Expressions of Interest: Artists and Musicians for a Collaborative Arts Project
Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, in collaboration with the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music and Arts Upper Hunter, invites visual artists, sound artists, and musicians to submit proposals for a project exploring the intersection of art and sound.
Concept
The project is centred around the concept of listening to art—examining how sound and visual elements interact, influence, and enhance one another.
Project Outcomes
This initiative will culminate in a gallery exhibition, with both the project and exhibition designed to:
- Deepen cultural engagement, and encourage cross-disciplinary appreciation,
- Create a more inclusive and accessible experience turning audiences into co-creators and attracting diverse demographics
- Strengthen community identity through shared experiences
- Expand learning and development opportunities
- Boost visibility, enhancing the region’s cultural profile, and
- Foster experimentation and innovation
Who Should Apply
We welcome expressions of interest from:
- Visual artists, sound artists, multi-disciplinary artists, and musicians—whether working independently or collaboratively. Applicants must be based in Australia.
- Arts professionals interested in exploring experimental, interactive, or participatory approaches in their work.
- Individual artists or musicians seeking cross-disciplinary collaboration, where a musician may be paired with a visual artist (or vice versa) to develop a new collaborative work.
What We Are Looking For
Proposals should:
- Incorporate community involvement – This could be through audience participation, interactive elements, live creation, or other forms of engagement.
- Consider technical or spatial requirements, particularly if the work involves sound or interactive components.
- Engage with themes of landscape, place, or community in a meaningful way.
This can manifest in various ways, including, but not limited to:
- Soundscapes for Visual Artworks – Compositions that reflect the mood, theme, or context of an artwork.
- Interactive Installations – Artworks that respond to movement or touch with sound, creating a living, evolving experience.
- Synesthetic Experiences – Experimenting with how different sounds can alter the perception of colour, shape, and movement.
- AI and Algorithmic Sound Design – Generative audio that adapts in real-time based on viewer proximity, gaze, or interactions.
Submission Requirements
Please submit a short proposal (max 500 words) including:
- A brief introduction to your artistic practice.
- A description of your proposed work, focusing on how it involves community participation.
- Any technical or space requirements.
- Whether you are submitting an individual proposal, collaborative proposal, or are open to being paired with an artist or musician from the opposite discipline.
- Links to relevant past work (website, portfolio, sound samples, etc.).
Rates of Pay
The following rates of pay will apply per proposal:
- Direct Payments:
- Travel: 88c per km
- Travel Allowance – accommodation, meals, incidentals: $317.90 per whole day (up to one week)
- Production fee: $2,000
- In-Kind:
- Transportation of works for exhibition
- Venue and staffing
- Marketing and launch event
- Catalogue and signage
Deadline and Contact
Submissions are due by 5pm Monday 10 March 2025. Submit your proposal via the online portal: https://artgallery.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/eoi-art-music-project/ Terms and conditions, as well as disclaimer, are to be found at that link.
We encourage applications from arts professionals at all stages of their careers. If you have any questions or need further information, please reach out: arts.centre@muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au
Image Credit:
Installation view from ‘LiddellWORKS’ 2024, Mark Brown, ‘Hopper Skew #1 (After Richard Dunn)’ 2024, digital print on aluminium, sound (acoustic resonance), 1 hr 10 min 53 sec, 100 x 159cm; ‘Torrent Glitch’ 2024 (video still), single-channel video, colour, sound (stereo), 1 hr 10 min 53 sec, aspect ratio 16:9; ‘Hopper Skew #2 (After Richard Dunn)’ 2024, digital print on aluminium, sound (acoustic resonance), 1 hr 10 min 53 sec, 100 x 182cm, Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection, Courtesy the Max Watters Bequest.
Media release and image courtesy of the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre.