Logo design competition

Indigenous Art Code Limited logo competition - $5000 Cash Prize

Welcome from the Chair - Ron Merkel Q.C

The Indigenous visual arts industry has seen enormous growth over the last decade.  It represents a significant part of Indigenous Australian culture which is proving not only intriguing and beautiful to the non Indigenous world – both here in Australia and overseas – but has become a valuable commodity which has the potential to provide significant benefit to Indigenous artists, their families and communities and Indigenous Australian people as a whole.

The majority of the Indigenous visual arts industry is doing the right thing - making fair deals with artists, being clear and transparent throughout those deals and providing support where needed. However, as the Senate Report Indigenous Art - Securing the Future highlights, there are still examples of unethical, misleading or unconscionable behaviour, which exploits individual artists, affecting not only them but their families, communities and the entire industry. 

The Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct is a significant step towards securing ethical trade for the industry in that it will establish a set of industry standards, providing a benchmark for ethical behavior and a way to build greater certainty for consumers that the artworks they buy come through ethical processes.

Indigenous Art Code Limited (the Company) is a public Company, limited by guarantee, which provides the governance and legal framework to administer the Code. In joining the Company, art dealers commit to upholding the Code. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I invite all individuals and organisations engaged in commercial trade with Indigenous artists to show their commitment to a strong and fair Indigenous visual arts industry by applying to join the Company.

It is worth pointing out that the approval process for applications will take a broadly inclusive approach.  This is very deliberate, as it is not the intention of the Code to form an exclusive club, but to raise the standards across the whole of industry.  Only once a dealer, gallery or art centre has signed up and committed to uphold the Code, can their behaviour be assessed by the requirements of the Code.  In this way, we hope to change the behaviour and raise the standards of the industry as a whole - making those who choose to continue to act outside of these standards or deny the worth of the code, more visible and more accountable for their practices.

The Board also invites Indigenous artists and supporters of the Code who are not engaged in commercial dealings with Indigenous artists to join the Company and work with us to build a strong and fair Indigenous Visual Arts industry.

My fellow Board members and I have a daunting, but exciting, time ahead of us.  Setting up the framework for the administration of a voluntary industry code of conduct is no small task.  We are grateful to have the backing of the Australian Government through endorsement and financial support for the next two years and appreciate the additional support recently committed by the Cultural Ministers Council to assist us with promotional and educational activity. It is now up to us, the industry to make the Code work.

As in any new venture, there will be issues as we develop and test the systems and processes required to administer and monitor the Code. We hope that industry members will work together with Indigenous Art Code Limited in the spirit of co-operation and with the shared aim of improving and strengthening the industry.

Mr Ron Merkel QC