Membership
The Institute for Professional Practice in Heritage and the Arts will be opening a call for members in late 2009.
Membership of the Institute will be open to individuals with direct experience or responsibility in the heritage or arts sectors within Australia and internationally. Criteria have been established to welcome a wide range of people as members as long as there is demonstrated substantial commitment to or experience within the heritage and arts sectors.
The membership base will form a virtual community of individuals who have an interest in their own personal professional practice as well as collective practice within their fields of interest. The Institute will support communities of practice who can address particular issues of professional practice - 'the how and why of what we do'.
It is hoped the membership base will grow to include early career professionals through to those with pre-eminent professional experience. The activities of the Institute will encourage communication between professionals at various stages of career development as well as enhancing dialogue within and between disciplines and across private and public sectors.
The Institute will act to enhance networking and communication amongst people involved in the heritage and arts sectors. It will do this by offering a range of services to benefit members including:
- maintaining a list of members indicating experience and interests in various areas of professional practice and professional development;
- hosting a website featuring activities and information of interest to professional practice in these sectors;
- encouraging informal networking between members;
- providing forums of interaction between members working in the private sector, government agencies and educational institutions;
- providing forums of interaction between working professionals in the heritage and arts sector and students aspiring to work in these sectors;
- professional development activities targeted at the needs of members;
- offering opportunities for visiting fellowships with the Institute through the RSH Fellowship program to assist with engagement between academia and industry around issues in heritage and arts theory and practice; and
- profiling the work of members where it fulfils the criteria for projects associated with the Institute.
Institute membership is open to individuals only. Organisations wishing to develop a relationship with the Institute should seek involvement as Organisational partners or through project associations.
Individual membership criteria:
Membership will be open to individuals who are able to satisfy one or more of the following criteria:
1. individuals in private practice in the heritage or arts sectors including practicing artists and those providing professional fee-based services in heritage or arts related business where income has been derived from these activities for more than 12 months;
2. individuals employed for more than 12 months in government agencies or government funded institutions where a substantial part of their duties relate to the heritage or arts sectors;
3. individuals employed for more then 12 months by community organisations, Indigenous organisations or non-government organisations with substantial interest in heritage and the arts;
4. individuals employed in secondary or tertiary education institutions for more than 12 months in areas relating to teaching or research in arts or natural and cultural heritage;
5. honours and postgraduate students in tertiary educational institutions where a substantial part of the program of study relates to the heritage or arts sectors; and
6. individuals who have been involved in a volunteer program at a heritage or arts institution, organisation or location for more than 12 months.
Applications for Membership will be completed online. Applications will be verified and assessed by Institute Program Coordinators and presented to the Board for endorsement.