Hello beautiful,

Today I’m feeling both humbled and quite vulnerable to share my feature ABC News interview, about the real impact covid has had on my visual art business.

In the article I chat to ABC journalist Anna Freeland and specifically share how I (and so many visual artists in Australia) have been living below the poverty line during covid times, while trying to keep our art businesses, families and mental wellbeing afloat.

View article here

The interview request came out of the blue, after I reached out to NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts) some months ago to share my secret struggles as a visual artist and solo Mum, sometimes going months at a time without earning a single cent through my art business.

NAVA have been working tirelessly through covid to support visual artists and galleries to recover and continue sharing their creative professions in Australia. This ABC article includes highlights some of the statistics and research conducted by NAVA and Patternmakers, on how individual artists and galleries have been affected, the role of vaccination in supporting the arts sector recovery, as well as how the arts and cultural events play an important role in Australia’s wellbeing recovery process.

What can you do to support us artists?

If you’d like to show your support for visual artists, you can:

1. Buy artworks, prints and merchandise from your favourite artists (my art shop is HERE)

2. Book in to workshops, events and exhibitions held by artists, either in-person or online (browse my art classes are HERE)

3. Like, save and share your favourite artist’s works on social media with tagging attribution* (find me on facebook and instagram @chrissyforemanartist)

4. Donate to individual artists (my link is HERE) and visual art funding bodies, including NAVA’s Artist’ Benevolent Fund

5. Participate in gallery programs and events as restrictions allow, including the many amazing online exhibits and programs available in your local and state galleries

6. Sit for an artist

*Please be sure to always attribute and tag an artist if you share their artworks on social media, and only share artworks you can attribute an artist to. This helps other people find our work, assists with copyright transparency, respects our profession + supports our livelihood.

It is my hope that this article helps the Australian public, politicians and funding bodies to understand that the visual art field is viable profession like any other, deeply worthy and in need to support and assistance to continue to flourish in Australia.

Please do your bit in the way that feels right for you, to show your support for our sector.

Read the full ABC article HERE