2011 Accredited Professional Membership Guidelines Package

• Download/print PDF - The 2011 APM Guidelines Package
• Download/print PDF - APM application form
• Download/print PDF - APM Review form
• Contact Craft ACT about membership

Contents of this page:

• About the APM program
• Aims
• Benefits
• Assessment process
• Accreditation requirements
• The APM Insurance Package
• The APM Insurance Package fine print

 

About the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre's Accredited Professional Membership Program (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.

To further awareness of local contemporary craft artists and designers Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre 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, who demonstrate a high standard of artistic and technical skills. The Accredited Professional Members strengthen Craft ACT ensuring that the organisation meets the same standards of professionalism and provides quality services.

Joining this strong community of leaders in their fields, conceptually, materially and technically, means you are contributing to Canberra's national reputation for contemporary craft and design in Australia. An intergenerational community with a pool of knowledge extending back to the 1970's, each new member builds upon this history to create a strong arts future.

Accreditation is reviewed every five years, offering flexibility in this Craft ACT membership. It accommodates life changes and provides opportunity for self assessment. The review process is an opportunity to update professional information held by Craft ACT, thereby sharing current artistic practices with broad audiences via the reach of a grass roots and connected organisation, which acts as an enabler for the arts.

Aims

1. That the Accredited Professional Membership includes a diverse and rich group of inter-generational artists and designers.
2. That the Craft ACT Accredited Professional Membership recognises professional contemporary practice through a process of peer assessment.
3. That individuals included in this membership demonstrate excellence and innovation in their field
4. That individuals included in this membership inspire audiences and other artists.
5. That Craft ACT provides a targeted program of promotion and marketing that enhances the visibility of the accredited members to local, national and international audiences.
6. That through the Craft ACT Accredited Professional Membership program Canberra is recognised as a hub for contemporary craft and design.
7. That the accredited members participate in the programs offered and work with the staff and Management Committee of Craft ACT to develop opportunities.

Benefits

(Benefits may vary from year to year)

• APM Exhibition program: Craft ACT will host an annual curated exhibition focused on this membership. This exhibition showcases the strength of artistic practice inherent in this membership base, thematic exhibitions devised by in-house or external curators draw out new conceptual ideas and skills that are the hallmark of this membership program.
• Website global promotion and marketing:
  • The website hosts 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 encouraging repeat visits, attracting new visitors, and keeping audiences informed of developments in their practice.
  • APM'S have access to update their information directly through a password entry on the website.
  • Information on the website will cover a spectrum of stories and not be restricted to just the artists CV or statement.
  • After accreditation, Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre will be in touch with the applicant to obtain relevant information and images for the website page.
• Group Liability Insurance: Craft ACT's latest feature for Accredited Professional Members is the Group Liability Insurance package, included in the price of your annual membership fee. A full breakdown can be seen under the Group Insurance Liability Package on pages 5 - 7 of the 2011 APM Guidelines Package. Please be sure that you understand the scope of the insurance cover offered under your Accredited Professional membership. If you have any queries regarding the cover or in relation to any existing cover you may have, please contact broker Greg Naulty of Local Community Insurance Services on 1300 853 800.

Assessment process

Applicants must be financial ordinary members of the organisation before submitting an application.

Applications are advised to read through all the information on the APM Program and if necessary to contact Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre before submitting an application. Applicants are also encouraged to view the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre website and view profiles of existing accredited members.

Applications for accreditation will be assessed by the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional Member Sub-committee. The application will be assessed against the requirements set out below and accompany each application with the appropriate and signed cover sheet. Upon satisfying these requirements your accreditation will be recommended to the Craft ACT Management Committee to become an Accredited Professional member of Craft ACT.

Calls for applications are announced through the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre's e-box newsletter and the number of application rounds may vary from year to year.

Accreditation requirements

Criteria for Accreditation

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

Requirements First Time Accreditation (digital format only)

• A current CV
• Artist's statement of professional practice
  • 1 A4 page
  • Include why you want to become an accredited member of Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre.
  • Brief overview of your practice and its context
  • Relevant activities
• 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 300 DPI resolutions.
  • File names should include the artists surname and sequential numbers or name of work
  • Image List must be provided. The list should include the same file name as the digital file and the title of the work, the year, the materials, the dimensions and the photographer's name.
  • A self portrait image. (This will be included on your web page)
  • 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.
• Catalogues, Reviews etc (optional)
  • Include any relevant catalogues, essays, critical reviews or promotional material that supports your practice.

