Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund supports the 18th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art 2024 called ‘Inner Sanctum’ which will run from 1 March – 2 June 2024. The exhibition in the Art Gallery of South Australia is known to be a career-defining moment for contemporary Australian artists. Artwork in this exhibition have been curated by José […]
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The festive season is drawing closer, and Christmas shopping – whether you love it or loathe it – is fast ascending to the top of your to-do list. You’re likely to be left spoilt for choice or at your wits’ end when it comes to present ideas but, luckily for you, we’ve pulled together a […]
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Australia’s oldest continuously running art centre, Ernabella Arts in Pukatja Community South Australia, has teamed up with one of the country’s most iconic homewares brands, Kip&Co, to design a homewares and clothing collection. The collaboration saw the Copyright Agency negotiate on behalf of the Ernabella artists to protect their moral rights and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual […]
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Here’s an update and a refresher on Resale Royalty: Artists, could your resold artworks be eligible for a payment? If you are aware of a resale and would like to check if a royalty may be due, please contact us. You’ve heard people talk about first and second resale but those terms can be confusing. A quick way to […]
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The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair is an annual celebration of Indigenous art and culture. This year Copyright Agency’s Visual Arts team had the privilege of taking part of this fantastic art fair that showcased the best of the First Nations culture from 11 -13 of August 2023 at the Darwin Convention Centre. Copyright Agency’s Cultural […]
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Copyright Agency recently licensed Sallyanne Roberts’ artwork Kuru Ala as the cover image for the second edition of Flavours of Australia, a cookbook and culinary guide showcasing Australia’s best restaurants and top chefs, published by Sunday Press. Flavours of Australia is a cookbook that shares more than 500 pages worth of the best spots for […]
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As we approach the 13th anniversary of the Resale Royalty Right, we celebrate the milestone of $13 million in royalties generated by the scheme. The Resale Royalty Right recognises artists ongoing rights in their work and provides them with a share of its ongoing value. Here’s how the scheme is performing: $13 million Over $13.3 […]
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Copyright Agency members shine in 2023 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman accolades. Copyright Agency member, Doris Bush Nungarrayi, is the winner of this year’s prestigious Sir John Sulman Prize, for her work Mamunya ngalyananyi (Monster coming). Her painting features Mamus, which she refers to as ‘cheeky ones’. Mamus are ominous and malevolent spirits that can shapeshift, […]
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A new outdoor café in Perth’s Burswood Park recently opened adorning stunning artwork by Western Australian Noongar artist, Linda Loo. Bilya Café sits on the land of the Noongar people on Whadjuk Country, beside the Swan River. In Noongar language, ‘bilya’ means ‘river’. Local elder, Bruce Loo, who worked with Crown to research this historically […]
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Copyright Agency is saddened to hear of the passing of John Olsen AO OBE. Known for his distinctive painting style and depictions of landscapes, Olsen was one of Australia’s most acclaimed artists. During a career that spanned more than sixty years he won numerous awards, including the Wynne Prize in 1969 and 1985, the Sulman […]
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Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund is thrilled to announce the opening of TextaQueen: Bollywouldn’t on October 22 at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art as part of the Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP) program. CAP is a three-year commissioning series in partnership with leading Australian arts institutions 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Sydney), the Australian Centre for Contemporary […]
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Blue Poles Park was recently opened in the new Canberra suburb of Whitlam, in a nod to Whitlam’s approval of the controversial artwork purchase by the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) almost 50 years ago.
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The number of artists benefitting from the Resale Royalty Right continues to grow. The scheme has now reached the milestone of $12 million in royalties generated for artists, plus we see new artists come into the scheme each year – in 2020-21 over 200 artists had their first resale eligible for a royalty payment. Here’s what […]
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Fine art and high fashion were one at the Country to Couture runway shows, which took place on Larrakia Country in August.
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Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund is supporting Sydney Contemporary’s Talk Contemporary program, as well as ‘First Nations Voices: Walk Look Listen’ at this year’s art fair. First Nations Voices, Walk Look Listen features new videos by First Nations artists whose work is showing at the Fair, enabling the viewer to see the artist talking about that […]
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Connection: Songlines from Australia’s First Peoples is a new digital immersive experience from the creators and producers of Van Gogh Alive which premiered at the National Museum of Australia (NMA), Canberra on 8 June.
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The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has hosted the world premiere of ‘The Picasso Century’ exhibition, which opened on 10 June and will run to 9 October.
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The Resale Royalty Right enables artists who create work to share in its value when it is resold. On the 12th anniversary of the scheme, here’s some information about how it’s performing.
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Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP and Copyright Agency join in celebrating Australia’s resale royalty scheme hitting the $11 million milestone.
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The Copyright Agency is excited to be working with the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in 2022 for the second year of our Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP) visual arts commission. This annual series was launched in April 2021 to support major commissions for mid-career and established visual artists, providing an $80,000 commission and solo […]
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The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund will support visual artists and galleries in the following exhibitions across Australia. The 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Free/State opened on 5 March, with an outstanding selection of artists challenging histories and art forms. Curator Sebastian Goldspink has compiled a Spotify playlist with an eclectic mix of songs (chosen […]
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Yankunytjatjara artist Linda Puna has just released a capsule collection of jackets and coats, co-designed with ethical fashion label Unreal Fur, set to be released in stores and online this week. The collection was revealed to the public at her very first solo exhibition, Awari (Wow!) at Alcaston gallery in Melbourne at her launch on […]
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The Exhibitionists is a short film created by Northern Pictures, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia. A celebration of women in the arts, as well as a reminder of the obstacles female artists have faced in Australian history, the film was aptly set to debut on ABC TV on International Women’s Day (8 March).
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Visual artist Khaled Sabsabi’s first major survey exhibition in NSW, A Hope, opens on 4 January 2022 at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Co-curated with Adam Porter, Senior Curator of Contemporary Visual Art, the exhibition recognises almost three decades of Sabsabi’s multidisciplinary contemporary art practice. In 2020 Sabsabi was awarded the Copyright Agency’s Fellowship for a Visual […]
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The Indigenous Art Code’s campaign “Our art is our lifeline” provides information on buying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art ethically.
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Known as Australia’s longest running and most prestigious Indigenous art award, the 2021 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAAs) were announced in an online event on 6 August.
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The Resale Royalty Right for Visual Artists Act 2009 (the Resale Act) allows for reciprocal resale rights to be established with countries that have an operating resale royalty scheme.
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South Australian artists Louise Flaherty and Laura Wills recently launched Plant Notes, an exhibition investigating the personal and environmental effects of losing vulnerable native flora through their research as part of The Guildhouse Collections Project, at the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre and Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
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Townsville Hospital and Health Service have recently adorned the reception and hallways of their brand new renal unit with stunning artworks from First Nations artists Billy Missi, Gertrude Deeral and Syd Bruce Short Joe.
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Three directly-elected positions on the Copyright Agency’s Board come up for election this year – that of Author Director, Artist Director and Publisher Director.
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Magpie Goose is a social enterprise founded by Maggie McGowan and Laura Egan. The fashion brand launched back in 2015 and since then they have produced several collections and collaborations of vibrant, ethically made fashions from First Nations art printed onto sustainable fabrics.
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Melbourne artist Peter Wegner has won the 2021 Archibald Prize with his portrait of fellow Archibald Prize winning artist, Guy Warren.
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The Resale Royalty Right enables artists who create work to share in its value when it is resold. Commencing on 9 June 2010, the scheme recognises artists ongoing rights in their work and provides them with a share of its ongoing value.
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John Olsen, one of Australia’s greatest living artists known for vibrant and poetic depictions of the Australian landscape, is exhibiting three never-before-seen journals as part of a major multimedia exhibition, ‘John Olsen: Goya’s Dog’ at National Art School (NAS) Gallery from 11 June till 7 August 2021.
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Yhonnie Scarce will exhibit her work at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) as part of its Contemporary Australian series.
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The new Chancellery at Monash University’s Clayton Campus celebrates one of Australia’s leading painters, Margaret Preston.
