ArtsLab

ArtsLab is a creative, innovative and effective professional development and career guidance service for creatives across all sectors registered with Work and Income on the unemployment benefit, previously known as PACE (Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment).

 

For 18 years ArtsLab has worked in the creative sector to provide career guidance, job seeking advice, mentoring support and professional development workshops, with the outcomes of employment, self-sustainability and a more resilient creative economy. Its home in the multi disciplinary arts centre of the Depot Artspace, provides many opportunities for creatives.

 

If you would like to find out how to access the ArtsLab programme please email or call us on 09 963 2328

Click to read more about Artslab

RECENT UPDATES:

Upcoming Networking event (topic: mental wellbeing) – All welcome!

Join with fellow creatives from the Wayfind Creative and ArtsLab programmes to forge connections and have some fun.
We know how hard it can be to stay motivated and resilient in the middle of winter, so this time around our special guest speaker is Taimi Allan from Changing Minds.
Taimi has a background in theatre, film and TV. She has also been involved in the mental wellbeing sector for nearly a decade, managing a variety of roles and significant projects encompassing consumer advice, communications, media and marketing, digital initiatives, social entrepreneurship, business development, mental health promotion and education and training.
We promise you will leave feeling uplifted – with a few extra tools in your wellness kit.

All welcome. RSVP to

 

Introducing Liudmyla, our new Creative Employment Consultant!

1.  Name & Role: Liudmyla Beraud – Creative Employment Consultant.

2.  Favourite Devonport haunt and why? The Living Room because this place always inspires me in terms of recipes to make at home to reduce my meat consumption.

3.  Superpower at the Depot? Practising ‘tough compassion’.

4.  Achievement you’re most proud of, so far? Staying sane and mostly cheerful while juggling a job, a baby/family and studies.

5.  Do you have any special or quirky talents? I would say networking as a way of life is my talent. I would say I am quite good at connecting with people in my industry and other related fields to get new ideas.

6.  Favourite artist of all time…and why? Marina Abramović… because she is a rule-breaker.

7.  Your happy place? Library – any library in the world will do.

8.  Favourite part about your role at the Depot? Career coaching conversations with our clients.

9, Any advice for emerging artists/creatives? Study what other artists have done, how, and why; learn all you can about your field – and then some more.

Networking Morning Tea for Creatives – NZ Music Month Edition!

May is NZ music month so in support of our talented musicians we have a couple of wonderful guests from the music industry.

Our own Neil Baldock will tell us how he broke into the music world as a sound engineer. Neil has worked with many of New Zealand’s top musicians, and overseas folks like Kanye West. He has some fantastic stories and wisdom to share.

Taisha Tari is also one of the Depot’s favourite people. She is a top session singer as well as a songwriter, and has won the Best Maori Female Solo Artist and the Best Maori Song for ‘Karanga’ at the inaugural Waiata Maori Awards. Taisha has toured the world several times singing with big names like OMC and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and is now also a mentor who loves to share her passion for music.

 

All welcome. RSVP to

Thanks Tash!

Recently, we had a very inspiring, informative and well attended Artslab Networking Morning Tea for Creatives thanks to our Artslab team & special guest speaker, Tash Christie, one of the most experienced Producers in the NZ TV industry!

Farewell Jini!

We are sad to announce the farewell of Jini Roy who is one of our Creative Employment Consultants.
Jini is leaving her role end of this week to be with her family. Her bubbly smile and presence will be missed! Below are some fun Q&A to profile our team meember Jini 😊👇💯
1. Name: Jini Roy (ArtsLab Creative Employment Consultant)
2. Highlights from Creative Background/Career Highlights: I was lucky to work with one of the finest Bollywood film makers Rajkumar Hirani and was part of landmark films such as The 3 Idiots.
3. Goals from now: Taking one step at a time and embracing what the future holds for me.
4. Favourite part about your role? To be able to motivate and bring about a difference in someone’s life.
5. Advice to creatives? When plan A doesn’t work, try plan B . Get up! Reset, refocus and keep pushing.
6. Your happy place? At home in pajamas watching Animes/Fantasy movies with a bowl of instant noodles.
7. What’s your life motto? Find something you love then let it kill you.

April 2021 Artslab Networking Morning Tea for Creatives!

Lights! Camera and Action🎬 🎭🎤
Gear up lovely creatives for your upcoming Artslab Networking Morning Tea for Creatives and a chance to meet our guest speaker, Tash Christie, one of the most experienced Producers in the NZ TV industry. Hear her share some essential tips and tricks of the trade and an opportunity for you to ask questions and network with her.
To book your spot, please RSVP to
Date: 9th April, Friday
Venue: The Depot Artspace
Time: 10AM
Snacks and Drinks Provided😋🤩🍪☕️🥤🧁

ArtsLab Creative Employment Consultant vacancy!

