Footscray Community Arts (FCA) reaffirms its commitment to being an inclusive contemporary arts centre by becoming a fully registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider. This will provide new employment and development opportunities for artists within the centre’s ArtLife program.

ArtLife was established over 20 years ago and is dedicated to providing a platform for artists with a perceived disability. Working alongside artistic facilitators, artists create new work and expand their skills in visual art, performance and technology. ArtLife is a core program at FCA, a leading, community engaged arts centre, based in Melbourne’s west.

As a registered NDIS provider, FCA will continue to run its flagship ArtLife program within a new innovative artist development model. The 2019 program will introduce new artistic opportunities, including a residency model and one-on-one artistic mentoring sessions. An existing workshops program across various artistic disciplines will continue to run five days a week, providing opportunities for artists to produce new work, refine their practice, and present exhibitions and performances.

ArtLife Artist Esther Tuddenham says, ‘The Residency is a program that runs on a Monday. The program is under the NDIS. I think it will get the artists to grow and get out of their comfort zone. They can make their choices of what they want to work on like their interests, hobbies and desires. I think this program will make ArtLife a better place.’

Director and CEO Martin Paten says, ‘We are really excited to embrace the new opportunities afforded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and to evolve the ArtLife program, which has been absolutely central to FCA over the last 20 years. For some of the ArtLife artists who have accessed the program for over a decade, this marks an exciting new chapter in their artistic trajectory.’

Starting from 2019, FCA will be introducing a new Saturday workshop called Movement Safari, which will be open to new and existing artists of all abilities. An inclusive and fun dance workshop, Movement Safari encourages participants to focus on self-awareness through performance. Jonathan Sinatra, a trained dance artist and current ArtLife Artistic Facilitator, will run this new 10-week dance series.

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1- Photography by Jessica Ibacache.