Viscopy awarded Government funding for Indigenous artists' program

Viscopy has been awarded a grant of $170,000 to deliver a copyright education program to Indigenous artists in Australia. The grant has been awarded by National Arts and Crafts Industry Support, which is part of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), to enable Viscopy to raise awareness amongst Indigenous artists of their rights under copyright law.

Viscopy's chief executive, Joanna Cave said:
"We are especially proud of the copyright education program we deliver for artists, students and arts organisations throughout Australia. We are committed to ensuring as many artists as possible learn about copyright and are able to benefit from our expertise in this area. We are delighted that the Government has demonstrated its support for this important work by awarding Viscopy further grant funding which will enable us to take the program to Indigenous artists living across Australia, including in some of the most remote regions".

In a new initiative, Viscopy is planning to partner with other organisations working in the field to maximise the effectiveness of the program in the year ahead.

Viscopy is a not-for-profit membership rights management organisation representing over 7,000 artists and their beneficiaries, approximately 47% of the total population of artists in Australia. Indigenous artists account for almost half of these. Viscopy also represents some 40,000 international artists in the Australasian territory.

Indigenous artists and organisations interested in participating in a free copyright education workshop should contact Viscopy by telephoning 02 9310 2018 (Australia)