Fighting violence with fashion

Fashion designers are invited to participate in the White Ribbon Day fashion catwalk show in Sydney this November. White Ribbon Day is a charity that aims to fight domestic violence and is supported by The Body Shop.

If you’re interested in showcasing your label, or being a model on the catwalk, contact Sharon Garrard by email or on 0404 765 643 before August 31, 2008.

Fanging it!

Watch out kids! You could totally be Fanging It with the ABC TV crew on a budget trip around Australia! Sounds exciting, no?

2 presenters will be chosen to be the hosts for the new show, self-described as a 21st century Race Around the World (I kind of liked Race Around the Corner more and wish they’d bring it back, but anyway). To enter for your chance to be one of these lucky presenters, you need to be Australian and over 18, as well as being fabulous and interesting in front of a camera.

Your entry piece needs to be a 90 sec – 2 min video of yourself in a real-life travel adventure or encounter. Top 5 will then be chosen to enter an extreme bootcamp, with 2 winning presenters chosen to immediately go on an 18 day tour of Australia, making 4 mini-documentaries along the way.

Sound like your thing? If it does, read more about the application requirements.

Speed dating for artists

Theatreworks is giving Melbourne artists a chance to meet other like minded folk for some project making at Speed Dating For Artists. It’s a great chance to network with other artists and theatre makers, and best of all – it’s free. But no actors!

You will need to book ahead, and you will recieve a free glass of wine and 2-for-1 Theatreworks season ticket. The next event is on Monday, 21 July at 6pm. The remaining dates for 2008 are also available, and bookings can be made via their website.

Brisbane’s ICON Creative Summit

ICON Creative Summit is having its 3rd annual multi-arts festival at Brisbane Powerhouse from 27 – 29 November, 2008. They’re desperately seeking Brisbane word poets, rappers, slammers and visual artists for their performances.

Deadline for applications is 31 July, 2008. To apply, fill out the online registration form.

Enter the land of Experimentopia!

Experimenta is a contemporary arts organisation who run the International Biennial of Media Art, entitled Experimentopia. They’re calling for international and Australian proposals for next year’s works, and are commissioning up to $6,000 each for new pieces, with preference towards interactive media. The aim is to create works that allow audiences to engage with, act out, inhabit and experience utopic/dystopic scenarios and environments.

Applying is free, and entries must be in by 25th July, 2008. Application forms and guidelines can be downloaded from the website.

Keith + Lottie gallery call out

Keith + Lottie is a little gallery/shop space found on the West Coast of Australia. In the past they’ve exhibited a bunch of cool artists including YOK, Beci Orpin, Pat Doherty and Deathbot.

They’re currently accepting applications for art shows, product launches, fundraisers and other fun events for the remainder of the year. Deadline for applications is 30 June, 2008. To find out more, download the gallery application pack. 

How to run a professional blog

Let’s face it – if you’re a designer, crafter or an artist with a blog you’re inevitably going to be wanting to pimp your skills. However, when you start going from personal blog to a professional folio blog, you need to carefully look at the way you present yourself and the way you interact with your readers and the rest of the world wide web.

Luckily, there’s a number of talented bloggers out there who have some tips to help you. As I come along more articles, I’ll add them to this post so it becomes EXTRA-helpful.

Nubby Twiglet has a number of posts on Business & Marketing, coming from her experience as a freelance designer.

• The benefits of folio blogs vs websites
• 13 steps to a successful blog-based business
• Choosing a business name
• The art of networking

Pip from Meet Me at Mikes has recently done a run of entries on how to maintain a craft blog, but they can be applied to pretty much any blog possible.

• How to start a craft blog
• How to market a craft blog
• How to make your blog look cuter
• How to have nice blog manners

Every Tuesday, Leni & Rose does a post on blogging tips & tricks. They also include step-by-step guides on how to customise your Blogger account, if that’s your processor of choice.

Other articles:

• Passive marketing for freelancers
• Build a killer online portfolio in 9 easy steps

 

Arts, schmarts

Artschmart is a gallery situated above the Revolver nighclub in Prahran, Melbourne. They hold a mix of exhibitions, launch parties and opening nights. But the best part? It’s free to rent and takes no commissions from sales.

They are currently accepting proposals for group shows, launches and exhibitions. To find out more, email the crew at sarah@revolverupstairs.com.au

Melbourne Fringe open registrations

The Melbourne Fringe Festival will be lifting it’s skirts and cancanning into town on the 24th September to 12 October 2008. The Frindge Festival is the largest annual celebration of independent arts in Victoria, with all events created entirely by the participating artists.

Registration for artist events has now opened and will close on 13 June 2008. Please note that even if you registered previous years, you’ll need to do it again.

Cultcha Shock!

…is the title of the new ABC1 series by Marcus Westbury, of Not Quite Art fame (okay, he’s spelt it “Culture” but I think he should consider slanging it up a bit to make it cooler with the kids). Filming and production hasn’t started yet, and Mr Westbury is still on the lookout for artists and the like who can contribute.

I started reading Culture Shock’s proposal, but had a minor brain explosion, so instead I’ll just post excerpts of it here. Please don’t ask me to decipher, I need a sit down instead.

“Picking up from the themes explored in Not Quite Art, Culture Shock takes the audience on an insightful and amusing journey through an increasingly fragmented cultural landscape – where the Internet and communications have given all of us a set of cultural choices and influences unimaginable even a decade ago.

Culture Shock finds an eclectic and amusing mix of artists, writers and musicians whose work has found their audiences through networks well outside the traditional Australian structures of cultural authority.

Over three episodes, Marcus Westbury takes us to meet Australian artists and creators exhibiting and performing internationally while remaining largely unknown in their own communities.

Culture Shock looks at the spectrum of specialist cultures and niche audiences unleashed globally by communications technology. With rapid change in art and cultural influences occurring all the time, this series is not about art that is dependent on technology but on the new cultural landscape that has grown up because of it.”

Ooookay, so if you know someone who is doing something along those lines, drop Marcus a line at his blog. You should also read the rest of his posts. They are very good.