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Artist Daniel Jenatsch has been awarded the annual 2020 John Fries Award for emerging artists by the Copyright Agency.
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The 2020 Copyright Agency John Fries Award exhibition, will open at UNSW Galleries on 13 March, when the winner of the $10,000 award will be announced.
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The Copyright Agency is inviting creators to submit information about where their works have been published to be eligible to claim their share of copyright royalty payments.
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The 2020 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes were announced on 25 September, with some momentous victories for Indigenous artists.
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We licensed a stunning selection of works by Aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye for a monograph published in late July this year.
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Resales of artworks acquired before 9 June 2010 do not meet the criteria for a royalty payment – but they need not miss out altogether.
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Sydney Contemporary has unveiled a month-long experiential platform to help audiences explore, discover and buy new work from artists.
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Copyright Agency has licensed a fantastic collaboration between specialty retailer Adairs and Indigenous art business Miimi & Jiinda.
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Due to ongoing restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the 2020 John Fries Award winner announcement and exhibition will be postponed until 2021.
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A large number of our members have recently received honours at two major awards celebrating Indigenous art: the annual NATSIAA and the inaugural NIFA.
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The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has awarded three fellowships totalling $240,000 as the creative industries continue to call for critical financial support of Australia’s writers and artists. The Fellowships have been awarded to authors Rodney Hall and Krissy Kneen and visual artist Khaled Sabsabi, with each receiving $80,000 to write and create important new works. […]
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9 June 2020 marked a decade of the Resale Royalty Right for Visual Artists in Australia. The Copyright Agency is appointed by the Australian Government to collect and pay royalties to artists when their work is resold. Under the Resale Royalty Scheme, a 5% royalty is payable on certain resales worth $1,000 or more. You […]
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Applications for the Copyright Agency’s $80,000 Fellowships close at 1pm on Monday 29 June. This year there are two Fellowships on offer for Australian writers and one for an established visual artist. The latter is designed to support the creation of an important new work, either for exhibition or for a public outcome. The inaugural […]
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With exhibitions, sales, teaching and other sources of casual income in short supply, the licensing income and resale royalties that flow to visual artists are more essential than ever. You’ve been asking for advice during this challenging period, so we’ve compiled some tips and information for you. And as always, the Visual Arts team remains […]
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We recently announced recipients from our first round of Emergency Action Funding. From an extremely competitive pool of applicants, ten were selected for their Visual Arts Projects: Tully Arnot, to support research, learning and development of new skills in building virtual reality artworks for online exhibition Tom Blake, for a project titled “cliche of the […]
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In a first-of-its-kind arrangement, Copyright Agency has licensed an artwork for a tattoo! The artwork is by Indigenous artist Chris Black, who works out of Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association in Milikapiti Community on the Tiwi Islands. Jarrangini (buffalo) (2018) is a screenprint depicting the head of a buffalo, which was introduced to the Tiwi […]
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As the Australian partner of the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), Copyright Agency has the immense privilege of managing the copyright for celebrated artist Sidney Nolan in Australia and New Zealand. DACS, a not-for-profit visual artists’ rights management organisation and our sister society in the UK, announced its representation of the Sidney Nolan Trust […]
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A Wiradjuri woman living in regional New South Wales, Karla Dickens is known for her provocative reflections on Australian culture, past and present. Awarded the inaugural Copyright Agency Fellowship for a Visual Artist in 2018, she went on to create two large-scale multimedia installations: ‘A Dickensian Circus’ as part of the Biennale of Sydney: NIRIN […]
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Premiering on NITV in February 2020, the Art Gallery of NSW’s deadly gallery event Faboriginal will bring a new form of game show based on Aboriginal art into living rooms across the country. The Copyright Agency worked closely with the gallery and production company Noble Savage Pictures to license 59 artworks for the program. They […]
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Last December the Copyright Agency welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s Post-Implementation Review for the Resale Royalty Scheme. The report analyses the first three years and four months of the Scheme and provides a valuable snapshot into its implementation and early operation. The Resale Royalty Scheme entitles visual artists to five per cent of […]
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Throughout the last calendar year, the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund provided valuable support to Australia’s visual arts sector. Grants were awarded to individual artists to create new work and to pursue career and professional development opportunities, and to organisations to facilitate professional mentorships, residencies (both at home and abroad), skills development and exhibition outcomes. In […]
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The Copyright Agency has announced the finalists for one of Australia’s most highly anticipated awards for early career artists, the John Fries Award 2020. The John Fries Award is a $10,000 non-acquisitive award recognising the talents of early career visual artists from Australia and New Zealand. For the second consecutive year, respected Melbourne-based visual arts […]
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The Copyright Agency has announced funding of $455,691 for 21 ground-breaking projects and six new initiatives supporting writing, reading, editing, education, publishing and the visual arts in its second and final round of grants for the year. Highlights include: funding for Fremantle Press to help train authors on media promotion and showcasing their work to […]
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Mr Gadi Oron, the Director General of CISAC – the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers – will visit Australia and New Zealand this month for a first-hand look at the challenges and success stories around rights management in the region. CISAC, headquartered in France, is headed by electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre […]
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Copyright Agency has issued its 2018-19 Annual Report at its AGM held in Sydney on 20 November 2019. The report provides the audited financial results of the company and reports on achievements in the last financial year. 2018-19 was a strong year with many gains for our members. Highlights include: Strong financial results We generated revenue of around $150m and paid […]
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The British company, Derek Productions, will pay compensation for using an unauthorised copy of a painting by the Aboriginal artist Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri in the first series of After Life, starring Ricky Gervais, on Netflix earlier this year. The company has also agreed to pay a fee for the use of the Papunya Tula artist’s copyright-protected work […]
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As the NBN continues to be rolled out around Australia, it has provided an opportunity for Indigenous artworks to be displayed in the community. NBN Co’s delivery partner Downer has collaborated with the Copyright Agency to source and license artworks by key Indigenous artists to wrap around the NBN network nodes in Sydney’s Inner West. The aim is […]
Read More![Artist Amanda Marburg's studio [Photo © Olivia Tran]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/09/AmandaMarburg_009-350x175.jpg)
If you are an artist, art market professional or art collector, you may have some questions about the Resale Royalty scheme. Artists may be aware that their works have been resold and would like to know if they are owed a royalty payment. Similarly, art market professionals handling sales and resales might wonder if an […]
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Sydney Contemporary, Australia’s largest and most diverse gathering of local and international art galleries, is offering Copyright Agency supporters 20% off tickets to this year’s unmissable event! Taking place at Carriageworks from 12–15 September 2019, Sydney Contemporary will deliver a captivating program of more than 150 events. With curated exhibitions and installations, live performances and […]
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Entries open this month for one of Australia’s most highly anticipated awards for early career artists, the $10,000 John Fries Award. Entries for the 2020 award open on Monday 26 August 2019. The John Fries Award is a platform for some of the most engaging and experimental works of contemporary art in Australia and New […]
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The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund continues to invest in Australia’s arts future, announcing more than $500,000 in grants for the support of 25 projects in the first of two rounds of funding for 2019. Applications for the Cultural Fund’s three Fellowships (each worth $80,000) for two authors and an artist, are open for application until […]
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One of Australia’s most remote art centres, Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in WA, has teamed up with one of the country’s most iconic fashion brands, Gorman, to design a capsule collection that will launch in August. The collaboration is Gorman’s first with Indigenous artists and saw the Copyright Agency negotiate what has been billed as […]
