INDUSTRY ACCESS, CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT, NEW WORK
Shotgun is a Contemporary Art Tasmania artist development program. It is an awarded opportunity that supports selected Tasmanian artist/s through a customised and intensive program of high-level industry access, critical engagement and new work.
The project began in 2010 as the outcome of a public and private collaboration between Contemporary Art Tasmania and Detached Cultural Organisation (2010 – 19), and grew to include the Museum of Old and New Art (2017 – 19).
Shotgun is a unique and flexible artist-development model. Shotgun sets out to enable development - that may take a number of years for individuals to self-organise – to occur over a short and concentrated period. The program has taken many forms, including: exhibition; mentoring; meetings with visiting industry professionals (artists, curators, producers, writers and gallerists); workshops; discussion events; symposia; interstate visits and commissioned texts.
Shotgun makes demands of its participants: artists, mentors, the Selection Committee and curatorium; and this is because it sets out to reinvigorate the practice of selected individuals within an ever-changing art world. It sounds somewhat cliché but Shotgun is about feeding the intense emotional commitment that artists have, and continue to have, which is often lost in art speak, rounds of grant writing and the logistics of getting a show up.
While we speculate that much of the value for participants is characterised by a ‘slow burn’ over a number of years there has been demonstrable benefits, most visible being the ambition and assuredness of work developed for the Shotgun exhibitions, an increase in individuals confidence and the numerous opportunities that have ensued post program. Harder to quantify but perhaps of more importance in creating traction for artists over the long-term are the industry relationships fostered through the project – yes we are speaking networking opportunities. We acknowledge that these collegial relationships drive and sustain art practice today.
The program is supported by a selection panel.