Career development and contemporary visual artists: an investigation of Cairns Australia

The purpose of this research is to investigate key factors related to career development opportunities for contemporary visual artists in Cairns. Cairns is a tropical city in Far Northern Queensland, Australia with an active visual arts community. In order to explore issues relevant to career development opportunities for a Cairns-based contemporary visual artist, interviews were held to examine the perceptions of key stakeholders within the arts community. Data were initially analysed by stakeholder groups, after which key themes were established and compared across the groups to identify similarities and differences. The results reveal contrasting views and the fact that there are numerous avenues to create clearer pathways and opportunities for contemporary visual artists living in Cairns