Official opening of ArtSource centre in King Street

12/6/98

An employment service for artists was officially opened by Arts Minister Peter Foss at the King Street Arts Centre this evening.

"The official opening of ArtSource marks another significant step for the public art program in Western Australia," Mr Foss said.

"Already WA is a leader in this field. The State Government Per Cent for Art Scheme has completed over 60 projects since its inception and WA was the first to develop a 'how to' practical guidelines manual providing valuable service to people about to commission a public art project.

"You do not find anyone batting an eyelid at the thought of an employment agency that specialises in accountants, engineers or health professionals, now we have an artist employment agency.

"ArtSource has created a professional employment and referral service specialising in the recruitment and selection of qualified and talented visual artists across all disciplines.

"They will have information on hundreds of visual artists including sculptors, painters, ceramic artists and many more.

"The service will include a digitised data base that illustrates the artist's previous work, a significant contemporary slide collection, artist selection and project management.

"If people are looking to employ an artist then they should be looking at the ArtSource data base, and artists should be doing all they can to be registered on the data base.

"I am confident that the public art program in WA will continue to develop as people increasingly demand more of the places in which they shop, work and live."

ArtSource can be contacted at King Street Art Centre, Munster Lane, Perth.

More than 200 people attended the launch and the Minister was one of many who participated in a 'Paint Off' that saw teams of painters pitched against each other to decorate a blank canvass in three minutes.

Media contact: Chris Morris 9321 2222