Accredited Professional Membership guidelines

Contents of this page:

About the APM program
Aims
Benefits
Criteria for Accreditation
Eligibility
Length of Accreditation
Requirements for first time Accreditation
Requirements for Accreditation review
Requirements for Life Accreditation

About the Accredited Professional Membership (APM) program

Contemporary craft and design in Canberra is a diverse and vibrant field. The number of successful craft and design practitioners that have an international and national reputation is above average for a population of the size of the ACT and demonstrates the extraordinary strength of this local sector.

Craft and design is an important feature of cultural life in Canberra and in recognition of this and to further enhance awareness of the local artists and designers Craft ACT runs a program titled the Accredited Professional Members.

This program promotes professionalism, excellence and innovation in craft and design, recognising respected artists, designer/makers and younger professionals. The accredited membership promotes a high standard of artistic and technical skill and thereby guarantees professional standing, quality making and excellent design.

In turn the Accredited Professional Members strengthen Craft ACT as an organisation. This affiliation ensures that Craft ACT meets the same standards of professionalism and provides quality services in line with the needs of professional artists and designers/makers. Marketing these members raises the profile of Craft ACT by association and assists Craft ACT in leveraging important funding to invest in Canberra based artists and Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre itself.

Accreditation recognises innovation, excellence and technical skills. By becoming an accredited member the artist/designer joins a strong community of others that have shaped Canberra's national reputation for contemporary craft and design in Australia. This inter-generational community has a pool of knowledge extending back to the 1970's, a defining time in Australian craft history, an era of new creation, experimentation and inspiration, and with each new member it builds upon this history to create the future. It is also an important group of people who are leaders in their field conceptually, materially and technically. Accredited Professional Members are artists and designers who contribute to our society, they effect change and they question boundaries.

Accreditation is reviewed every five years. This process offers Accredited Professional Members flexibility in their Craft ACT membership. It accommodates life changes and provides opportunity for self assessment. Through the review process members are reacquainted personally with Craft ACT and provided with an opportunity to update promotional information and images held by Craft ACT. It renews the opportunity to share their artistic practice to broad audiences via the reach of a grass root and front line organisation, an organisation which acts as an enabler for the arts.

Craft ACT firmly believes that Canberra is a rich and fertile ground for the cultivation of craft and design practice. Drawing attention to Canberra from the outside is something that Craft ACT continually strives for and in partnership with its Accredited Professional Members has over the past decade made significant achievements. With a renewed program Craft ACT continues to engage with this dynamic community of artists and together build awareness of the cultural activity based here in Canberra.

Aims

That the Accredited Professional Membership includes a broad, diverse and rich group of inter-generational artists and designers.
That the Accredited Professional Membership recognises artists who practice in the field of contemporary arts including ceramics, fashion designers, fibre and textile artists, furniture and object makers, glass artists, industrial designers, interior designers, metal and jewellery artists, artists who work on architectural and public art commissions, and artists who work in education, manufacturing and industry.
That the Craft ACT Accredited Professional Membership recognises professional contemporary craft artists and designer/makers through a process of peer assessment.
That individuals included in this membership demonstrate excellence and innovation in their practice.
That individuals included in this membership inspire others, including artists, designers and audiences.
That Craft ACT provides a targeted program of promotion and marketing that enhances the visibility of the accredited members included in this membership to local, national and international audiences.
That through the Craft ACT Accredited Professional Membership programme Canberra is recognised as a hub for contemporary craft and design.
That the accredited members participate in the programs offered and work with the staff and Management Committee of Craft ACT to develop opportunities for the programs offered.

