Professional Practice for Emerging Artists

Are you eager to move from being an art enthusiast to becoming a practising, exhibiting, and sustainable artist—but feel overwhelmed by the challenges? This course introduces what it really takes to become a professional artist and offers insight into both the obstacles and exciting opportunities of the art world. You’ll gain an overview of how to research, plan, and understand the personal investment of time, money, energy, and creativity required to survive and thrive in the arts.

Led by Paul McDonald, the course explores what’s expected as you step into the professional art world. You’ll learn how to build confidence in your artistic objectives, define your audience, consolidate your practice, and prepare for exhibitions through realistic and structured timelines. Along the way, you’ll be introduced to practical project management tools that will help you manage time, budgets, and resources while taking full responsibility for the success of your art projects.

Key topics include:

• Building a sustainable art practice with clear goals and timelines
• Project management techniques for time, budgeting, and workload
• Understanding different gallery models and the role of curators and gallerists
• Developing professional relationships and pitching ideas effectively
• Exploring diverse presentation formats, from traditional galleries to alternative spaces, public venues, and self-publishing

The course also highlights the importance of professional presentation, offering strategies for showing your work in the right context and to the right audience.

This program is suitable for students working in any medium who are ready to take their practice to the next level and begin engaging with the art world as professional, exhibiting artists.

*Short courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over.

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

• Pen & Notebook OR Laptop for taking notes

Paul McDonald is a socially engaged educator, artist and curator whose practice explores social issues, masculinity and mental health.

His most recent exhibition and publication “Study of Self” was presented at Photo 2022 in Melbourne. Paul is represented by ‘The Little Black Gallery’, London, and his photographs have been published and exhibited in over 25 countries.

He completed his Master of Arts in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in 2016, with Distinction, at University of the Arts London, and he worked at the Australian Centre for Photography. In 2014 he founded Contact Sheet and in 2022 started the Working Dog Gallery, curating over 40 exhibitions, with over 350 artists, public and community programs.

Paul works with international companies on their public art strategies and projects. He is a member of the Cultural and Creative Arts Advisory Committee of Willoughby City Council.