NAVA

NAVA is calling on artists and arts workers to make a submission to the Australian Government's National Cultural Policy consultation before 24 May 2026. Not sure where to start? NAVA hosted three discussions in April covering First Nations, Pay the Artist, and Conditions of Practice. Notes are now available to help you prepare submissions, which can be brief and grounded in lived experience. Link in bio to find out why and how to have your say. 📸 Artbank collection storage facility in Sydney NSW. ID: A person wearing white gloves walks through an art storage facility, surrounded by tall metal grid racks displaying a diverse collection of framed paintings and photographs.

The Government is consulting on the next National Cultural Policy. Despite policy recognition that artists are workers, many are still not paid, or not paid enough, for the work they do. NAVA is calling for structural change and is inviting members to contribute to its submission to the next National Cultural Policy through a series of sector discussions from 28–30 April. As part of this campaign, all new and renewing NAVA Members will receive a free PAY YOUR ARTISTS tote throughout April 🩷 Link in bio. Image: PAY YOUR ARTISTS tote, with pink shirt from the Romance Was Born x Pip & Pop (Tanya Schultz) collaboration. Photo courtesy of NAVA. ID: A black tote bag printed with the bold text “PAY YOUR ARTISTS” inside a white rectangle and the NAVA logo in the bottom right corner, carried on the shoulder of a person wearing a vibrant pink and green shirt against a bright blue background.

NAVA’s new Educator Guide, ‘Introduction to Committing to Meaningful First Nations Projects in Education Settings’ is now available on our website. Written by Dr Emma Hicks @buu_gaba , the guide provides culturally appropriate protocols for educators across all school levels, covering workshops, residencies, and other creative projects. It is freely accessible as part of NAVA’s Teacher Toolkit. Link in bio. nava.net.au/teacher-toolkit 📸 Cover illustration by Dr Emma Hicks 2025, courtesy NAVA. Accessible PDF design by KC & the Graphics Bandwagon @kcandthegraphicsbandwagon ID: Twelve oyster-shaped icons arranged in four rows on a pastel orange background, each representing interconnected elements of land and waterways. The shapes feature a palette of bright green, pink, blue, and orange, accented with touches of black and white.

Miss the REWIRE: Understanding Mental Health in the Visual Arts webinar? The recording and transcript are now available. NAVA and @supportact 's webinar offers practical, psychologically informed tools to help artists and arts workers build sustainable creative careers. 📸 Screenshot from the REWIRE webinar co-presented by NAVA and Support Act. ID: Screenshot from the REWIRE webinar showing Dr Ash King presenting a slide on psychosocial hazards facing visual artists, including financial precarity, isolation, and career instability.

The 2026–27 Federal Budget maintains existing arts funding commitments under Revive, including support for Creative Australia, the Regional Arts Fund and Visions of Australia. This stability is welcome, but the Budget does little to address the conditions under which many artists are working. Measures such as making the $20,000 small business instant asset write-off permanent may positively affect some artists by supporting investment in equipment and materials, as well as the acquisition of artworks by living Australian artists through the scheme. However, most visual artists and arts workers continue to face insecure incomes, unpaid labour and rising costs. Recent analysis from A New Approach shows federal per capita arts spending has fallen to a record low, with a growing proportion directed toward infrastructure rather than the people who produce and sustain creative work. NAVA is calling for deeper reforms around tax, superannuation, AI regulation, and support for small-to-medium arts organisations, and sees the upcoming National Cultural Policy consultation as a key opportunity to properly address the economic sustainability of arts careers. Image: Screen shot of Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivering the 2026–27 Federal Budget speech in Parliament. Broadcast by ABC News.