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The Copyright Agency is calling for applicants for its annual round of CREATE grants, which close next month on 19 August. CREATE grants offer opportunities for mid-career and established writers and visual artists to create and develop new work. Grants are allocated in $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 amounts. Author Josephine Rowe received $10,000 last August for […]
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Joint statement – Indigenous Art Code, Copyright Agency, Arts Law Centre of Australia The Indigenous Art Code, Copyright Agency and the Arts Law Centre of Australia have called for tougher laws to protect against the misrepresentation of fake art in the wake of the Federal Court’s findings against Birubi. The Federal Court found that Birubi […]
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The Copyright Agency has today announced Sydney artist Justine Youssef as the winner of the $10,000 John Fries Award at the opening of the award exhibition at UNSW Galleries. The judges also highly commended mother-daughter duo Betty Chimney and Raylene Walatinna from South Australia for their work Nganmpa Ngura (Our Country). Now celebrating its 10th […]
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Eight authors and three artists have received a total of $46,440 from the Cultural Fund’s IGNITE grants program. The grants, ranging from $1900 to $5000, support the individuals through structured mentorships, residencies and study, some of which involves international travel. The authors are: NSW: Winnie Dunn, Adele Dumont, Ellen O’Brien and Michele Freeman. VIC: Janine […]
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Alexander Calder is celebrated in his first Australian retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), featuring works never-before-seen in Australia, including an impressive display of Calder’s most iconic forms: suspended mobiles. Known as the artist who made sculpture move, Calder’s radical and pioneering practice changed the course of modern art. The Copyright Agency has […]
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The key questions we receive from artists are: When is a sale a resale? and When does royalty apply? When is a sale a resale? To answer this question, we often need to take a step back and talk about the first or primary sale from the artist and who they sell to, or through. […]
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The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne has launched the first exhibition in its Influential Australian Artists series supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. The exhibition, Tom Nicholson: Public Meeting, is the first major survey of Tom Nicholson’s practice in Australia and abroad. It runs from 6 April to 16 June and […]
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One of Australia’s most anticipated early-career contemporary art events, the 2019 Copyright Agency John Fries Award exhibition, will open at UNSW Galleries on 21 June, when the winner of the $10,000 award will be announced. This year’s John Fries Award exhibition, There is Fiction in the Spaces Between, brings ambitious new works by the ten […]
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Sydney artist Evert Ploeg has been illustrating book covers for children’s author, poet and publisher Geoffrey McSkimming since the late 1980s but had only spent limited time with the Cairo Jim chronicles author. When his daughters were around 9 and 6, “we started going to book launches” as they were into McSkimming’s Phyllis Wong books […]
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The artworks of four Martumili Arts Centre artists have been licensed and replicated in beautiful metal screens for two remote community medical centres in the Western Desert. The Punmu and Parnngurr Aboriginal Health Clinics in the Western Australian Desert, 1800km from Perth and at least 400km away from their nearest towns, are some of the […]
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The Copyright Agency today announced the finalists for the 10th annual John Fries Award. Led in 2019 by respected Melbourne-based visual arts curator and writer Miriam Kelly, the John Fries Award is a $10,000 non-acquisitive award recognising the talents of early career visual artists from Australia and New Zealand. This year’s finalists are: Betty Chimney […]
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Entries for this year’s landmark 10th Anniversary $10,000 John Fries Award for emerging Australian and New Zealand artists have opened earlier than usual – and will close on 14 January 2019. The John Fries Award is a platform for some of the most engaging and experimental works of contemporary art in Australia and New Zealand. […]
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The Copyright Agency Visual Arts licensing team often provides its services internationally. Notably in 2018 they licensed Australian artworks to clients in both China and Canada. Copyright Agency Manager of Visual Arts, Judy Grady, says “We have a network of international partners in more than 40 countries who we work with to license the work […]
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Over $1 million in resale royalty revenue was generated in the financial year of 2017-18, with more than 180 artists receiving their first eligible resale payment in that time. Artists from all stages of their careers are benefitting from the resale right, which entitles them or their estate to a 5% share of the sales […]
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This is an edited extract of an interview on ABC Radio National’s The Hub On Art with Karla Dickens, who was recently announced as the inaugural Copyright Agency Visual Artist Fellow for 2018. The interviewer is The Hub on Art’s host, Eddy Ayres. What difference is this $80,000 Fellowship going to make in your work? […]
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Sydney artist Akil Ahamat has been awarded the annual $10,000 John Fries Award for emerging artists by the Copyright Agency at the opening of the award exhibition at UNSW Galleries. The judges also highly commend Rachael Mipantjiti Lionel from South Australia for her work Kapi Wankanya. Now in its ninth year, the prestigious John Fries […]
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The Copyright Agency is currently accepting applications from writers and artists for three of its annual Fellowships, each worth $80,000. There are two new fellowships in 2018 – for non-fiction writing and visual art – as well as the existing author fellowship. Applications close on 24 September. To find out more and to apply click […]
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Art lovers take note! This month’s Sydney Contemporary art fair celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary art with art-inspired events and exhibitions from 13-16 September. The Copyright Agency has partnered with Sydney Contemporary this year to present TALK Contemporary: a series of panel discussions featuring leading figures in the arts exploring topical and controversial […]
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Three $80,000 Fellowships are currently available from the Copyright Agency, including the new Fellowship for Non-Fiction Writing and Fellowship for a Visual Artist. These grants provide important, sustained financial support to authors and visual artists to create a new body of work that will resonate with, and enrich Australian audiences. “These Fellowships invest in the future […]
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In September, the Copyright Agency is sponsoring the talks program at Australasia’s largest and most diverse art fair, Sydney Contemporary 2018. With over 70 Australian and International galleries participating, featuring artists from 32 countries, Sydney Contemporary offers visitors access to curated exhibitions alongside an ambitious program that includes ground breaking installations, engaging panel discussions and […]
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While the Resale Royalty Right is generally well understood, we are often asked to clarify the term ‘second resale’ and how it affects eligibility for resale royalty. If used out of context this term can lead to the wrong conclusion on a royalty being due. The term second ‘resale’ is also sometimes confused with second […]
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In celebration of NAIDOC Week this year, artist and Copyright Agency member, Julie Dowling’s work was projected onto the iconic Digital Tower in Yagan Square, Perth. Screenwest – the State’s premier screen organisation – controls the 45-metre high tower which includes a large circular screen and 14 LED lights columns, inspired by the bulrushes found […]
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The merger of the Copyright Agency and Viscopy, on 30 November 2017, has led to a reduction in the administration fee for visual arts licences. The reduction applies from 1 January 2018. Copyright Agency’s administration fee varies slightly from year to year and is currently: On income from ‘statutory’ licence fees collected by Copyright Agency […]
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As part of our recent merger with Viscopy, Copyright Agency has needed to make changes to its Privacy Policy. For a number of years Viscopy provided a list of its members on its website. Copyright Agency will now make a list of its visual artist members available on Copyright Agency’s newly merged website. Copyright Agency […]
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Three directly-elected positions on the Copyright Agency’s Board come up for election this year – that of Publisher Director, Author Director and Visual Artist Director. The three incumbents, publisher Jane Curry, journalist Adele Ferguson and visual artist Dr Oliver Watts, have all indicated they will nominate again for the positions. Members can also nominate for […]
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After a concerted campaign by the Indigenous Art Code, Arts Law Australia and the Copyright Agency to stop the sale of inauthentic Indigenous art and craft products, the Federal Government announced last week it would set up a $150,000 pilot to test digital codes as a way to label authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander products. […]
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Copyright Agency member Yvette Coppersmith has won the 2018 Archibald Prize for her painting Self-portrait, after George Lambert (pictured below). This is the fifth painting Ms Coppersmith has exhibited in the Archibald and was selected from almost 800 entries for the $100,000 award. Of the 57 finalists in this year’s prize, 15 are Copyright Agency members (see […]
Read MoreThe Koori Mail newspaper reports: THREE Aboriginal artists Betty Muffler, Beyula Napanangka Puntungka and Rachel Mipantjiti Lionel – are among the 12 finalists for the John Fries award. See the full story: Koori Mail 2 May Fries Award gives space to create
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The Copyright Agency today announced the 12 finalists for the John Fries Award 2018 – reaching broadly across the spectrum of disciplines, engaging with sound, scent, sculpture, performance, painting and video. Curated by interdisciplinary artist, academic and curator, Consuelo Cavaniglia, the John Fries Award is a $10,000 non-acquisitive award recognising the talents of early career visual […]
