Great news to share is last week’s correspondence with the Curator of Contemporary Australian Art at the AGNSW Wayne Tunnicliffe, who has responded in utmost support to the premise of the SASS petition. In acknowledgement of SASS’s highlighting of the need for a formalised schedule of fees, Wayne has acted directly by re-writing the fee for exhibition in the Level 2 Project Space to $2,000 in the budget for corporate sponsorship that the gallery is currently seeking in order to continue this program (this being a real increase from the previous $1,200). Let’s hope the
corporates come to the party! Also interesting to learn was that it’s often the case that individual curators have to argue for the payment of artist fees within projects, which can make for their being open to variation.
SASS well appreciates the difficulties this creates for curators, administrators, artists and for a healthy sentiment between all parties, and
can only agree with Wayne that many organisations would surely welcome the implementation of a national standard.

So three cheers to a significant and incredibly positive first outcome from the position that SASS is yo-yo-ing overtime to establish!

26/7/04 – YO YO YOUR NO NO meeting no. 3, SAMAG’s ‘Meet the Feds’, Australia Council

Power to the yo yo! Monday’s first echo-action was a swinging success – informal, fun and importantly, effective. Full credit to all four Senators for entering the building through the front door and not the basement as advised by OzCo, so we had the pleasure of at the very least briefly eyeballing (Kemp) and at best chatting, meeting & greeting the Feds. Shadow Minister for the Arts etc Kate Lundy introduced herself freely, expressing support and awareness for the campaign and a desire to receive first hand information from artists on their experiences of professional practice(senator.lundy@aph.gov.au). She also stressed the support and awareness of the SASS campaign of Labor Party President Carmen Lawrence, encouraging us to lobby her directly. Very exciting! Senators Kerry Nettle & Aden Ridgeway signed in support of the petition, and we collected lots of signatures from supportive arts professionals attending the SAMAG meeting
and friendly passers-by.

Journalists from The Australian were on the phone & on the ground to check out what was going up & down, and we made good on YO-YO-ing our NO NO,
though shamefully none of the pics turned up in yesterdays article -

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10256001%255E16947,00.html

(also spied as a newslink at http://www.artforum.com!)

Unsurprisingly our campaign material rocked (yo-yos, balloons strung with SAY NO TO NOTHING graphic). Feedback from insiders suggests there was positive acknowledgement and support of our
presence during the meeting, whilst down at the door we were thrilled by the campaign feedback, advice and true yo-yo prowess of our new friend Grant of OzCo Security (though slightly outperformed by a superstar passerby, the
only one to come even close to Cat’s Cradle & Rock the baby).

SASS [sydneyartseen@yahoo.com.au]