Come and have a seat with NAVA at the Long Table, a pop-up co-working space in Randwick for creatives to clear that admin to-do list together in solidarity. Hosted by Randwick City Council @randwickcouncil the Long Table offers a space for artists to build skills, share knowledge, and connect with others navigating the realities of creative work. Randwick Town Hall will be transformed into the ultimate space to focus — with long tables, low lighting, free coffee, and not to mention the accountability of an open plan area. Step out of your bedroom office, free up the table at your local café and join your creative peers at the Long Table, a pop-up co-working space hosted by the Arts and Culture team. 📅Thursday 14 May 2026 📍 Randwick Town Hall, 11am - 4pm AEST. Book a time slot to chat with NAVA via link in bio. Image: Provided by Randwick City Council. ID: A graphic tile with baby blue and baby pink backgrounds, with squiggles and wavy circle shapes. Text over the four tiles reads "Sector Sessions. Long Table: Ask NAVA. A pop-up coworking space for creatives at Randwick Town Hall alongside industry advocates, NAVA. 11am-4pm Thursday 14 May."

🚨Next week: Join us for a free online workshop for artists and arts workers, looking at the foundations of communication, the role of trust, and how misunderstandings form in the arts sector. Delivered in partnership with Support Act @supportact , MINI: Communication and Conflict unpacks why communication can be both powerful and challenging in creative and collaborative work. Participants learn to identify common sources of conflict, explore their own communication style, and practice strategies for constructive dialogue. A light-hearted Am I The A**hole? activity helps participants reflect on real-world dynamics safely and insightfully. The workshop ends with practical tools and resources for strengthening communication long-term. 📅 Tuesday 12 May, 1.30pm - 2.30pm 📍 Online workshop Register via link in bio. Image: Provided by Support Act. ID: A graphic with red background and white text that says “MINIs: Bite-sized mental health skill builders”.

NAVA's new guide, 'A Visual Artist's Guide to Generative AI,' is now available for NAVA Members via link in bio. Oliver Bown's guide breaks down everything you need to consider before working with Generative AI, from copyright risks and training data consent to transparency, bias and environmental impact. 📸 Illustration by Emily Johnson @darthem123art ID: IIllustration of a handwritten document with a magnifying glass resting on top, on a bright blue background.

Today is your last chance to claim a free PAY YOUR ARTISTS tote bag. Join or renew your NAVA Premium Plus or Premium (full-year) Membership today and we'll send one your way 🖤 nava.net.au/join Photo by Shoufay Derz @shoufay ID: A black tote bag printed with "PAY YOUR ARTISTS" and a black t-shirt reading "RECOGNISE ART AS WORK" hang side by side on a white clothing rack against a blue background.

Last few days! Grab a free PAY YOUR ARTISTS tote bag with a new or renewed NAVA Premium Plus and Premium (full-year) Membership. Offer ends 30 April. Pictured: the lovely Pamela Leung @instapamit with their new tote. ID: Pamela smiles as they hold up a black tote bag with the words "PAY YOUR ARTISTS," seated in front of a teal wall with vintage posters and artwork.

Join the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) for an online workshop: Introduction to the Code of Practice, hosted by Kingston Arts @kingstonartsau NAVA’s Code of Practice is written specifically for visual arts, craft and design practitioners and includes good practices for exhibiting, selling, commissioning and more. In this workshop: → Learn what the Code covers → How to access and navigate it → How to apply the Code, with real-world examples 📅 Wed 29 April, 6:30pm - 7:30pm 📍 Online workshop Book your spot today via the link in bio. This workshop is facilitated by Shoufay Derz and Georgia Mokak and will be Auslan interpreted. Image: Illustration by Claudia Chinyere Akole @claudinsky © 2022 ID: A graphic illustration in shades of orange of a person grasping money, to the side there are four bubbles with drawings of a clock, paint supplies, a van and calculator in them. The illustration sits against a pink background.

NAVA's Untangling Insurance webinar, held in February 2026, brought together insurance provider Cover for Creatives and artist Keroshin Govender @keroshin to help artists understand risk, liability, and coverage in plain terms. For those who couldn't attend or want to revisit the discussion, the recording and transcript are available on NAVA’s website: nava.net.au/news 📸 Screenshot from the Untangling Insurance webinar with Cover for Creatives and artist Keroshin Govender, 25 February. ID: A collage of scenes from an art workshop, showing participants engaged in printmaking activities in a studio space. Online attendees are visible in a sidebar alongside an Auslan interpreter.