Visual Arts Degree Students at KAB

KAB Gallery artist Andy Collis teaches Visual arts and Design at Avondale College (NSW). As part of his teaching, Andy encourages degree students to visit artist’s studios and art galleries. The idea is for the students to not only see exhibition spaces, but as they will soon be stepping out into the world of professional practice themselves, to also appreciate the curatorship and presentation of work in gallery spaces, and to understand what galleries might be looking for and how to approach them.

Demonstrator programs are delivered by visiting speakers on the college campus, however Andy also schedules visits to KAB Gallery and regional galleries to explore and compare commercial art practices. One of Andy’s students, Jess Brunia, has put her thoughts together for you to read. 

We arrived at KAB Gallery after an earlier tour of the Gosford Regional Gallery where we had been experiencing a government-funded gallery/museum. It was now time to experience a commercial gallery to consider similarities and differences of its overall workings. At KAB Gallery we were able to explore art in a commercial setting.

‘Terrigal in Bloom’ had been the previous exhibition leaving the gallery in a beautiful state in which a variety of artists work such as Greg Jarmaine and John Earle had showcased. After browsing through the artworks and learning about the artists themselves we left the gallery to go to Andy’s studio (our Lecturer and an artist who’s work is exhibited at KAB Gallery).

KAB Gallery Director, Kerry-Anne Blanket, kindly joined our class to discuss the commercial side of making a career through art. Explaining ways to promote our own work, the struggles artists face, investing and valuing art and her personal experiences and knowledge of the art world. From hearing these experiences I have learned a great deal of the art world. I have learned that galleries with passionate staff such as KAB Gallery provide artists with an avenue to showcase and make a living through their art.

On behalf of Avondale we thank her for the time to share her experience with us.

Jess Brunia 2015