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The Copyright Agency is mounting a campaign this month to collect fresh data from Australian artists and their heirs about where their works have been published or used on TV. The campaign aims to build a more comprehensive picture about how copyrighted artwork is being used in Australia and provide payments to artists. More than […]
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Recently the National Association for Visual Artists (NAVA) General Manager, Penelope Benton, sat down with Dr Oliver Watts, the inaugural artist director on the Copyright Agency board. They discussed the benefits and implications of copyright, as well as new and existing initiatives for visual artists. Why is copyright important? Copyright is a wonderful invention, it takes […]
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The Resale Royalty Right for visual artists entitles artists and their estates to a five per cent royalty whenever an eligible artwork resells in Australia. Copyright Agency is committed to ensuring that artists and their estates receive the resale royalties that they are entitled to. We actively investigate missed or inaccurate reporting to recover royalties. So […]
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More than 550 Australian and New Zealand artists entered this year’s John Fries Award, for which the finalists will be announced in early April. Guest Curator and Judge, Consuelo Cavaniglia, says: “This year we have an outstanding selection of applications to assess and we are dedicated to identifying a group of talented artists to encourage […]
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More than 20 Indigenous artists from far north Queensland were trained in new printmaking techniques through a series of workshops run over the past two months. Cairns artist collective Kickarts ran the residential printmaking with support from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, and facilitated by the Lockhart River Arts Indigenous Corporation, Mirndiyan Gununa on Mornington […]
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This year, National NAIDOC Week, from 8 to 15 July, will celebrate the invaluable contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women make to the nation under the theme ‘Because of her, we can!’ Ahead of the event, Queensland fashion label Lifewear Australia has launched a NAIDOC clothing range featuring an artwork designed by Copyright […]
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Once your images are online, protecting them from being copied can seem impossible. While it is a difficult area to police, there are some measures you can take to limit ‘casual copying’. Using third party websites and social channels Understanding what measures are taken to respect and protect your copyright on third party sites is […]
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On Tuesday 13 February, the second Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Writers gathering was held at Parliament House, Canberra for the the launch of Library Lover’s Day. Graham Perrett MP and Senator Linda Reynolds were on hand to hear authors, Alison Lester and Aunty Joy Murphy, illustrator Lisa Kennedy and education expert Laureate Professor John Hattie, highlight […]
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As Qantas’ exciting new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down in Alice Springs recently, members of the Copyright Agency’s visual arts licensing team were on the ground to see the outcome of their work with the estate of the artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye. The beautiful artwork adorning the new plane is an adaptation of the late […]
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The Copyright Agency extends its congratulations to the following members who were awarded honours on Australia Day 2018. Janet McCalman (AC) author Marilyn Lake (AO) author & academic Em Prof Michael Coper (AO) academic Em Prof Russel Lansbury (AO) academic Geoffrey Roberston QC Prof Patricia Hoffie (AM) visual arts academic EM Prof Noeline Kyle (AM) […]
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The judges have been announced for the ninth Annual John Fries Award, for which the call for entries is now open. Consuelo Cavaniglia, interdisciplinary artist, academic and independent curator, continues in her role as Guest Curator and Judge for a second year. She is joined by Sophia Kouyoumdjian, coordinator at Parramatta Artists Studios; Dr Mikala Tai, […]
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At the end of last year, the Copyright Agency and Viscopy formally merged. This was after a five year “services agreement” where the two organisations merged their backend operations but maintained two Boards and two separate memberships. Between them, the organisations represent around 40,000 direct and indirect members, ranging from visual artists and illustrators to […]
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Just a few short weeks after announcing the recipient of the Cultural Fund’s $80,000 Author Fellowship as Kathryn Heyman, the Copyright Agency has announced it will provide $1.035m to 35 arts organisations in 2018. The Copyright Agency’s CEO, Adam Suckling, says: “Everything we do supports our members – authors, journalists, publishers, visual artists and educators […]
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In 2017, the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund selected eight emerging Australian creators to receive funding from its IGNITE program. Pippa Mott was granted $4000 to complete the week-long ‘Criticism and Curating in Art and Design’ course at London’s prestigious Royal College of Art, to expand on her skills as a Curatorial Assistant at Tasmania’s esteemed […]
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Applications for the annual John Fries Award 2018 will open on 15 January. The John Fries Award is an annual $10,000 art award recognising the talents of early career visual artists from across Australia and New Zealand. The 2017 John Fries Award attracted the largest audience in its history, with more than 1,000 people attending […]
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South Australian arts organisation, Guildhouse, received $16,000 from the Cultural Fund in 2016 to develop and expand its Collections Project. The program provides artists the opportunity to work with the collections of cultural organisations like the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Flinders University Art Museum and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia to create […]
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Following the successful decades-long campaign for the return of artist Albert Namatjira’s copyright, the Namatjira Legacy Trust has enlisted the Copyright Agency to manage the licensing rights of the renowned artist internationally. The rights now reside with the Namatjira Legacy Trust, which represents the Namatjira family, and was established as part of a long-term project […]
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Awards for our leading journalists, photographers and cartoonists have flowed thick and fast in the past few weeks. Walkley Awards On Wednesday 29 November, the 62nd Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were held in Brisbane. Fairfax Media’s Michael Bachelard and Kate Geraghty won the coveted Gold Walkley Award for their extraordinary work, “Surviving IS: Stories of Mosul”. Kate Geraghty was […]
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After a successful five-year ‘Services Agreement’ and a Scheme of Arrangement approved by the Supreme Court, the corporate regulator ASIC and members, Copyright Agency and Viscopy formally merged on 30 November. At extraordinary general meetings of the Copyright Agency and Viscopy, members of both organisations overwhelmingly voted to support the merger of the two rights […]
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In October, news emerged that the rights in the work of globally recognised Indigenous watercolourist Albert Namatjira had been returned to the Namatjira family after decades of campaigning. The ABC’s Isabel Dayman reported that the copyright controversy ended, not in a courtroom, but on the phone after the intervention of a high-profile Australian millionaire. Dick […]
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The Copyright Agency and Viscopy announced their intention to merge earlier this year. This process is now underway and, as such, two Extraordinary General Meetings will be held on 2 November – one for Viscopy members (to vote for the change) and one for Copyright Agency members to vote to amend the Copyright Agency’s constitution […]
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Almost a year on from its launch, the Fake Art Harms Culture campaign has successfully helped bring about an inquiry to more closely examine the impacts of inauthentic Indigenous art, with submissions open now. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs announced that it will inquire into the growing presence of inauthentic Aboriginal […]
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Three of our members artworks feature on a fleet of 60 cars currently driving through regional and city centres around Australia in celebration of Telstra’s chief sponsorship of the 34th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). Betty Pumani’s 2016 NATSIAA winning work Antara (pictured below left), Simon Hogan’s painting Lingka (centre), and Beryl Jimmy’s artwork Nyangatja Watarru (right) each feature […]
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After a successful five-year ‘Services Agreement’ between rights management organisations, the Copyright Agency and Viscopy, the two organisations have begun the formal arrangements to merge. As part of the process, extraordinary general meetings will be held before the end of the year. Members will be notified in October as soon as the dates for the […]
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Artist and Viscopy member Angela Valamanesh’s new exhibition Everybody’s Everything: Insect/Orchid opened on 23 August at the University of Adelaide to critical acclaim. Her works have evolved from an artist’s residency at the University’s Rare Books & Special Collections, made possible by a $15,000 Create Career Fund grant from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. Valamanesh […]
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Winner Kuba Dorabialski with his winning work at the UNSW Galleries. Photo: David Varga. Copyright Agency | Viscopy has announced the winner of its prestigious annual John Fries Award 2017 which recognises the talents of early career visual artists from Australia and New Zealand with a $10,000 non-acquisitive art award. The John Fries Award 2017, now […]
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Betty Kuntiwa Pumani from Mimili Maku Arts in Alice Springs has won the prestigious $50,000 Wynne Prize for her painting ‘Antara’ (pictured). The Wynne Prize is Australia’s oldest art prize and is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. From 753 entries, 42 finalists were selected to this year’s prize, […]