A much valued member of our Creative Employment Consultants’ team is returning home overseas. The Depot ArtsLab Creative Employment Programme invites a person ideally with employment placement, recruitment and career guidance skills to join our team.
 
ArtsLab has been running for 17 years, equipping and supporting unemployed creatives into sustained employment.
 
Please see this link for more info: thebigidea.nz/work/230006-creative-employment-consultant

WAYFIND CREATIVE newly launched to help support creatives with career sustainability!

Wayfind Creative is an exciting new programme for creatives who are looking to take control of their careers and create a financially viable, sustainable, and deeply rewarding career.
The programme is designed to help you build the non-creative skills required for a future-proof career in the creative sector so that you can thrive, not just survive.

Artslab creatives Tane Mclean & Anna-Louisa Ottow are exhibiting their works!

Tane Mclean is a Hungry Creek alumni specialising in painting and jewelry, drawing inspiration from the obscure and industrial and sourcing most jewelry materials from old nickel silver cutlery, flatware and recycled metals.

Anna-Louisa Ottow: “My current practice involves depicting objects in otherworldly landscapes. The things hopefully come across as being a little bit alive, having an extra bit of character. These paintings are about the unwritten history of objects and spaces; sourcing the materials, being designed, being made, being owned and sold. Anyone involved in that process is like an alien ghost attached to the object.”

Sending warm positive vibes to you all with this throwback to our 2011 Christmas music video with original collaborative track “Kiwi Christmas” done by Artslab (formerly PACE) musicians!

 

Watch Here

Music Networking session at Monster Valley

We had an engaging networking session for our Artslab musicians & creatives focused on music recently at Monster Valley with encouraging practical advice from guest speakers in the music industry.

Creatives hearing from Monster Valley’s founder, Karl Sheridan and Fluffy ( Production and Sound engineer) about the multi layered interconnected creative platform for artists musicians and creatives in the greater K Rd. area.

Karl presented his creative journey and how Monster Valley became established and a look at the services and opportunities that have emerged over the last four to five years.
A good exchange of ideas and connects were made for our creatives.

Artslab Photographer exhibits at Depot Artspace

Photographic exhibition “Sensitivity Before Language” in the Artslab Room by international photojournalist and current ArtsLab creative Shujin Liu! Click here for more details.

Networking Morning Tea

We had another engaging networking morning tea last Thursday with encouraging practical advice from guest speakers Sally Tagg & Tina Frantzen! Thank you all for coming through and keep your eyes & ears peeled for the next one.
 
#ArtsLab #DepotArtspace #NetworkingMorningTea #SupportLocalCreatives #SupportLocalArtists

Networking Morning Tea for Creatives

After a long hiatus (due to 2nd lockdown), Artslab Networking Morning Tea for Creatives is back!

Guest speaker is Sally Tagg.

RSVP to if you want to attend. All welcome!

Round-A-Bout Exhibition Opening

Round-A-Bout is an exhibition run by three ArtsLab artists combining their talents and energy to exhibit their work in the ArtsLab Gallery space. The space was transformed by the three artists Gen Burke, Allie Rees and Annie Ottow having been invited to come up with a group show.

The exhibition was a great collaborative event that was nimble to deliver but has had great resonance for the artists and all involved.

The opportunity provided a new experience and challenge and ably assisted by Depot Artspace staff. The creatives had a valuable and total hands on experience to discover the administrative, promotional, legal, curatorial & technical aspects involved to pull it all together and make the opening night zing, which it surely did. This is where two other ArtsLab creatives came to play, literally; musicians, DJ Matt Sullivan and jazz pianist Loris Zigon performed and entertained the guests with solo and spontaneous performances. We were all treated to an amazing impromptu hip-hop bboy/bgirl showcase by our very own Diana Hu and partner Taups, possibly a first for the Gallery!?

Great to see how ArtsLab supports creatives to showcase their artistic expression through professional development and knowledge provided by the programme.

Exhibition ends on 8th November so come through and support!

Kia kaha Depot.