Requirements Accreditation Review (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 with file names that include the artists surname and sequential numbers or name of work.
• Image List must be provided. The list should include the same file name as the digital file and the title of the work, the year, the materials, the dimensions and the photographer's name.
• Slides may be submitted.
• A self portrait image. (This will be included on your web page)
• 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 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.

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional Member Insurance Package

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre has secured through Local Community Insurance Services an insurance package for Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional members. The insurance cover is part of the Accredited Professional membership fee, providing Accredited Professional members with professional insurance at a heavily reduced rate, which would not normally be available to individuals through usual insurance channels.

This policy is intended to cover the activities of the craft, design and visual art practitioner as an individual, primarily as an occupier of a studio or workshop, as an exhibitor at galleries and other locations, or where commissioned to produce and install a work of art, including public art. Please ensure you check that the insurance package covers all of your needs before cancelling any existing insurance you may have.

Public & Products Liability Insurance Limit - $20,000,000

The Public Liability aspect of this policy will protect you from any person who makes a claim against you for bodily injury or property damage caused by a negligent action on your part while the Products Liability aspect covers you for bodily injury or property damage caused by a fault in the products you have made.

Professional Indemnity Limit - $5,000,000

This will protect you from any person who makes a claim against you for bodily injury or property damage from the provision, production or tendering of art works.

Tenants Liability Limit - $20,000,000

Tenants Liability will protect you from claims made against you for any damage that you negligently cause to any property that you are renting for example shopping centre's, studios or galleries.

Goods in Care, Custody or Control Limit - $100,000

This will protect you from claims arising from other people's goods which are in your control which you negligently lose or damage. Note that this extension does not cover you for the loss or damage of your own goods.

The Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional member insurance policy will also cover any legal costs authorized by the insurer in defending claims brought against you in the areas covered above, and this is probably the most important part of the policy. Whilst you may be perfectly innocent of a claim brought against you, you will incur legal fees in defending the case, and without a liability to protect you, this could amount to many thousands of dollars.

Insurance Enquiries and Certificate of Currency

If you would like general information about your insurance cover, including the insurance policy (also known as the Broadform Liability), visit: http://www.localcommunityinsurance.com.au/coverage_pl.aspx (go to the Broadform Liability Insurance Policy).

If you require a Certificate of Currency as proof of your insurance, please contact Local Community Insurance Services on 1300 853 800 / (08) 8235 6480

The following insurance extensions are automatically available to Accredited Professional members:

Cover for Accredited Professional members as sub-contractors

The Accredited Professional members policy automatically provides indemnity to Principals in respect to work carried out by the Accredited Professional member for the Principal.

Cover for Accredited Professional members who use Sub-contractors:

• This insurance policy extension applies to the individual practitioner who is required to work away from the studio, and while the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Public Liability insurance cover is for an individual practitioner, the policy will extend to include other individuals (paid or unpaid) who work with the artist in commissioning a work. These working arrangements may apply to the commissioning and installation of artworks, including public artworks. This cover is limited to jobs involving not more than 3 people.
• If using a Sub-contractor the Accredited Professional member should ensure they sight a Certificate of Currency of recent date for a Liability Insurance Policy with an indemnity limit of at least $10,000,000 before a Sub-contractor is utilised. If this certificate cannot be provided in the event of a claim, no cover will be afforded the Accredited Professional member for the actions of the Sub-contractor.
• Accredited Professional members who utilise Sub-contractors in respect to part of their activities and require the Sub-contractor to be covered under the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional members insurance policy will have to provide Local Community Insurance Services with the following information:
  1. Class of sub-contractors and the type of work they will carry out.
  2. Estimated annual payment to each type of sub-contractor.

** Definition: A Sub-contractor is a person called in by a Principal to carry out work that is within the expertise of the Principal and would normally be carried out by him/her.

