Sandra Brown, Mwerre Anthurre Artists, Bindi Inc. Image: Rhett Hammerton, Desart

Business support

Desart promotes best practice management of art centres through the programs we design and deliver. We also support art centres to acquire and maintain infrastructure and resources.

Our Strong Business Program supports art centres to run strong, healthy businesses. We work closely with art centre managers, coordinators, and directors to help them do their jobs well, so that artists can get on with creating art of the highest quality. The program is divided into several streams:

  • Human Resource support
  • Resources development
  • Individual manager coaching
  • On-site board governance support
  • Legal support for art centres in partnership with Arts Law
  • IT services and technical support
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) confidential counselling and support

SAM (Stories Art Money) Database is an online artwork management system that Desart developed for art centres. Desart owns the software, which is now used by most art centres within its membership, as well as most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres across Australia. SAM is the administrative tool that  art centre workers use every day: to catalogue and label art works, document their provenance, do sales and consignment transactions, issue certificates of authenticity and artist biographies, control the art centre’s stock, and facilitate online purchases.

If you would like to know more about SAM visit https://sam.org.au.