Porter Street Commission

Applications for the 2025 Porter Street Commission close on Wednesday 29 May 5pm (ACST).

Online Information Session: Tuesday 16 April 6pm. RSVP here.

About the Porter Street Commission

ACE announces the fifth call for submissions of the Porter Street Commission. This annual award supports a major new artwork commission by a South Australian artist at any stage of their career.   

A total amount of $20,000 will be awarded to a selected artist for the purpose of producing an ambitious new work, which will be presented as part of Adelaide Contemporary Experimental’s 2025 exhibition program as a solo exhibition across June to August. An artist fee of $3,000 (plus Superannuation) will be provided by ACE in addition to the $20,000.  

Applications for the 2025 Porter Street Commission will be considered by a selection panel composed of Olivia Aherne, Curator at Chisenhale Gallery, London; Troy-Anthony Baylis, Adelaide-based artist and descendant of the Jawoyn people from the Northern Territory; and Danni Zuvela, Artistic Director at ACE.

Located in Adelaide’s iconic Lion Arts Centre precinct, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE) is South Australia’s leading independent contemporary visual arts organisation, proudly supporting artists to develop and present work on Kaurna Yarta (Kaurna Country). Through exhibitions, studios, public programs, professional development opportunities and publications, ACE expands the edges of contemporary visual art practice, embraces diversity and provides a space for artists to take risks. 

Since its inception, ACE’s program has explored many timely issues, driven by the question: what is urgent to discuss today and who should be telling these stories? We recognise that contemporary art takes many forms, and have built a reputation for presenting new and important processes and methodologies for artistic practice.

Clear constitutional guidelines — determining that 50% of revenue be reinvested and the remainder spent to support artists and art practice — ensure that the fund will benefit South Australian artists for decades to come.  

First Nations people, artists of colour, d/Deaf and Disabled people, and people of diverse genders and sexualities are encouraged to apply. Application in flexible formats or languages will be accommodated wherever possible. If you have accessibility requirements, please see the enquires section below for contact details.

Applications for the 2025 Porter Street Commission opened Wednesday 3 April, 2024 and will close at 5pm on Wednesday 29th May. The recipient will be announced by the end of August.

How did the Porter Street Commission come to be?

The Porter Street Commission is made possible by the Porter Street Fund. 

Established in 2017, ACE was founded on the legacy of its predecessors, Australian Experimental Art Foundation (AEAF) and Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (CACSA), to serve and lead the South Australian contemporary visual arts sector into the next era. As the flagship contemporary visual arts organisation in South Australia, ACE honours the ambitions and intent of these two pioneering organisations through a commitment to experimental practice and support of contemporary artists.

From 1964 until 2016, CACSA was the longest running contemporary art space in Australia. It was created by the young artists of the Contemporary Art Society (CAS) — itself dating back to 1942. These artists recognised the need for a space of their own to freely experiment and present work to the public. So, in 1964, they purchased a four-bedroom villa at 14 Porter Street, Parkside, to convert into an art gallery, and there it operated until the property was sold in 2018.

The proceeds were invested to establish the Porter Street Fund, which honours the vision of the CAS artists and the legacy of CACSA, and serves to directly benefit the community for whom ACE exists.

The recipients of the Porter Street Commission will receive

• $20,000 to develop an ambitious new work

• $3,000 artist fee (plus Superannuation)

• 8-week solo exhibition as part of ACE’s 2025 exhibition program

• Support from ACE’s Artistic Director, Associate Curator, Public Programs Coordinator and Marketing Manager to develop and present the Commission

• Access to ACE equipment and resources

• Option to deliver relevant public program/s (e.g. performance or artist talk)

Eligibility

• Artists who work across all contemporary art forms

• Artists at any stage of their career (i.e. from emerging to established)

• South Australian residents who have been living in the state for the last 12 months as a minimum

• People who are 18+

• Those not currently participating in ACE’s Studio Program

First Nations people, d/Deaf and Disabled people, and people of different genders, sexualities and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Application in flexible formats or languages will be accommodated wherever possible. If you have accessibility requirements, please see the enquires section below for contact details.

About the selection process 

Applications are assessed against the following criteria: 

• The opportunity will provide an ambitious next step for the artist's career and exhibition trajectory

• The artist’s capacity to develop and deliver the proposed new work for presentation in the ACE gallery

• The proposed new work demonstrates a conceptual or material progression in the artist’s work and the future direction of the artist’s practice

• The proposed new work is relevant to current artistic, cultural and/or political discourse

• The proposed new work pushes a medium, technique, field of enquiry, or area of practice

• Support material is conceptually and materially well-developed

Selection panel

How to apply

Artists who meet the eligibility criteria are invited to submit an application, which includes a one-page proposal outlining a new work project, including the form the work is likely to take, as well as an explanation of the subject, themes and ideas. 

Applications will open on Wednesday 3 April, 2024 and close at 5pm on Wednesday 29 May 2024. The recipient will be announced by the end of August.

Online Information Session: Tuesday 16 April, 2024 at 6pm. RSVP here.

You will need to provide the following information as part of your application form:

• Short bio (300 words)

• Statement on how the Porter Street Commission would impact your career (300 words)

• Information about your working process and experience working with galleries (150 words)

• New work proposal (maximum 1 page)

• Budget (maximum 1 page)

• 10 month new work production timeline (maximum 1 page)

• CV (maximum 1 page)

• Between 10 and 25 examples of your work

• Contact details for 2 referees

To prepare for completing the online application form, we encourage you to read through all of the questions, then draft (and save) your responses before submitting.

The application form provides you with the option to submit your application by answering questions in video or audio format.

Download a budget template "here". 

Application support

If you face barriers in completing application forms, we welcome you to reach out to find a suitable way for you to apply. Please be aware that the application form provides you with the option to submit your application by answering questions in video or audio format. You can also view more information about ACE’s accessibility here.

Nexus Arts offers application writing support services for artists from culturally diverse and First Nations backgrounds. Follow the link here for more information and to book in a time to meet with Nexus staff. Note: Please note that Nexus Arts are unable to meet with new applicants in the week prior to the application closing date.

If you have further questions after reading our FAQs, you may wish to get in touch with ACE directly by calling the ACE office 08 8211 7505 or emailing danni@ace.gallery

Frequently Asked Questions