Applications are now open for the annual Emerging Curator Mentorship, supported by the City of Melbourne.
Applications due midnight Monday 3 April 2023
Blindside invites applications from emerging curators to receive mentorship from Zara Sully, Director Sawtooth ARI based in Lutruwita (Launceston, Tasmania) to develop a $3000 funded onsite exhibition at Blindside.
Through this exciting initiative the successful applicant will conceive and develop a critical group exhibition across both Blindside galleries in December 2023. Online platforms may also be activated. The successful applicant will work closely with the mentor to carry out curatorial research, artistic exchange, project management and funding applications. The project will develop over a number of months leading up to the exhibition, with support from both the mentor and additional support from the Blindside Board of Directors and Gallery Coordinator. The successful applicant will present a project that is considerate of context, time and relevance, engages with contemporary curatorial methodologies, and considers various artistic viewpoints.
Applicants are required to submit an application that outlines their proposed project. Please keep in mind that proposals must present an exhibition framework and possible outcomes, including details of a developed project concept and list of artists.
The successful applicant will receive:
One-on-one mentorship through a series of (online) engagements of up to ten hours.
Support with budget development and project management.
Regular feedback on the curatorial and conceptual development of the project.
Marketing and promotional support.
Project support in the form of venue, online platform and exhibition budget (to be used for artist fees, writers fees, and the production of an accompanying online catalogue).
Support with grant applications for exhibition funding.
Curatorial and professional development advice.
Assistance connecting exhibiting artists with writers and curators.
Onsite technical assistance for your installation.
Staff to invigilate the exhibition, opening event and public programs.
Promotional support through an e-invitation to our database, social media promotion.
Applications will be assessed by the Blindside Artistic Directors following the proposal period. We will provide a response as to whether your application was successful. Please note due to the high volume of applications, Blindside is unable to provide feedback.
ZARA SULLY
Zara Sully is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and arts worker currently based in lutruwita (Launceston, Tasmania). Sully’s artistic practice contemplates an autobiographical and queer methodology. They are interested in forming collective communities through sharing their own personal experiences and relating to others. In Zara’s collaborative and community-driven curatorial practice, Sully is passionate about representing queer and under-represented artists who divulge personal histories and where this merges with the online and digital realm.
Sully holds a BFA (Honours) from the Victorian College Of The Arts (2018) and Monash University (2019). Previous projects include Angel Exchange(hosted by Bus Projects, 2020), On Screen in the Flesh (curator, exhibited at Trocadero Projects 2020), Yours Queerly (artist & co-curator with Brooke Van Der Linden, exhibited at Sawtooth ARI, 2021), and Flow (co-curated with Dr. Helen Whitty, a collaboration between Huon Valley Council and City of Launceston, 2022). Current projects include Ways of Knowing, a collaboration between the University of Tasmania and Sawtooth ARI, as well as the upcoming exhibition Isn’t it Ironic set to be shown at Rosny Barn in May 2023. Sully is a board member of the Georges Mora Fellowship and Sculpture Tasmania and is the current Director of Sawtooth ARI. Their work is held in many public and private collections across so-called Australia. Sully’s favourite film is Twilight. @zarasully.artist
View previous curatorial mentorship projects:
2022. Considering how exaggerated music is,. Curator Sanja Grozdanić. Curatorial mentor Angela Brophy.
2021 Flow. Curator Beatrice Rubio-Gabriel. Curatorial Mentor Amelia Wallin.
2020 Micro-(bial) Tenancies. Curator Abbra Kotlarcyzk. Curatorial Mentor Kyla McFarlane.
2019 Connecting in the grey zone. Curator | Anador Walsh. Curatorial Mentor | Mark Feary.
2018 Anticipation Is Half Of The Seduction. Curator | Jonathan Homsey. Curatorial Mentor | Hannah Matthews.
2017 Always There And All Apart. Curator | Andy Butler. Curatorial Mentor | Emily Cormac.