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Thirty years ago, Aboriginal leaders decided an organisation would be established to protect the rights of traditional storytellers and artists. Since then, Magabala Books has quietly but determinedly built a solid reputation by supporting indigenous writers and illustrators across all genres, with a special focus on nurturing emerging talent. The Copyright Agency has been a long […]
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The Copyright Agency has sponsored an Innovation Award for an artist worth $10,000 at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, held from 13-16 July. The award is one of five being introduced at the Fair for the first time this year. CIAF’s Artistic Director, Janina Harding said the awards have been introduced to reflect the not-for-profit […]
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On Thursday 13 July 2017 Queensland’s Indigenous artists and organisations were recognised among peers at the opening night of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF). Included in the prizes awarded for excellence and emerging talent was the inaugural Award for Innovation, a $10,000 prize sponsored by Copyright Agency | Viscopy, which this year went to […]
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The 2017 John Fries Award (worth $10,000) will be announced on 11 August at UNSW Galleries in Paddington, Sydney. The annual $10,000 award recognises the talents of early career visual artists from Australia and New Zealand. The 12 finalists will present multiple works in the exhibition, open to the public at Sydney’s UNSW Galleries from […]
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After a successful five-year ‘Services Agreement’ between rights management organisations, the Copyright Agency and Viscopy, the two organisations have agreed in principle to begin the formal arrangements to merge. Between them, the two organisations represent some 43,000 members, ranging from visual artists and illustrators to journalists, cartoonists, surveyors, educational authors and publishers. Viscopy Chair, Tim […]
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In May, the World Intellectual Property Organisation hosted an international conference on the visual artists’ resale right. This landmark event was a milestone in the global campaign to promote international adoption of the right. The Copyright Agency | Viscopy’s Judy Grady presented evidence from Australia’s resale scheme via Skype, to the many artists, policy makers, […]
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The national peak body protecting and promoting the professional interests of the Australian visual and media arts, craft and design sector, NAVA, is gathering signatures as part of a campaign opposing the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to introduce ‘Fair Use’ in Australia. The recommendations to relax copyright protections with the introduction of the US doctrine of […]
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In September 2017, Artspace is set to launch an ambitious project, 52 ARTISTS 52 ACTIONS, commissioning 52 of Australia and the Asia-Pacific’s most exciting artists to develop new work for online exhibition and publication. The Cultural Fund has provided $13,000 to support the program. Every week for a year a different artist will create an […]
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During the parades of Sydney’s Fashion Week, emerging designer Johanna Louise Smith debuted her latest collection featuring works by indigenous artists Jakayu Biljabu and Bugai Whyoulter, from Martumili Art Centre in Newman in Western Australia. Ms Smith collaborated with the artists to have their original works printed onto fabric for the garments in her Resort ’18 collection. […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy today announced the 12 finalists for the John Fries Award 2017. The award, curated by interdisciplinary artist, academic and curator, Consuelo Cavaniglia, is an annual $10,000 art award recognising the talents of early career visual artists from Australia and New Zealand. The award winner will be announced at the exhibition opening on […]
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The Copyright Agency | Viscopy has appointed a new Indigenous Engagement Manager, Jade Christian, to work with Indigenous artists, particularly in remote areas, to educate them about copyright and their resale royalty rights. She is integral to the implementation of the company’s Reconciliation Action Plan and also works closely with our partner organisations, such as […]
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If you are a Viscopy member and you receive a request to reproduce your work, our licensing team is here to help. Refer your requests to Viscopy and our experienced team will handle everything for you. We’ll ensure that your artwork is reproduced to a high standard, attributed correctly, protected by a licence agreement and […]
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The Resale Royalty Right entitles visual artists to a 5 per cent royalty when an eligible work resells in Australia for $1,000 or more. One of the eligibility criteria for a resale royalty is that the person selling the artwork acquired it it on or after after the scheme commenced on June 9, 2010. To […]
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The Copyright Agency has awarded a total of $50,000 to a Western Australian artist, an author from Brisbane and a graphic novelist from Melbourne, through its ‘Create’ Career Fund. The fund provides mid-to-late career writers and visual artists with crucial financial support needed to write, research and create their next work. Recipients of the latest […]
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The copyright collecting society and rights management organisation, Copyright Agency | Viscopy is mounting a month-long campaign to collect fresh data from artists and their heirs about where their works have been published or used on TV. Copyright Agency | Viscopy manages licence fees that allow educational institutions, government, businesses and others to copy and share […]
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Entries have opened for the 8th annual John Fries Award for early-career artists from Australia and New Zealand, which provides $10,000 in prize money for the winning artist and $1,000 for each award finalist participating in the exhibition. The non-acquisitive award has established itself as one of the most highly coveted prizes for early-career artists […]
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Australians artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers have a right to receive fair payment for their work. The sweeping changes to Australian copyright laws being cheered on by Fairfax journalist Peter Martin, the Productivity Commission as well as American big tech companies will see these protections taken away. In his opinion piece in today’s SMH and Age, […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy successfully negotiated a licensing solution between Lexus and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for the auto maker’s Warhol-inspired campaign, L’exhibition. Lexus & M&C Saatchi Sydney drew direct inspiration from Warhol’s unique and timeless art to help position the car company as a luxury retailer with ‘incredible artistry’. The […]
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Viscopy coordinated the permissions and licence agreement with Tjala Arts for the adaption of an original painting onto a double-decker bus for the South Australian Government in celebration of NAIDOC Week. The painting, Seven Sisters, is a creation story (Tjukurpa) that explains the star constellations of Pleiades and Orion for the Anangu people. The artwork was a collaborative painting by […]
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Interdisciplinary artist Consuelo Cavaniglia has been announced as the Guest Curator of the John Fries Award 2017. With a varied background, over the past 12 years Consuelo has worked in a range of contemporary art spaces, universities, regional art centres and artist-led initiatives. Originally from Perth, she has been Coordinator of significant national art prizes, […]
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The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) and Copyright Agency | Viscopy congratulate artists Mikala Dwyer (NSW), and Michelle Nikou (SA) announced as recipients of the inaugural $20,000 NAVA Visual Arts Fellowship. Aimed at mid-career artists these prestigious new Fellowships supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and administered by NAVA, ensure these exceptional […]
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Viscopy in partnership with the Warmun Art Centre recently licensed the artwork of the highly regarded senior artist and elder at Warmun Community, Patrick Mung for Australia Post’s latest series of aerogrammes and international postage paid envelopes. A detail of Mung Mung’s 2011 Gawarre painting is featured on the aerogramme, depicting the Ngarrgooroon Country near […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy is working with industry partners on a campaign to highlight the way fake art and crafts is harming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with an information stand at the major art fairs in Darwin, Cairns and Alice Springs. Fake arts and crafts is not only disrespectful to Aboriginal and Torres […]
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Two Victorian artists have dominated this year’s Copyright Agency | Viscopy John Fries Award for emerging artists announced tonight by the prize’s benefactor Vivienne Fries in Sydney. The $10,000 award winner is Eric Demetriou, while Jessie Bullivant was Highly Commended for her work. Demetriou’s installation piece, An Afternoon with Herb Jercher, is a work combining […]
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Visual artists need easier solutions to take advantage of new revenue opportunities offered by the online environment, a new survey of Australian and New Zealand artists has found. The survey, Voice of the Artist, conducted by research firm AMR, shows that while 90% of the 1,020 artists surveyed have had their work reproduced (with 71% […]
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A major international publisher will be joined by some of the country’s leading arts academics and curators to discuss ethics and the online image, in an event hosted by the Copyright Agency | Viscopy at Vivid Sydney in June. Age of the Image is a half-day forum asking pressing questions about how we can better […]
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Fourteen finalists have been named from nearly one thousand entries for this year’s leading art award for emerging contemporary artists, the John Fries Award 2016. The finalists are dominated by five Victorian artists with a spread from New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, as well as a New Zealander and a Sydneysider on a […]
Read More![Reg Mombassa [Photo © Nick Cubbin]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2016/04/RegMombassa-MemberProfile-350x175.png)
Copyright is important to me. While I don’t mind people being influenced by my work or appropriating it with permission, blatant unauthorised commercial rip-offs can be irritating and insulting.
