Artlink Magazine
Encyclopedia
Overview
Artlink is an international quarterly magazine specializing in contemporary artContemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
.
Artlink's publisher is the non-profit organisation Artlink Australia, which is supported by the Federal Government through the Visual Arts/Craft Strategy of Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
, and by the South Australian Department for the Arts and other state funding bodies.
Its general brief is to give exposure to those working at the leading edge of art practice, whether it be in new attitudes and working methods, new technologies, new theories of art, art which is not commercially driven, or social and politically-related work. It also analyses and comments on the mainstream visual art world. It achieves these ends through its examination of exhibitions, and all manner of ways in which visual culture
Visual culture
Visual Culture as an academic subject is a field of study that generally includes some combination of cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, and anthropology, by focusing on aspects of culture that rely on visual images.- Overview :...
is manifested, internet art
Internet art
Internet art is a form of digital artwork distributed via the Internet. This form of art has circumvented the traditional dominance of the gallery and museum system, delivering aesthetic experiences via the Internet. In many cases, the viewer is drawn into some kind of interaction with the work...
, video, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, design, conferences, publications, electronic media
Electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which today are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end-user in the printed form...
, organisations, legal issues, artists' rights, funding and employment opportunities.
History
It was founded in 1981 by Stephanie Britton in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, as a bi-monthly 20-page black and white magazine with the initial aim of providing a national profile for South Australian art, and linking the various contemporary art organisations which existed in Adelaide. A small seeding grant was provided by the South Australian Department for the Arts. A Committee was set up comprising representatives of the Experimental Art Foundation, the Contemporary Art Society, the South Australian School of Art Student Union, the Women's Art Movement, and the Friends of the Art Gallery of SA. Each of these organisations had a guaranteed page in each issue over which they had complete control. This "Artlink Adelaide" format continued to serve a very useful purpose from 1981 - 1986 after which changes in management, member organisations and the growing demands of the field led to a broader national outlook.
The Committee continued to have responsibility for the management and accountability for government funds until the dissolution of Art Link Incorporated in 1994.
At the outset the magazine was designed and laid out by students at the South Australian School of Design, with traditional typesetting technology. In 1987 having been introduced to the Apple computer at the Experimental Art Foundation, Artlink became, through a generous equipment sponsorship from Apple Computers, the first art journal to venture into desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
, with the ambitious 128-page full colour Special Issue on Art & Technology of August 1987, a joint project with ANAT (the Australian Network for Art & Technology). This move into computer systems heralded a major shift in all aspects of the journal, not only design and layout, but data bases, advertising systems, distribution and sponsorship bids. 1988 saw the new larger Artlinks appearing quarterly. From 1990 Artlink has employed designers on a project basis.
1989 saw the beginning of a series of Themes for each issue - Public Art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
, Community Arts, Design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art, Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
& the Environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
, Multicultural Arts, Museums on the Edge, Thinking Craft/Crafting Thought, Naive & Outsider Art, Film & Video, Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, Contemporary Arts of the Region : South East Asia & Australia, and new methods of researching and national networking, as well as a wide canvassing of funding sources. More colour illustrations and perfect (square-back) binding were notable changes at this time.
From small beginnings, distribution has developed into a many-layered operation which includes subscriptions, bookshop and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
outlets, newsagents, regional galleries and, from 1989 till about 1994 bulk orders from various organisations for community distribution eg education depts, government depts (eg ATSIC, OMA, DFAT
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the government of Australia charged with advancing the interests of Australia and its citizens internationally...
) and units of the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
. Since late 1992 Artlink has also been distributed throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and from 1998 into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
In 1991 one of the original regional imperatives of Artlink was reinstated with a decision to limit the Review section to the 'marginal' states of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, with support from each state for regional editors. Content relating to the major theme of each issue, however, remained determinedly national. From 1998 the review policy was changed to include all states.
In late 1991 the Visual Arts/Crafts Board of the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
- the major source of core funds for visual art journals in Australia) took a decision to select four out of the many national clients and new contenders for guaranteed three-year funding. Artlink was one of this four and from 1992 was in receipt of so-called First-Tier funding along with Art & Text, Agenda and Art Monthly Australia. This later became Triennial Funding, with just Artlink and Art & Text as initial recipients. Artlink has continued to receive Triennial funding from the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
since then.
In 1992 the Special Issue on contemporary Aboriginal art (first printed in 1990) was reprinted - a further 6,000 copies, due to continuing demand.
1992 saw the successful attraction of a major grant from the Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade towards the production of a Special Double Issue on contemporary Art of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The Editor and Chair traveled to Southeast Asia in Dec/Jan 1992/3 to promote and organise this project.
In 1994 the organisation underwent a change of corporate structure: Artlink Incorporated was dissolved and became Artlink Australia, a Company Limited by Guarantee with 3 Directors of which Stephanie Britton was one. This reflected a recognition that the Committee's talents would be more productively used on Editorial matters than on the financial and administrative management of the organisation, which in any case did not have the resources to service a large committee.
In 1996 Artlink took off in a radical new direction with the publication of Australia's first ever CD-Rom
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
surveying multimedia interactive art. Funds were provided for this from the Australia Foundation for Culture & the Humanities and other sources. SEQUINZ was distributed free with the issue on Electronic Art in July 1996 and later as a standalone CD-Rom through bookshops and through overseas new media fairs and events.
In 1998 Artlink was awarded a special grant to promote the magazine and Australian art in the United Kingdom.
In 1999 Artlink was offered the chance to produce a special issue on contemporary Indigenous art as a sequel to a previous issue in 1990 which had since become a classic and much quoted reference. The offer came jointly from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board of the Australia Council (ATSIAB) and was targeted at international visitors to Australia for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. 20,000 copies were printed the bulk of which were distributed as complimentaries to visitors. This issue titled Reconciliation: Indigenous art for the 21st Century is 128 pages in full colour throughout and has been widely praised by the art world and the general reader alike.
Artlink's 20th birthday was marked by the publication of The Anniversary Issue, guest edited by Stephanie Radok. Since then issues have tackled major themes such as water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
, biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, terror
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and refugees.
Artlink has had solo booths at several overseas art fairs, including ARCO in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(2001 and 2002) and the Berlin Art Forum (2003)
In March 2004 the special issue 'The China Phenomenon', co-edited by Binghui Huangfu and Stephanie Britton, was launched in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to critical acclaim. Special support for this issue and promotion in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was received from the Australia-China Council, the NSW Ministry for the Arts. Assisting in the launches were the Asia Art Archives in Hong Kong, the Duolun Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai, and Red Gate Gallery in Beijing.
In 2005 'Ecology: Everyone's Business' tackled environmental issues from a vantage point of artists taking responsibility for raising consciousness in the wider community about the threat of imminent ecological collapse. In 2006 New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
came under the microscope.
In December 2006 Artlink celebrated its 25th Anniversary in style with a high energy event at Carclew in Adelaide to launch the bumper December issue The Old Magic: Elders of the Artworld. Greg Mackie, Head of Arts SA, was Master of Ceremonies and speakers included Dr Donald Brook, Dr Ian Gibbins, Dr Anna Haebich and the Hon Ian Hunter MLC.
In July 2007 Artlink moved to an office in the City of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Distribution
Artlink is widely distributed by Gordon and Gotch to newsagents in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and by Selectair to bookshops, including art museum shops in Australia. Bookshop distribution through Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.