1. art and entertainment
2. shows and events
3. exhibition

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
EMERGING CURATORS PROGRAM 2015-16
Next Wave’s Emerging Curators Program was established in collaboration with Gertrude
Contemporary over 15 years ago, supporting emerging curators to develop exhibition projects at this
iconic Melbourne institution. In 2014, West Space and Centre for Contemporary Photography joined
to extend the program to multiple galleries and into public space.
We are thrilled to announce that in 2015-16, Next Wave will continue working with Gertrude
Contemporary, West Space and Centre for Contemporary Photography alongside new partners
Liquid Architecture and Arts Project Australia.
Applicants to the Emerging Curators Program 2015-16 are encouraged to consider expanded
curatorial practice, inclusive of exhibitions, event-based and performance projects, and projects that
are site-specific, digital or discursive. This program is for curators (including artists-as-curators,
producers, writers, activists and other types of organisers) who are interested in long-term project
development and mentorship to explore, expand and renew contexts for the presentation of art and
ideas.
We invite critically-engaged, research-driven curatorial projects in their early stages, to be developed
through 12 months of mentorship with some of Melbourne’s leading curators and presented at Next
Wave Festival 2016. As each opportunity has a different focus, applicants are encouraged to select
the most appropriate partner and direct their application to one of these organisations. Applicants are
able to make a maximum of one application to each partner.
We strongly encourage applications from curators who are Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or
culturally and linguistically diverse, as well as curators with a disability.
Program Details
The selected curators will undertake a formal mentorship with Next Wave and their nominated
program partner over a 12-month period. During the mentorships, the curators will broaden their
network of artists, peers and organisations. They will also receive:
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Regular feedback on the curatorial and conceptual development of their project
Assistance seeking additional funding in partnership with Next Wave and their program partner
Support with negotiating partnerships and other resources for the completion of the project
Assistance with developing budgeting and project management skills
Marketing and publicity support
Assistance with risk assessment and management
Project support in the form of venue, other in-kind support and cash up to $4000
Successful applicants will be expected to continually develop their projects in the lead up to Next
Wave Festival 2016, and to attend regular meetings and briefings with both their program partner and
with Next Wave. They must also attend the Next Wave ‘all-in’ on Friday 25 and Saturday 26
September 2015.
Festival Outcome
Through the Emerging Curators Program, each successful applicant is expected to develop and
present a curatorial project that:
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Is relevant to, and makes a valuable contribution to the depth and diversity of contemporary art
discourse in Australia
Will benefit from being presented in a festival context
Involves a diverse group of artists
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 11:59PM AEST ON
THURSDAY 30 APRIL 2015
Applications will only be accepted digitally and late applications
will not be accepted.
About Next Wave
Next Wave challenges our understanding of what art can be. Through our development programs
and biennial Festival, Next Wave assists emerging artists to realise extraordinary new work that
invites us to see the world and ourselves in unexpected ways. Our programs support young artists to
take creative risks, to establish critically-engaged professional practices and to launch their work into
a wider artistic and public domain. Our projects transform familiar sites, and activate new audiences.
Next Wave also ignites a broader debate about art and its role in contemporary society. The next Next
Wave Festival will be held in May 2016.
Emerging Curators Program Partner Organisations
Arts Project Australia is a centre of excellence that supports 110 artists with intellectual disabilities,
promoting their work and advocating for inclusion within contemporary art practice. Since its inception,
Arts Project Australia has continued to strive for excellence, both in the quality of the exhibitions
presented and the quality of the innovative studio program. Established in 1974, they have continually
been a leader and innovator in the arts and disability sectors. They were the first full-time arts studio
in Australia for artists with an intellectual disability, and over the past 40 years have built an enviable
reputation nationally and internationally for the creative and individual studio philosophy, as well as
the outstanding artwork produced there.
Arts Project Australia invites applications from curators interested in bringing Arts Project Australia
studio artists into dialogue with other emerging or established artists through an exhibition or eventbased project.