Benefits

(Benefits may vary from year to year but notice of changes will be provided to the membership)

APM Membership Card program: Benefits awarded to card holders from other businesses (benefits may alter from year to year depending on circumstances).
APM Exhibition program: Craft ACT will host an annual curated exhibition focused on this membership (replacing biannual all inclusive exhibitions).
APM Public Programs: Craft ACT will run a series of programs aimed at raising awareness of the membership to the general public and sharing knowledge and ideas within this membership community.
Website global promotion and marketing: The website will host individual APM pages, including up to date images and information about each member. This will be achieved through a new structure of the website enabling the members to update their information directly through a password entry on the website. With regular updates, it will encourage repeat visits, attract new visitors, and keep audiences informed of developments in their practice. Craft ACT will continue to develop and refine its website where possible to promote, advocate and profile the Accredited Professional Membership.
- The website will host APM member's pages on its website.
- Only financial APM's will be on the website from year to year.
- APM's will be required to send in updates of their information/images for the website at least once per annum.
- Information on the website will cover a spectrum of stories and not be restricted to just the artists CV or statement.
- The aim of Craft ACT website is to be a surrogate website for the APM's. The information/images should be current and engaging. It should in effect provide a voice to these members, becoming a global network for the APM's.
- Craft ACT will investigate the possibility of developing online exhibitions for the APM's as the website develops.

Criteria for Accreditation

Artistic Merit: The primary criterion for accreditation is a demonstrated excellence of artistic merit.
Technical Skill: Applicants must demonstrate a high standard of technical skill.
Innovation: Applicant must demonstrate an evolution in the concepts of their work.
Professional Standing: Applicants must submit a CV demonstrating their ongoing professional activities in both their specialised field and the broader contemporary craft and design sector.

Eligibility

Individuals with a demonstrated broad range of work of a consistently high artistic and technical standard are eligible to apply for Accredited Professional Membership.
Applicants should have a professional approach to their work and to the business of maintaining a professional career although it is not essential that they are full time artists.
It is not a requirement for applicants to have undertaken formal studies.
Applications are ineligible where work submitted is undergraduate work. Applications by post graduate students will be considered on a case by case basis according to prior practice.

Length of Accreditation

Length of Accreditation is set to 5 year periods from initial accreditation.
To continue accreditation, after 5 years the accredited member will be invited to submit for an Accreditation Review.
In the first years of this new guideline of the Craft ACT APM Program the APM Members are advised that they are required to go through the Accreditation Review by January 2009. If they have not been through the review process after two years their APM status will expire.
In this two year window Craft ACT will offer current APM's and general members a number of opportunities each year to reapply or apply for the first time.

Requirements for first time Accreditation in digital format only

A current CV
Artist's statement no more than 1000 words
A statement about why you want to become an accredited member of Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre.
A total of 16 images: Of the 16 images up to 8 images should describe two objects: include one overall image and three detail images - 4 images total; for two works � 8 images total. In this way details can be examined that evidences excellence and professional skills. The remaining 8 images can include examples of work, installations of exhibitions, installed public art works, special commissions etc
Digital images should be presented as a power point with images at 100 DPI.
A CD containing high resolution images a minimum of with 300 DPI resolutions. Slides may be submitted.
A self portrait image
If the APM Accreditation Panel cannot make a decision regarding accreditation from the images submitted, they may request that work by the individual be brought in for assessment.

Requirements for Accreditation review in digital format only

A self assessment of your practice (no more than a 1000 words) and that demonstrates your continuation of your practice.
A current CV covering the last 5 years (only) of practice.
Include any support material that you consider relevant.
Submit a minimum of six high quality images for consideration.
Digital images should be presented as a power point with images at 100 DPI.
A CD containing high resolution images a minimum of 10 x 15cm with 300 DPI resolutions.
Slides may be submitted.
A self portrait image.
Images held on file from accreditation or previous review may be returned after the review process and the images submitted kept on file until the next review for the purposes of promotion.

Requirements for Life Accreditation

An APM member will be eligible for Life Accreditation when they have been an Accredited Professional Member for a period of 20 years. (This does not have to be consecutive years)
This will be back dated to the inception of the APM program in 1993. (e.g. If an APM has been accredited since 1993 then they have been an APM for 13 years as at 2006.)
Fees for Life Accreditation should be equivalent to the general membership (not the higher APM rate). This reflects the important mentor role of senior practitioners and the increased profile for Craft ACT.
Life accredited members will no longer be required to engage in the accreditation review process.