Indigenous Art Centre Operations Resource

Matrix on Board was invited to work on the Art Centre Operations Manual (ACOM) for Desart Inc, the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) and the Ananguku Arts and Culture Aboriginal Corporation (Ku Arts). These organisations represent peak Indigenous art centres and artists in northern Australia. Funding was committed by the WA Government, the NT Government and the Australia Council for the Arts.

ACOM is now the primary national resource describing best practice operations for Aboriginal owned art centres.

The manual:

» Informs art centres about best practice in the industry
» Provides a training manual for Indigenous artists and arts workers
» Assists change management in art centres
» Assists the induction of art centre managers
» Operates under the National Indigenous Art Commercial Code of Conduct

ACOM is delivered as a multi media package and provides information on:

» Planning – resources to assist business, marketing and export plans
» Suppliers – list suppliers of art materials by category
» Marketing – protocols of dealing with galleries and exhibitions including draft contracts
» Training and skills development – pathways and resources
» Conservation and Transport of art works – conservation, packing, freight
» Governance issues – Art Centre Executive Committees and their relationships with constituents and managers
» HR protocols – contract templates, job descriptions, recruitment protocols and resources
» Industry legal and policy information – taxation, intellectual property, funding arrangements, codes of conduct
» Useful Information – links to government agencies, funding programs, commercial and public galleries
» Archiving – practices and processes for the preservation of sensitive and useful documents

The ACOM uses appropriate language, cultural protocols and graphic presentation so that it is accessible to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous users. The ACOM became known as Go Hunting and was developed by Sam Togni from Matrix on Board and Don Francis who managed the website development.