Teaching

The Accredited Professional members' insurance policy automatically provides cover in respect to the artist teaching their craft or passing on their professional skills. However, this policy is not intended as a cover for regular classes but rather for occasional sessions, where not more than six (6) classes are conducted per annum, where up to ten (10) persons are taught in any one class.*

*Artists may also be contracted to undertake an Artist in Residence program at either state or private schools for a period of a school term or so. This may involve attending school activities in order to pass on their professional skills. This activity is seen as a separate job to the teaching of classes by the artists in their own name and is not restricted to the six (6) classes per annum limitation.

Please Note:

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional members do not need to apply separately for the extensions listed above, however if the Accredited Professional member wishes to apply for further policy extensions, or they wish to exceed the limits of the policy, for example: teach twelve (12) classes per annum instead of six (6), it is necessary for the individual Accredited Professional member to make contact with Greg Naulty at Local Community Insurance Services for further information on 1300 853 800.

There may be additional charges for extensions to the standard insurance cover.

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre acknowledges the support and intellectual property of Craftsouth: Centre for Contemporary Craft and Design in the preparation of this package.

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Accredited Professional Members Insurance Package: The Fine Print

The insurance scheme arranged by Local Community Insurance Services on behalf of Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre is designed to give you protection against allegations of common law legal liability, in other words, persons issuing legal proceedings against you in the event of your negligence. The policy which has been affected covers Accredited Professional Members of Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre only, not all members. It is intended to cover Accredited Professional members as sole practitioners, but will allow cover where members employ others provided that there are no more than three persons involved in the business. The reason for allowing up to three people is in recognition of one off projects such as installing public art works. The insurer is QBE Insurance (Australia) Pty Ltd. It is a Broadform Public and Products Liability Insurance Policy with extension to provide Professional Indemnity cover.

The policy will only cover you for the activities of the craft or crafts detailed on your Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre membership application form.

The Public Liability section of the policy will protect you against any "Act of Negligence" on your part causing injury to the public or damage to their property. For instance, you may leave an item of equipment lying on the floor of your workshop in a gangway and not put it away because you are going to use it shortly. If a visitor then trips over that piece of equipment, you could possibly be held liable in a court of law. If you are held liable, the policy will pay for both the damages awarded and the costs involved in the case.

The Products Liability section of the policy will cover you against an "Act of Negligence" on your part caused by the manufacture or sale of your merchandise. For instance, a nail may come loose on an item you have made, or you may have failed to knock it in properly. If someone tears their clothes on that nail then you could be held liable to replace the item of clothing. Again the policy would answer to the claim in the same manner as in the previous paragraph.

Technically, to be negligent you must either have done something that a reasonable person would not do, or conversely, you must have failed to do something that a reasonable person would have done. A third party will not be able to claim against you merely because they were injured on your premises; it will be necessary for them to prove that their injury was caused by your negligence. The law in respect of manufactured products is different. In this case it is only necessary for the injured party to show that the injury was caused by your product or a product that you have sold to them. It is then your responsibility to prove that the injury was not caused by your negligence.

Perhaps the most important aspect of a liability policy is the cost of fighting a false claim made against you - provided these costs are approved by the insurance company prior to their being incurred. Many people think that they do not need a liability policy because they are very careful in everything that they do, and forget that people may try to claim against them even when they have not been negligent. This is one of the reasons that there are courts to decide these cases and lawyers to help you prove that you have not been negligent. The decision whether or not you have been negligent, and an injured party should be paid, rests with the insurance company and the court. You should never admit liability in any way, as it may prejudice your claim.

The scheme which Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre has arranged is not intended to be "all embracing". The policy will cover you against legal action taken against you, as described above, and against professional acts of negligence which result in bodily injury or property damage. This could include: advice that you may give to anyone on a professional basis, or any fault in the actual design of your product. It is virtually impossible to give instances in all cases, because each case will depend on the circumstances and these always differ. This brings us back to one of the most important reasons for liability insurance, the policy covers the costs of a claim made against you, provided that the claim falls within the terms and conditions of the policy, and that the insurance company agrees to those costs being incurred. To access the Public Liability insurance policy (also known as Broadform Liability), visit: http://www.localcommunityinsurance.com.au/coverage_pl.aspx (go to the Broadform Liability Insurance Policy). DISCLAIMER: Information contained in this outline should not be relied upon in lieu of legal advice on any particular case, transaction or matter.

For further information contact Greg Naulty, Local Community Insurance Services on (08) 8235 6444.