Photo by Nick Cubbin
Read More![Deborah Kelly [Photo © Nick Cubbin]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2016/04/DeborahKelly-MemberProfile-350x175.png)
I appreciate the agency for its work defending the right of artists to be acknowledged and paid. And for sending money, of course. Thank you!
Photo by Nick Cubbin
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With help from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, the Koorie Heritage Trust has brought to life an exhibition curated by Victorian Aboriginal artist Steaphen Paton, showcasing work created by his elders. This group show weaves a story around the family’s continuous resistance to colonisation, presenting old and new works by five descendants of highly respected […]
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The people of Pacific Island nations have thousands of traditional cultural expressions, from tattoo designs to traditional medicines, but many gaps still exist in understanding how copyright can help protect their culture. Copyright Agency | Viscopy’s Indigenous Engagement Manager, Trish Adjei, recently presented to delegates from more than 11 Pacific Island Government organisations, as part […]
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Nearly a thousand entries have flooded into this year’s 7th annual John Fries Award from artists all over Australia and New Zealand, a 25% increase on last year. The Award attracted 985 entries from emerging and early career artists across multiple disciplines and locations, from a mixed-media Maori artist from Mangakakai, New Zealand to a […]
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Some of the most highly-regarded professionals in the contemporary arts industry have today been announced as judges for the 7th annual John Fries Award. For the second consecutive year, Sydney-based artist, academic Oliver Watts will curate the 2016 John Fries Award Finalist Exhibition. He will be joined on the judging panel by Curator of Exhibitions and Australian […]
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With the first-ever win by an Aboriginal artist – 65-year-old Ben Ward from WA – of the $10,000 John Fries Award last year, the organisers are keen to receive even more entries from Indigenous Australian and New Zealand artists for the 2016 award, which has just opened for entries. Artists need to submit five images of […]
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Emerging and early-career artists from around Australia and New Zealand are encouraged to submit five images of recent work to be consider for the $10,000 John Fries Award. Dates The Call for Entries for the John Fries Award 2016 opened at 8am AEDT on 11 January and will close at 12 noon AEDT on 22 February 2016. […]
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More than 1,000 visual artists from around Australia and New Zealand have completed a survey as part of a new Viscopy led research initiative, Voice of the Artist. Conducted by independent research company AMR, the survey reached beyond Copyright Agency and Viscopy’s membership to include other professional artists who were members of organisations like NAVA, […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy have been busy working closely with the National Gallery of Victoria licensing Warhol’s work for the Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei major international exhibition on now in Melbourne. Developed by the NGV and the Andy Warhol Museum, the exhibition presents more than 300 works, including major new commissions, immersive installations and a […]
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The Copyright Agency | Viscopy today launched a independent research project, Voice of the Artist, to find out more about the extent to which visual artists have been impacted – either positively or negatively – by the online environment. The will be first in Australia and New Zealand to more deeply explore the intersection between visual […]
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Drawing inspiration from the Western Aranda people of the Central Australian Desert and their magnificent country, Big hART have developed The Namatjira Project. A diverse arts project that celebrates the life and work of acclaimed watercolour artist, Albert Namatjira. With funding from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, the project brought to life the Namatjira Professional Development Program […]
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Remote West Australian artist Ben Ward is the first Aboriginal artist, and the first Western Australian, to take out the $10,000 Copyright Agency | Viscopy John Fries Award for emerging artists for his painting Our Country. Despite picking up a paintbrush just four years ago, 65-year-old Ward, a paraplegic, has developed a distinctive painting style: using brightly coloured […]
Read More![Ramesh Nithiyendran [Photo © Bryan Sun]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/03/Ramesh-Nithiyendran-ArtistProfile-1-350x175.jpg)
Despite our necessary contribution to the cultural life of this country, many artists continue to struggle economically. While we are (in a way) privileged to be able to make art and contribute to public discourse, artists do need to be protected from exploitation.
Photo by Bryan Sun
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Finalists are now busy creating new works for the 6th annual John Fries Award exhibition, A Jester’s Whisper, which will open in early September. This year the awards were structured to give more time for artists to develop their artworks specifically for the John Fries Award and Exhibition, which carries a $10,000 prize for the […]
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The Cultural Fund is extending its support for 4A’s Curators’ Intensive, which biennially since 2012 has encouraged professional advancement amongst early career Australian cultural practitioners with an interest in curatorial practice in the visual arts. “What’s the difference between a collection of objects and an exhibition that speaks to us? The answer is dynamic curatorial […]
Read More![Lindsay Foyle [Photo © Bryan Sun]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/07/LFOYLE1-profilepage-350x175.jpg)
I can’t imagine not being involved in either writing or art. When I am not creating something, I am thinking about what I should create. I am 70 now and think I am just starting to understand what I am trying to do, I hope I work it out soon!
Photo by Bryan Sun
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Bibi Barba’s paintings are deeply personal. So when she discovered her artwork, Desert Flowers, was being used all over carpets, coffee tables and wall panels in a Polish hotel without her permission, she decided to embark on the legal fight of her life. Inspired by her grandmother, Bibi’s artwork has, over time, developed into her […]
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From 1 July 2015, the administration fee for royalties collect by the Copyright Agency under the Resale Royalty Scheme will be 15%. This fee is used to support the administration of the Resale Royalty scheme on behalf of right holders and their beneficiaries. A 15% fee for service reflects costs of managing the scheme and […]
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Five members’ artworks were licensed by Viscopy to Murdoch University for use in their Reconciliation Action Plan, including Dalabon Braun Blood from Darren Siwes. Julie Dowling, Darren Siwes and three artists from Mangkaja Arts; Mawukura Jimmy Nerrimah, Wakartu Cory Surprise and Dolly Snell feature in the publication and are artworks held in the Murdoch University Art Collection. […]
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Fiji is rich in Indigenous cultural heritage and tradition. Within the past three decades, Fiji’s tourism has grown dramatically, overtaking traditional industries to become its main export sector. While the country depends on tourism for its growth and development, its creators are challenged to keep pace with demands for producing cultural arts products, and at […]
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Applying cultural protocols to the development of contemporary Pacific works was just one of the topics raised in a panel discussion chaired by Viscopy at a two day symposium held at Contemporary Pacific Arts festival last month. The Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival (CPAF) brings together creative practitioners, community elders, students, academics and arts industry professionals […]
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The Copyright Agency and Westpac recently joined forces to build financial literacy within Aboriginal communities in Queensland. Copyright Agency’s Indigenous Engagement Manager, Trish Adjei together with Bruce McQualter and Michelle Bentley from Westpac held a workshop with around 15 Aboriginal artists on Mornington Island, a small community with a population of around 1000, most of whom […]
Read More![Melinda Harper [Photo © Bryan Sun]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/05/melinda-harper-profile-350x175.jpg)
Copyright is very important to an artist; it provides an income and acknowledgement. It protects the work and the artist’s intentions.
Photo by Bryan Sun
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Michaela Boland’s article (“Olsen v Sotheby’s puts copyright in the dock’’, 28/4) suggests copyright is “in the dock”, when, in fact, what is beyond doubt is that Sotheby’s has breached the copyright of John Olsen. Copyright is simple. You ask per-mission of the creator to reproduce their work and it is their right to refuse […]
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More emerging artists from New Zealand entered the sixth annual John Fries Award than ever before, showing signs that the country’s burgeoning talent is engaging more strongly with the Award. The number of entries from New Zealand rose 166% from the previous year, and represented almost 10% of the total number of entries, which at […]
Read More![John Wolseley [Photo © Bryan Sun]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/04/John-Worsley-Profile-350x175.jpg)
I keep creating because I have this passion to reveal the power and beauty of nature.
