PICA seeks to:

• Present a curatorially rigorous program that is offered year-round
• Acknowledge its place on Whadjuk Nyoongar country and celebrate the history and future of this region
• Focus on artform development, new ideas and their current discourse
• Support a full range of contemporary performance across interdisciplinary practices, live art and participatory forms, contemporary dance, experimental theatre, new music and sound, and site specific/installation based practices
• Open up PICA’s spaces in elastic and responsive ways and explore beyond the building, across the Perth Cultural Centre, off-site and non-traditional spaces or digital spaces
• Place WA practices within a national and international context
• Present Australian and international experimental work to WA audiences and provide professional development, exchange and knowledge sharing opportunities
• Prioritize the voices of First Nations artists, people of colour, gender diverse and LGBTIQA+ people, and artists of all abilities and differences.
• Challenge artists as much as audiences through in-built critical feedback mechanisms
• Invite artists to contribute to PICA’s learning programs for audiences and artists
• Build audiences for contemporary performance through a consistent brand and targeted marketing and community engagement strategies
• Connect artists through PICA’s networks and profile

PICA curates its annual program a year in advance through different methods including seeking EOIs through callouts, approaching artists directly and in the course of having dialogue with artists. PICA is not always able to accept or respond to proposals outside of specific callout timeframes.

In recent years, PICA’s artistic program has moved away from this model. If you are seeking a venue hire that is not included in PICA’s artistic program please contact PICA’s General Manager for rates and availability at business@pica.org.au.

Working with PICA is a collaborative relationship and we seek to actively contextualise works for both artists and audiences. We support artists mostly when we are directly engaged in project development and presentation, however we do provide support across other project stages where requested and possible, such as mentoring, auspicing, and producing. We encourage regular feedback processes and are keen to share in open and supportive critical dialogue about your work. We are interested in unpacking the whys and hows of the creation and presentation of new work. PICA is a home for those who want to be challenged, nourished and part of a current and meaningful dialogue about contemporary practice.

Where possible, PICA aims to provide a cash fee to each project, on top of its in-kind support. Cash support is discussed in further detail with successful applicants and determined on a case by case basis. PICA generally is not in a position to fund 100% of projects. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals with other financial, co-presenter or producing support outlined or the potential for such support.

PICA provides in-kind support in the form of venue spaces for development and presentation, access to existing equipment, project support through its Program Team, venue staff (technicians, box office managers and ushers) and marketing.

If PICA invests financially into a project it will generally seek to off-set its investment by taking box office sales, however, this amount varies case by case. In taking box office, PICA aims for artists to be paid appropriately rather than relying on box office income to cover artist fees. This is to alleviate the financial pressure of artists marketing their show and instead provide more time to focus on developing and presenting their work.

PICA’s main point of contact for performance artists is its Producer. PICA has a Marketing Team comprised of a Marketing Manager, Digital Communications Coordinator and a part-time Designer. PICA works with contracted technical consultants to provide technical advice, planning and delivery. PICA’s front of house team is managed by a full-time FOH Manager. Depending on the scale of your project, there may be overlap with PICA’s Engagement Program Producer and Development Manager for various events, public programs and donor events.

PICA provides a tailored marketing campaign for each project led by its in-house Communications Team. The scope will focus on use of PICA’s owned channels and creation of PICA branded collateral. PICA works with a contract publicist for external media relationships. PICA’s marketing support generally includes:

Digital Marketing

• PICA website – over 70,000 unique users per month
• E-news – over 7,500 subscribers
• Social media:
• Facebook – including event page (over 14,000 followers)
• Instagram (over 11,000 followers)
• Twitter (over 7,000 followers)

Print Marketing                

• A0 lightbox poster featured at the entrance of the PICA building (subject to budget/availability)
• Various flyers and posters
• Building banner (subject to budget/availability)
• Season program for performances

PICA’s floor plans can be viewed HERE. PICA programs across its entire building and considers the best spatial and presentation environment for each work. Its spaces include various options:

Black box

• PICA Performance Space
• Screen space

Gallery space/white cube (NB availability of these spaces is limited)

• Central Galleries
• Westend Gallery

Studio/working space

• Reading Room
• PICA Studios

PICA also considers alternative spaces such as

• Perth Cultural Centre amphitheatre
• Public space
• Offsite location

PICA has an in-house sound and lighting system, with access to various A/V equipment. PICA’s technical specifications for its Performance Space can be viewed online HERE.

PICA’s Performance Space has a raked seating bank for 105 people. This bank can be retracted, which allows for a standing capacity of 242 people. PICA’s other spaces do not have fixed seating and require other temporary and hired seating configurations.

This varies case by case. On occasion, PICA can cover technical hires or access reduced or in-kind technical equipment and services through sponsorships. Otherwise hires are built into project funding.

PICA provides rehearsal space, and where possible access to technical resources and staffing. Traditionally the artist has building access during 10am – 5pm daily, though this is open to discussion for particular circumstances. A showing for feedback purposes is generally held at the end of the creative development period.

PICA seeks to have open and supportive discussion with artists as they develop their project. PICA’s feedback is framed through the lenses of critical and rigorous contemporary practice, being a multi-arts institution, and being the home for experimental practice in WA. The dialogue that PICA has with artists seeks to situate their work within a local, national and global context of current art-making.

In showing environments, PICA is responsive to the types of feedback beneficial for each artist and discusses the feedback structures case by case.