CQ Shopfront project helps artists develop business skills
Published on 18 May 2020
Rockhampton Art Gallery is one of several organisations partnering with The Ideas Distillery on CQ Shopfront, an exciting regionally-based project, designed to help artists navigate the world of business.
An initiative of the Bundaberg-based The Ideas Distillery, CQ Shopfront aims to prove that creatives can successfully live and work regionally.
The project will enable artists from the broader Central Queensland area – from the Fraser coast in the south, to Mackay in the north and west to Banana Shire – to gain access to skills development, mentoring and networking opportunities to help them refine their creations, in terms of market need, branding, packaging and more, to build commercially viable creative products.
Rockhampton Art Gallery is backing the project by providing links with local artists, workshop and residency venues, and a desire to stock refined products in the future Rockhampton Museum of Art.
The first in a series of “Business for Creatives” Zoom workshops and webinars for local artists are being held in May and June. Topics include What is Merchandise, Product Planning, Sales Strategy, Introduction to Business Planning, Target Audience Profiling and more.
Workshops are being conducted by artist and Flying Arts tutor Katie Whyte and Shelley Pisani from The Ideas Distillery.
Rockhampton Regional Council Community Services Portfolio Spokesperson Councillor Drew Wickerson encouraged local artists to take part in the webinars and workshops.
“We have a lot of talented artists in our Region, and projects such as CQ Shopfront will go a long way to nurturing our creatives as they each develop their arts practice so it becomes commercially viable.
“In turn this will show that it is possible to be a successful artist and live in regional Queensland,” he said.
For more information and to book a Zoom workshop or webinar, visit http://www.theideasdistillery.net
Workshops are free for participants who live in Central Queensland.
Rockhampton Art Gallery is owned and operated by Rockhampton Regional Council
CQ Shopfront has been funded by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and CQ RASN. The Regional Arts Services Network is an initiative of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
The project has received funding from The Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Rockhampton Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
The Rockhampton Museum of Art is jointly funded by the Australian Government and Queensland Government in association with Rockhampton Regional Council
PICTURED: Shelley Pisani from The Ideas Distillery