Photo by Bryan Sun
Read More![Criss Canning [Photo © Bryan Sun]](https://static-copyright-com-au.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/04/crisscanning_profile3-350x175.jpg)
Artists in general go through many tough and challenging years, refining and developing their art, making it their own. It should not be treated as ‘easy prey’ for others to profit from. It should be respected.
Photo by Bryan Sun
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Fifteen emerging artists have today been announced as finalists to the John Fries Award 2015, one of Australia and New Zealand’s most coveted awards for emerging contemporary artists. The finalists are from all over Australia, with two New Zealand and three Indigenous artists represented. Works include painting, sculpture, installation, video and live performance. The finalists […]
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Respected traditional Kaiadilt elder and Viscopy member Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda (Mrs Gabori) sadly passed away last month, leaving behind a legacy as one of Australia’s most extraordinary contemporary artists. Mrs Gabori exploded onto the art scene in 2005 when she began painting at Mornington Island Art at the age of 81, sharing her unique perspective in […]
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Artists from Australia, China and the UK participated in a series of contemporary art exhibitions, academic forums and workshops in both Darwin and Guangzhou, as part of a cultural exchange program supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. The program culminated in a major exhibition, Peach Blossom Spring | Cacotopia which brought together the work of artists Bu […]
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Emerging Aboriginal artist and past John Fries Award finalist, Serena Bonson, successfully opened her first solo show at ALASKA Projects last month, selling two pieces to the Australian Government’s Artbank collection. Wangarra is a collection of hand-carved figures that capture the story of the Wangarra spirit as told by her uncle Jimmy Angunguna, who also taught her […]
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More than 700 emerging artists entered the John Fries Award this year, the highest number ever received in its six year history. The award attracted entries from early career artists across diverse disciplines and locations – from Aboriginal artists in remote and regional art centres in the Northern Territory – to experimental artists in cities and […]
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Organisers of the 6th annual John Fries Award are reaching out to emerging Indigenous artists across Australia and New Zealand to enter a portfolio of their contemporary work for an opportunity to build their experience as an early-career artist. This year, the entry calls for 5-10 images that demonstrate the artist’s developing practice in their […]
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Some of the most highly-regarded professionals in the contemporary arts scene have been confirmed as judges for the 6th annual John Fries Award. This year’s new curator, Oliver Watts is joined by New Zealand-born curator and acclaimed arts writer, Justin Paton and exciting cross-disciplinary artist, Nell. Long-term judge, accomplished installation artist and daughter of the late […]
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Sydney curator, artist, writer and lecturer Oliver Watts has been named the John Fries Award’s Guest Curator for 2015. Oliver Watts currently lectures at the Sydney College of the Arts at the University of Sydney where he graduated with PHD in Art History and Theory. He is the co-director at the Chalk Horse Gallery in […]
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Viscopy worked closely with the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) to licence works from leading Australian pop artists together with some of the biggest names in pop art from around the world, for their current Pop to popism exhibition. The exhibition features more than 200 works by 70 artists, exploring pop art – […]
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Applications for the John Fries Award 2015 will open 12 January and close 19 February. In previous years, the John Fries Award Call for Entries has closed in early May. This year, we’re running the entry process earlier to allow additional time for the selected finalists to work with the guest curator to identify and/or […]
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By the end of June 2014, the Resale Royalty Scheme had generated 2.4 million dollars from more than 8,900 resales, benefiting more than 910 artists. Artists receiving royalties distributed through the scheme grew in 2013-14 by more than 30 per cent when compared with the previous year. The artists receiving resale royalties are diverse and spread across […]
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Interdisciplinary artist Sarah Rodigari spent two months participating in the 2014 SOMA Summer program in Mexico City, with the assistance of the Copyright Agency’s Career Fund. The intensive, hands-on residency consisted of workshops, studio visits and symposiums with artists and curators from around the globe and culminated in an open studio exhibition showcasing participants’ work. “My time in Mexico was deeply rewarding and rich with […]
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The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has supported the development of an online education platform for visual artists, in collaboration with National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) and the University of NSW and UNSW Art & Design. NAVA Connect offers artists five online courses to enhance their professional expertise and skills in areas ranging from grant writing, managing a business, marketing, expanding career opportunities and building […]
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During 2013-14, the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund supported a group of contemporary artists with mixed Aboriginal and Chinese heritage to travel to Guangzhou, Kunming and Chongqing to share their unique stories of identifying with both cultures. In addition to workshops and panel discussions, the visit included the launch of Yi ban Yi ban – Yellah Fellah, a contemporary exhibition of photographic and […]
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Indigenous communications co-ordinator and legal officer Patricia (Trish) Adjei, travels more than 5,000 kilometres every year to deliver an Indigenous education program to remote regions in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia. Trish, a Torres Strait Islander and Ghanaian woman, gave presentations and information resources to more than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across seven states and territories in 2013-14 alone. […]
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Viscopy distributed more royalties to visual artists during 2013-14 than the previous year, as membership grew and the overall number of Australian and New Zealand artists receiving copyright royalties increased by 24 per cent. During 2013-14, Viscopy distributed $2.47 million in royalties to more than 1,200 Australian artists and more than 900 international artists. The overall amount distributed to artists is higher than the previous […]
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The head teacher of creative arts at North Sydney Girls High School, Karen Profilio, has been awarded the NSW Premier’s Copyright Agency Creativity and Innovation Scholarship for 2014. Karen will travel to street art “hot spots” Buenos Aires, Berlin, London, New York and New Orleans to investigate the practice of female street artists who are […]
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A list of apologetic tweets from multinational and Australian companies screen-printed on a four-metre long strip of t-shirt fabric is one of the featured exhibits at the 5th John Fries Award Finalists Exhibition, run by Copyright Agency | Viscopy. The piece, Apologies, challenges the authenticity of corporations on social media, calling into question how sincere […]
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Melbourne artist Bridie Lunney has won the 5th 2014 John Fries Award for her sculptural-performance work, This Endless Becoming. The artist wins $10,000. John Fries Award curator and judge, Sebastian Goldspink, said the judges were unanimous in their decision, which also saw two artists highly commended: Tim Bruniges for his installation and sound work, Mirrors, and […]
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One artist is just three weeks away from winning the prestigious $10,000 John Fries Award for emerging and early career artists, with the announcement to be made at the award’s venue partner UNSW Galleries in Paddington, Sydney on Tuesday 12 August. Copyright Agency | Viscopy has named 23 finalists from all over Australia for this […]
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have earned 50% of all royalties generated so far. The majority of Aboriginal artists who receive royalties when their works are resold are located in remote and very remote areas in the Northern Territory, followed by Central Australia (SA and WA). Australia’s resale royalty scheme began in 2010 and […]
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Viscopy negotiated a licence with Fairfax Media for the sale of limited edition, artist-signed reproduction prints through a new online store. Viscopy worked with the artists, Fairfax Media and their fine art printers to ensure the prints are of the highest quality. Many are hand-signed, limited editions and all are printed on highest quality archival paper. […]
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Viscopy members were involved in the largest historical survey of Australian art ever displayed in Britain, for an exhibition jointly organised by the National Gallery of Australia and London’s Royal Academy of Arts during late 2013. Australia featured more than 200 works from the 1800s until the present day, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art representing a quarter of the selection. Our […]
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“When I heard the news, I jumped up on a street bench and yelled ‘Whoo hoo!’.” This was the reaction from printmaker and tattooist Alexi Keywan on learning that she was the recipient of $1,500 from Copyright Agency’s 2014 Career Fund. The Lismore practitioner is heading to San Francisco this month to participate in a week-long […]
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Winning the $10,000 John Fries Award in 2012 freed Tasmanian-artist Jacob Leary from financial concerns so he could spend time producing new artworks. Jacob says: “ It freed me up to work on my art and I was able to go travelling. “Early in 2013, I went to Singapore and Thailand. Then later I spent […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy has named 24 finalists for this year’s $10,000 John Fries Award for emerging artists. The 5th John Fries Award will be announced on Tuesday 12 August at the award’s venue partner Galleries UNSW, COFA in Paddington, Sydney. The award’s guest curator and judge, Sebastian Goldspink, said “The calibre of entries for this year’s […]
