delivered an eighteen week Zurr after reaching their maximum tenure on the Australian Visual Arts, Craft & Design Sector - online program of advocacy training. Participants Board, and welcomed newly elected Board collectively, creating a valuable twenty-first-century were connected with members of Parliament and Members Rohin Kickett, Tom Mùller, Lisa Radford, resource for a sector that’s ambitious and fair. provided with the tools and resources to champion Patrice Sharkey and re-elected Board Member an ambitious arts agenda with long-term impact. Wesley Enoch, as the result of the Members’ ballot. The impact felt by the decline in public funding Later in the year, the Board accepted resignations over several years was amplified in the wake of To kick-start consultation for our major revision of from Co-opted Board members Dr Dick Quan and the 2020 bushfire season, and ongoingly with the Code of Practice, NAVA and research partners James Emmett who had been NAVA’s Chair since COVID-19. During the year, the sector witnessed from RMIT School of Art hosted ten one-hour online 2016. The process to recruit a new Chair began uncertainty and unprecedented job and contract conversations focusing on different areas of the over the summer. losses. The economic, cultural and social conse- Code. Hundreds of artist and organisational NAVA quences of the global pandemic are still unfolding; Members, colleagues and stakeholders joined us Leya Reid joined the team as Communications and however, it was immediately clear that the visual to contribute their experience and insight to these Advocacy Manager in March and in August, NAVA arts, which was already characterised by precarity discussions. The sessions covered both familiar farewelled Esther Anatolitis after three impactful and uncertainty, was one of the first and worst hit. and new experiences, and NAVA warmly thanks years as Executive Director. In response to the all contributors for their insights, which have since pandemic crisis, Esther’s Membership support and NAVA assessed impacts of the coronavirus crisis on been used to inform the development of key leadership in the sector intensified in 2020. Her the sector, led policy discussions, and worked with discussion papers for further research. One of the passion, vision and dedication leaves a strong lega- government bodies to present useful information. overarching takeaways from these consultation cy for NAVA and for Australia’s contemporary arts. Our weekly National Visual Arts Roundtable ex- sessions is that issues of accessibility, diversity, amined policy, risk and business continuity issues inclusion and cultural safety remain largely unad- Membership remained steady throughout the year, for organisations and sector bodies, serving as a dressed by artists and organisations across the arts and with response rates higher than in previous recovery taskforce as well as a reference point for and cultural sector. Addressing these as a priority years, our NAVA Survey showed that advocacy collegiate exchange. Our open letter to the Prime will be central to the Code of Practice – both in the remains the most important role for NAVA in the Minister, front bench, Opposition, state ministers process of revising it, and in the final form of the minds of all Member segments, particularly as we and lord mayors was signed by 130 organisations Code itself. Central to achieving best practice is cope with a pandemic. As NAVA develops its plans across all artforms, following which several of our the centering of First Nations artists, arts workers, for 2021 and beyond, it is in a good position to requests were met by the Australian Government, communities and experts, and the ethical inclusion incorporate findings from this research to improve including wage subsidies, eligibility changes for of our full diversity of voices. its communication and offerings to artists and support payments, support for Aboriginal arts organisations Australia-wide, and to reinforce its centres and an increase to the Regional Arts Fund. NAVA wrote submissions, letters and released already strong position as a national leader in the We outlined what’s missing and what’s still needed, statements opposing unfair university reforms contemporary arts sector. and we continue to advocate. passed through the Senate in early October which make it even harder and 113% more expen- NAVA Members are our key supporters, To make funds available for disaster and emergency sive for people to study the arts. This is a further participants in the opportunities we offer and the recovery, NAVA re-established the Artists’ blow to the university sector which was not eligible source of information and advice, which we use Benevolent Fund which had been dormant for a for any of the Federal Government’s income sup- to guide our work. To all our Members, supporters, number of years. The first major contributors were port this year including JobKeeper. The impact has collaborators and friends, we offer our deeply the governments of South Australia and the City of led to damaging workplace changes and is being grateful thanks. Sydney, followed by philanthropist Brett Kelly and felt with massive job losses, course cuts and studio artist Alex Seton who created a new donors’ circle closures on many campuses. Reversing this change called ClubB50. Creative Partnerships Australia remains on NAVA’s agenda. Kathir Ponnusamy Penelope Benton Kathir Ponnusamy, photo supplied then generously doubled all donations which was & Patrice Sharkey Executive Director Patrice Sharkey, photo by Sia Duff pivotal to building the fund. Acting Co-Chairs Penelope Benton, photo by Maja Baska 2 ARTIST FOCUS NAVA strengthens artists’ capacity to develop and sustain their practice. MEMBERSHIP Disputes The bulk of NAVA’s work in this area is behind-the- The artists who founded and inspire NAVA are scenes, supporting artists in advocating their rights the driving force of Australia’s contemporary arts. and negotiating their working conditions. NAVA NAVA has reoriented our work, extended our reach assisted 117 Members experiencing difficulties in and deepened our impact. A NAVA Membership relation to having their rights respected in line with makes a strong commitment to your professional regulation and best practice standards. That’s more practice. In turn, NAVA makes important commit- than two a week. Disputes included: ments to its Members to: amplify your voice, • Multiple situations where artists and arts develop your practice and strengthen your sector. workers were not offered an artist fee by public institutions for work undertaken. Insurance • Multiple situations where projects were can- NAVA Premium Plus Membership provides six celled or changed due to COVID-19 restrictions types of heavily discounted insurance exclusively and communications were unclear, changes