Applicants wishing to work with Arts Project Australia should take note of the following guidelines:
 Arts Project require a weekly or fortnightly 'on location' commitment for at least three months
 The successful applicant will be required to complete a police check before commencing the
program
The Centre for Contemporary Photography is one of Australia’s premier venues for the exhibition
of contemporary photo-based arts, providing a context for the enjoyment, education, understanding
and appraisal of contemporary practice. Established in 1986 by the photographic community as a notfor-profit exhibition and resource centre, CCP has played a pivotal role in the support of photo-based
arts and public engagement with photography. CCP’s exhibition program is presented across five
exhibition spaces and features a diverse range of photo-based arts from emerging to established
artists. The program includes individual, group and curated exhibitions representing the very best of
local, interstate and international photography.
CCP invites proposals from emerging curators to develop an exhibition for presentation in Gallery 2
(view floorplan), which may include performances, talks, workshops or other events throughout its
duration.
Gertrude Contemporary is an internationally renowned contemporary art centre committed to the
development, production and presentation of new forms of artistic practice. At the heart of the
organisation is a combination of studios and exhibition spaces. For more than 30 years this two-part
foundation has underpinned a unique organisation with a commitment to the public presentation of
risk-taking and experimental art, alongside the creative and professional development of a strong
community of arts practitioners, including artists, curators and writers.
Gertrude Contemporary invites proposals from emerging curators who are interested in innovating
curatorial practice through exhibition making. The outcome will be presented at a new Gertrude
project space.
Liquid Architecture is an Australian organisation for events, exhibitions, performances and situations
of the world’s leading artists working with sound. Founded in 1999 by the RMIT student union, Liquid
Architecture has developed into Australia’s leading sound-art organisation, presenting an annual
touring program in addition to a range of curated projects throughout the year. Key to Liquid
Architecture's development has been the broadening of its scope, from “sense-specific” investigations
of listening and the depth of individual sound perception, to more critically engaged considerations of
the social, cultural, political, economic as well as aesthetic and sensual frameworks in which sounds
take place.
Liquid Architecture invites proposals from emerging curators whose ambitious projects seek
to expand the definition of sound and the concept of sound art practice. This development process will
involve identifying and securing an appropriate venue for the festival presentation of an exhibition or
event-based project.
West Space is a non-profit artist-led organisation supporting the activities of artists within a critical
context. West Space programming foregrounds engaged artistic practice which is challenging,
experimental, exploratory and diverse. Much of their programming explores ways to enable artists’
practices that are process-based, collaborative, and of different durations and diverse forms.
West Space invites proposals from emerging curators to develop an exhibition for presentation in
Gallery 1 (view floorplan), which may include performances, talks, workshops or other events
throughout its duration.
Past Emerging Curators Program projects
Past exhibitions developed through the Emerging Curators Program include:
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Can We Please Play the Internet? by Rosemary Willink, West Space (2014)
Precious Metals by Sophie Kitson, Centre for Contemporary Photography (2014)
Smell You Later by Katie Lenanton, various venues (2014)
Why Not Walk Backward? by Liang Luscombe and Brooke Babington, Gertrude Contemporary
(2014)
Bellowing Echoes by Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris and Marcel Cooper, Gertrude Contemporary
(2012)
Mercy Street by Anusha Kenny, Gertrude Contemporary (2010)
We Are Hidden And We Can See You, We Are Hidden And You Can See Us by Shae Nagorcka,
Gertrude Contemporary (2008)
Grudge Match by Tania Doropoulos, Gertrude Contemporary (2006)
Cult Classic by Rebecca Cannon, Gertrude Contemporary (2004)
Neo Noir by Mark Feary, Gertrude Contemporary (2002)
Superhero Artstaaar: beyond good and evil by Bridget Crone, Gertrude Contemporary (2002)
None More Blacker by Lara Travis, Gertrude Contemporary (2001), and in regional galleries
nationally (2002)
Final Fantasies by Chad Chatterton, Gertrude Contemporary (2000)
For enquiries or further information about the Emerging Curators Program please don’t hesitate to call
Next Wave on 03 9329 9422 or email [email protected]. If you are deaf, or have a hearing or
speech impairment, you can contact us through the National Relay Service and ask for 03 9329
9422.