PO Box 416 Katoomba NSW 2780
Phone: 02 4757 4992
woodlandslv@bigpond.com
The Blue Mountains Artists Company is a networking organisation aiming to connect our community of artists of all disciplines in the Blue Mountains.
It was founded in 2001 during a cross cultural forum which was part of the The Living in Harmony project under the auspices of Blue Mountains City Council. Four local artists, Leslie Hunter-Webb, Sondi Stankov, Annie Byron and Vic Hunter identified the isolation experienced by many mountains artists, and recognised the need for a supportive network to counter this phenomenon. From little acorns…..
BMAC is an independent, incorporated company limited by guarantee, funded mainly by membership fees. It is run by volunteers – all local artists – for the benefit of our arts community as a whole.
Since 2002, BMAC has been in ongoing partnership with Blue Mountains City Council under their Cultural Partnerships Programme, culminating in funding for the development of an electronic Artists Studio Trail and supporting brochure launched on 16th of June, 2006. BMAC also gratefully acknowledges the support of DOTARS, GROW Employment Council and the Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board in this venture.
During 2005-06, as clients of the Australian Business Arts Foundation, BMAC developed its Business Case for Corporate Partnership (to be found under Projects on this website). This Business Case is listed on the AbaF website, and an important development which has come out of our association with AbaF, has been the appointment of Dr Matthew Durban, at that time Snr. Business Analyst at Freehills, Solicitors, to work with the Committee under the AbaF/KPMG AdviceBank Programme. Together we developed a Three Year Strategic Plan specifically for BMAC. Through Matthew’s involvement with BMAC, we also secured a number of his senior colleagues from Freehills to advise us on the restructure of our organisation from an association to a company. Incorporation was granted by ASIC on 19th July, 2006. Freehills are also advising us on copyright and branding. BMAC’s extended association with Freehills has led to the partnership being nominated for the AbaF adviceBank Award for 2006, and to being featured in the June issue of AbaF’s half yearly magazine, CONNECT.
Our association with AbaF/Freehills has provided an amazing opportunity for our organisation and we are extremely grateful for the tremendous generosity being shown by all concerned, particularly to Freehills in giving of their services pro bono!
BMAC also has working relationships with the Carrington Hotel, Katoomba and has recently obtained sponsorship for a major Art Prize from the Crockett Group. We have also secured a three year agreement for annual exhibition space at Sydney Olympic Park commencing Nov/Dec 2007. Other achievements are:- an exhibition at NSW Parliament House scheduled for January 2008; a three year sponsorship agreement with Grace Fine Arts for art freight; currently negotiating international artists residency programme; awarded the Federal Government’s Industry and Enterprise Development Award for 2006; supplied artwork from 25 BMAC artists for use on set of the Channel 10 telemovie entitled “The Falls”.
Keep watching this website for further developments.