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Copyright Agency is appointed by the Australian Government to manage the Resale Royalty Scheme for artists, which began in June 2010. Here are the latest statistics about the scheme. Since its start on 9 June 2010 until 9 February 2014, the scheme has generated royalties: Totalling more than $2.28 million From more than 8,000 resales For more […]
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The judging panel for this year’s Copyright Agency | Viscopy John Fries Award draws together a respected group of award-winning artists and arts professionals, lending significant gravitas to the $10,000 award for emerging and early-career artists. The award is now open for entries until May 5 and will be announced on August 12 at the […]
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This year’s Copyright Agency | Viscopy John Fries Award, which is a platform for some of the most engaging and experimental works from emerging Australian and New Zealand artists, opened for entries on Monday 3 March. The annual non-acquisitive award of $10,000 is open to emerging artists of all ages and disciplines, who are Australian […]
Read MoreWriters, artists and publishers are strengthening creative links between Australia and Asia thanks to new funding for cultural projects. The latest recipients of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund will share in more than $630,000 for projects as diverse as exhibitions, residencies, awards and cultural exchange. Manager of the Cultural Fund, Zoë Rodriguez, says the Copyright […]
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An international group of organisations representing creators is calling on the global community to make the right for artists to earn income from resales of their work mandatory in all countries. Australia’s Resale Royalty Scheme provides artists with a five per cent payment from eligible resales of their work. “The protection of artists should be […]
Read MoreCopyright Agency | Viscopy has announced the 22 finalists for this year’s John Fries Memorial Prize for emerging artists, worth $10,000. The works will comprise the John Fries Award Finalists Exhibition to be held at Sydney’s Gaffa Galleries from 24 August to 14 September. A record number of entries were received this year from Australia […]
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Pinerolo is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Copyright Agency Cultural Fund supported Illustrators in Residence. Now in its second year, Pinerolo offers the unique opportunity for five illustrators to spend one week each in 2013 at Pinerolo, to work on their picture book project and have daily mentoring from Margaret Hamilton, respected […]
Read MoreHer work encloses the secret whereabouts of an ochre mine in Chinkapook country, on the banks of the Murray River near Swan Hill. “It’s in someone’s paddock, so you have to sneak through fences but it’s always been known to my family,” says the artist Glenda Nicholls. Imbued with history, the sacred ochre was carried […]
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Emerging visual artists across Australia and New Zealand will have the opportunity for their work to be judged by leading figures in the contemporary art world as part of this year’s John Fries Memorial Prize. Copyright Agency|Viscopy today announced the four judges of the 2013 Prize whose extensive visual arts expertise spans Artbank, the Venice […]
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Sebastian Goldspink will be the guest curator for the 2013 John Fries Memorial Prize for emerging visual artists, as it enters its fourth year. A well-known professional in the Sydney arts scene, Sebastian will be bringing his diverse experience and passion for innovative ideas to this leading contemporary art prize. Sebastian has worked across some […]
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Viscopy has announced a $1.7 million distribution of royalties to members for the 2011–12 financial year, a 19% increase from the previous year. The announcement was made this week at Viscopy’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney. A focus on large international exhibitions over the last 12 months including the Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musee […]
Read MoreOver $1 million in royalties has been returned to Australian artists thanks to the Australian Government’s resale royalty scheme, administered by the Copyright Agency. The scheme provides artists with a five per cent royalty payment from eligible resales oftheir artwork and is an important source of additional income for many practising artists. Copyright Agency CEO Jim […]
Read MoreThe Copyright Agency, in partnership with IAG Productions, has developed a series of easy-to-understand audio messages about the resale royalty scheme in 11 different Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages for remote Indigenous artists. The short message has been produced for community radio and explains what the resale royalty scheme is and how artists can register […]
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Copyright Agency | Viscopy is pleased to announce Tasmanian artist Jacob Leary has won the John Fries Award 2012 for emerging visual artists. Jacob Leary received the $10,000 prize at the opening of the exhibition of the twenty finalists last night at Gaffa Galleries in Sydney. The prize was awarded by benefactor Vivienne Fries. The judges also […]
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unDisclosed, the second national Indigenous art triennial is on display at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra until 22 July 2012 and showcases contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. The works of 20 artists were selected for the exhibition, in recognition of their commitment to excellence and their pursuit of new fields of […]
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Proposed agreement means better rights management and increased payments for artists. A planned services agreement between two of Australia’s prominent rights management agencies, Copyright Agency and Viscopy, will see artists receive additional income, cut red tape and administrative fees and make it easier for organisations and businesses to license copyright material. The proposed services agreement, […]
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Viscopy is pleased to announce Sanné Mestrom the winner of the John Fries Memorial Prize 2011 for emerging visual artists. Mestrom received the $10,000 prize at the opening of the exhibition of the fifteen finalists last night at Blackfriars off Broadway, Viscopy’s contemporary art space in Chippendale. The prize was awarded by acclaimed Sydney artist, […]
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Viscopy is pleased to announce fifteen finalists in the John Fries Memorial Prize for emerging visual artists 2011. The artists are: Cyrus Tang, Erica Molesworth, Eva Hampel, Heath Franco, Jennifer O’Brien, Karl Khoe & Tessa Zettel, Keiko Matsui, Kristel Britcher, Kurt Sorensen, Nathan Taylor, Pauletta Kerinauia, Sanne Mestrom, Susie Nelson, Wade Marynowsky and Walter Brecely. […]
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Viscopy has appointed Venita Poblocki as the guest curator for the John Fries Memorial Prize 2011 for emerging visual artists. This is the first time that Viscopy has engaged a guest curator to oversee the prize which was established in 2010 and features an exhibition of fifteen finalists at Viscopy’s contemporary art space, Blackfriars off […]
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Author Christobel Mattingley and illustrator Bob Graham are the Australian nominees for the International Board on Books for Young People’s (IBBY) Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2012. The Copyright Agency members are amongst 28 authors and 31 illustrators from 33 countries who have been nominated for their important and lasting contributions to children’s literature. A Hans […]
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The Australian Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the 2011 Book Design Awards as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival on 19 May. 2011 marks the 59th year of the Awards, which have grown over the years to now include nearly 20 categories. The Copyright Agency extends its congratulations to the publishers of the books below, all […]
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On 11 May, the Locus Science Fiction Foundation announced the shortlists for the 2011 Locus Awards for science fiction and fantasy writing. The Awards are presented in 15 categories, including science fiction novel, fantasy novel, short story, collection and editor. The Copyright Agency congratulates our members Garth Nix and Margo Lanagan whose work appeared in Zombies […]
Read MoreCopyright Agency member Ben Quilty has been announced as the winner of the 2011 Archibald prize, for his portrait of famous Australian artist Margaret Olley. The Archibald Prize, valued at $50,000, is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia and was first awarded in 1921. When speaking of his subject, Ben said that […]
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Well known Australian illustrator and Copyright Agency member Norman Hetherington has passed away on 6 December 2010, aged 89. Norman was the man behind Australia’s longest-running Children’s television series, Mr Squiggle, and the character of the same name that appeared on the show. Norman was on air for just over 40 years from July 1959 […]
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Australian children’s book author and Copyright Agency member Christopher Cheng recently received the ‘Member of the Year’ award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The award is in recognition of Christopher’s contribution as the SCBWI’s Co-Regional Coordinator for Australia – particularly his work in creating a presence for the Australian and […]
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Melbourne-based animator and Copyright Agency member, Shaun Tan’s short film The Lost Thing has been named on the shortlist for the best animated short Academy Award. In offering our congratulations to Shaun, Rightsholder Relations Manager Eloise Nolan, said “Shaun Tan is an exceptional man. As an illustrator, an author and now as an animation director – […]
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The winners of the inaugural John Fries Memorial Prize 2010 were announced last night at the opening of the finalists’ exhibition, at Viscopy’s new contemporary art space, Blackfriars off Broadway. The competition was open to emerging Australian artists of all ages and disciplines who are not represented in a regional, state, territory or national public […]
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