23 Mar QATA members newsletter March 2020
Dear members
We hope that you and your loved ones remain healthy and safe during these very challenging and stressful times.
Here’s what’s happening:
Memberships
Thanks for your patience during the last few weeks as the QATA website has not always worked according to plan for membership payments. We do appreciate that this hasn’t been easy for some of you. If you have still not been able to pay your membership fees please contact us at [email protected] but please be patient as the bookkeeper has been on leave and as you know, the committee members all work full time, so it’s a big juggling act to keep up.
Conference 2020
We are so very disappointed to have to postpone our fabulous 2020 conference, Connect. Just as we were ready to start selling tickets, and it was going to be awesome too! Thanks to the fabulous conference committee for incredible work done so far.
All going well, Connect will occur in July 2021 and will be even bigger and better than we had planned for this year. Please stay connected and enthusiastic when QATA puts out the call for helpers again in early 2021.
Once the Covid-19 situation is more fully understood and under control we hope to offer some PD for members as a substitute for the conference. Let us know your ideas.
Extraordinary General Meeting
On Saturday, we held an EGM at the Woolloongabba Art Gallery for the purpose of presenting the 2019 financial statements, which weren’t available for the AGM in November 2019. A small number of brave souls attended. At this meeting Jo Hine also announced her resignation from the role of president. Congratulations to Dani Towers and Luana Davidson who have stepped in as president and vice president, respectively. Thanks to the gallery for accommodating us.
QATA Clusters
Brisbane members have begun meetings again this year with the first one occurring at Lourdes Hill College. Thanks to Kylie and Sue for sharing their learnings of implementing the new General Syllabus so far. This was a great forum for members to interact and ask questions.
As the year progresses and meetings become feasible again, we hope you will organise QATA meetings in your area. You can use the QATA network to publicise your meeting and the executive can organise for bookings to be taken via the website. When you organise an event as QATA members you are covered under QATA’s insurance. Let us know how we can help you to strengthen and grow your professional practice. Be in touch!
QCAA news
Megan Brunckhorst has stepped into the Visual Art PEO role at QCAA. You can contact lovely Megan on [email protected] or 38640458. Megan has met many of you since beginning at QCAA in 2018, and has had conversations with many of you in that time about Visual Arts in Practice study plans. Megan looks forward to working with you in the General Syllabus space.
But where is Jo going?
It’s turned out to be terrible timing but I’m off to live in Ireland, soon hopefully… My husband has taken a job at the University of Limerick and I’ll be a trophy wife (my words, not his) for a while until I get a job. It will be pretty weird, but I’m looking forward to the adventure.
It’s been a very special privilege to work so closely with all of you in my QATA role and in my QCAA role. Thanks for all your support and friendship over the last couple of years. It’s been a positive experience and I’ve learned so much. I wish you all the best for the rest of 2020 and beyond and I take you all with me in my heart. Jo xxx
Jo has been a driving force behind so much that QATA has achieved over the last several years. There is plenty of public activity that members are aware of, such as the amazing conferences and cluster meetings, but Jo also works tirelessly behind the scenes advocating for the place of Visual Art in schools and championing the work of the Qld Art teaching force. Her passion, knowledge and humbleness will be hard to replace.
Jo, we wish you many happy years abroad as we continue the work of QATA, and try as hard as we can to fill some very big shoes.
Good luck and best wishes for the remainder of term 1.
The QATA executive team