“I had such an amazing experience at ROUND-A-BOUT! Having everyone come along and connect made my night. That is what it’s all about at the end of the day people. The music and dancing created such a groovy joyful vibe and all of the colour around in the art works brought smiles to us all. Everyone walked out feeling loved I am sure.” – Allie Rees

A visit to Monster Valley

An appreciative ArtsLab group hearing from Monster Valley’s Karl Sheridan (Founder and Creative Director) about the amazing story of how they have grown and developed their creative practice over the last decade into a successful & highly popular creative hub. Karl is an Artslab mentor approached by Erwin as a part of the ArtsLab’s networking with creative enterprise programme.

Motivational and inspiring to see where creative drive, initiative and working collaboratively will take you. Following through on passion projects and seizing on the opportunities that can be generated from them.

“It was amazing and a fresh perspective on creative multi-disciplinary arts hubs in Auckland!” – Allie (Artslab creative)

SHAPE THE FUTURE OF CREATIVE EMPLOYMENT

Survey Link: surveymonkey.com/r/ZBFC6W5

 

 

On May 29 the Government announced $7.9 million for career support for creative jobseekers, to support artists back into sustainable work, and to “build on the most successful aspects” of the former Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment (PACE) programme. PACE has been the only employment support initiative provided by a government since it was launched in 2001 under Helen Clark.

 

Depot Artspace has been involved in creative employment since 1999 and was one of the first organisations to provide a PACE programme to creative job seekers. After the dissolution of PACE we continued to successfully support creatives through ArtsLab and remained the only employment programme of its kind in Aotearoa NZ. While the programme has changed over the years to meet different government imperatives, the Depot has remained committed to a sustainable creative employment environment. In that time we have worked alongside 3000 creatives and is continuing to do so to this day.

 

With the advent of a newly structured PACE, we are asking Aotearoa NZ creatives like yourself; what you would value in a future programme.

 

We would really value your input to help us shape the services that will assist creatives into employment and a sustainable future.

 

Complete the survey by Wednesday 2nd September to go into the draw to win $200 cash!

 

CLICK HERE TO DO THE SURVEY

(Survey Link: surveymonkey.com/r/ZBFC6W5)

 

Click these links here & here for further information.

ArtsLab Team Post Lockdown Fun Colab

July 2020

The ArtsLab team set aside some time after coming back from Lockdown to create some collaborative fun using our individual creative talents and link us back to our Depot motto of “Creating an environment that encourages creating” – and that includes the internal Depot team too!

 

May the creative force be with you!

Highlight on Ashe

June 2020

 

“I’ve been visually impaired since birth…ArtsLab has made me feel supported, welcome and able to express myself for who I am where other workspaces have not – particularly with my being transgender.”

Auckland digital artist Ashe Black shares his amazing story with Arts Access Aotearoa about his life & his experience with us at Artslab! Read more in the link below 👇👀

 

Arts Access Aotearoa’s article on Ashe Black

 

Creative Networking Morning Tea

July 2020
Thanks to all for attending our first networking event for creatives. It was an opportunity for all our participants to come together, meet, talk and share ideas.
Our guest speaker, filmmaker Saurav Roy Chowdhury shared his journey of job-hunting and achieving work in his field for an international documentary film among other job opportunities just through networking.
Not only was this an opportunity to meet like-minded people in the same situation, but also a chance to practice and build valuable networking skills.

 

We are now very much looking forward to the next one!

Meet our Disability Advocate Jase!

February 2020

 

JASE SMITHYMAN: UNARMED AND DANGEROUS

 

For someone born without arms and hands as we know them, Jase Smithyman (Wingless) approaches life with more energy and optimism than most of us who are fully endowed with their digits.

 

Jase is Depot Artspace’s Disability Advocate, part of Artslab (Depot’s creative professional development program) and an inspiration to anybody who thinks the world may have dealt them a “bad hand”. Don’t be offended, Jase enjoys the dark humour.

 

Jase is a black tip brown belt karate practitioner, a MAINZ graduate and a total administrative whizz, with all the tools of the trade online at his toe tips.

 

Auckland Festival of Photography

May 2020

An exhibition held straight after lockdown (observing rules ofcourse!)

Te Rua Raranga : Woven 2 weaved together the diverse works of 11 ArtsLab photographers and creative practitioners who represent the depth, scope and innovation of emerging creatives in Aotearoa New Zealand. This was part of the Auckland Festival of Photography & with generous support from Soar Print

 

We were delighted at the success of the show, the amazing turnout & vibes throughout!

 

 

Special thanks to Grant Kerr (NZ contemporary photography collector & philanthropist) who came in to give a special talk & critique for Artslab photographers during installation, Julia Durkin (founder & director of Auckland Festival of Photography) for her ongoing support.

 

 

If you missed the exhibition, you can view the amazing photographs from our 11 Artslab photographers in our online gallery.