History

During her 6 years at Queensland Artworkers Alliance (1994-1999) Jacqueline Armitstead successfully coordinated the first artist referral service of its kind nationally. The QAA artist referral service assisted in providing advice on artists for exhibition and commission opportunities across the State generating significant employment and commissions.

The QAA artist referral service was recognised by The President’s Award from the AIA (Qld Chapter) in 1997 for outstanding service to the relationship between artists and architecture in Queensland.

Soon, Jacqueline was providing high level “best-practice” curatorial and project management consultancy services to Government and business built highly successful partnerships with architects, clients and stakeholders within the Queensland Government. She delivered several benchmark projects which were used to successfully advocate for the inaugural Queensland Government’s public art policy Art Built-in.

Some of the benchmark State Government include the Cairns Convention Centre which saw the first ever commission of First Nations artists in the State including handwoven biconical by Ned and Nancy Beeron and artworks by Ken Thaiday Senior, Michael Boiyool Anning, Arone Raymond Meeks amongst others, the Neville Bonner Building, 111 George Street, Brisbane and 381 Brunswick Street and at local council level the Strand Redevelopment Townsville and The Brisbane Powerhouse for the Live Arts, New Farm which saw the inclusion of specialist curator team Younger/Reaney. 

The QAA team advocated relentlessly to both sides of government for the employment of artists and artworkers throughout Queensland. In 1999, the incoming Beattie/Foley Government introduced the first public art policy of its kind nationally. Under the Queensland Government’s historic Art Built-in policy (1999-2007) departments committed $23.1 million to integrated public art and design. The policy required 2% of capital works building budgets over $250,000 to be allocated toward public art, creating thousands of jobs for Queensland artists and artworkers across 179 projects – with one of the last projects the Ipswich Courthouse reaching completion in 2009. 

The Art Built-in policy was replaced by the art+place (2007-2012) fund which saw a commitment of $12 million in the first 3 years. The fund was abolished by the newly elected Newman Government in 2012. However, the legacy of public art continues with Brisbane City Council policy initiatives and at local council levels across Queensland. These policies have also provided significant opportunities for Queensland artists and artworkers to gain specialist skills allowing them to become completive locally, nationally and internationally and allowed for significant skill development specialist art manufacturing and fabrication services to flourish.