Art centres are increasingly working on major collaborative art projects with other artists and institutions which may be unfamiliar with the complex legal and cultural issues which arise when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island artists in remote communities. Often such projects evolve holistically over time and documenting them is difficult. A written contract is a critical element of a successful well managed project.
This sample agreement can be used when an art centre is working with an exhibiting institution and an external artist or creative organization (whether the visual arts or another creative medium) to create a new body of work for a major public exhibition. It is intended to regulate the overarching collaboration between these three principal players. It is not suitable for particular individuals who are contracted to work on pieces of the project such as a filmmaker documenting part of the process or a person running an artist workshop. In that situation, see Arts Law?s Project Facilitator Agreement. It is also not suitable for the situation where the exhibiting institution is not involved in the project from the outset.
If the art centre is engaging or contracting an external artist to work jointly with the local Indigenous artists to create a collaborative piece, see Arts Law?s sample Collaboration Agreement: Visiting Artist.
Before using this agreement we recommend that the parties read the Artists in the Black information sheet Collaborative Art Projects.
