Runway x Trocadero: General Committee Chat

The first Runway Journal x All Conference Conversation comes from Trocadero Art Space, situated on the lands of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, Melbourne.     

Trocadero committee members decided to conduct an online conversation within Google Docs. The format of a collaborative and ongoing document reflects the nature of Trocadero as a volunteer-run organisation, in which committee members engage sporadically according to their capacities and time commitments. Trocadero Art Space committee members were supplied with a series of questions by Runway to consider as they chatted within the Google Doc. This conversation was conducted over a series of days in February 2021 and during a COVID-19 lockdown.

How long have you been working with and contributing to Trocadero Art Space?

What made you want to be a part of the committee running and programming this space?

How have you managed the workload associated with being a part of a volunteer-run org?

What program or process at Trocadero are you really proud of?

COVID-19 has been felt globally in many ways, how has it affected Trocadero and your team?

Trocadero Art Space turned 15 in 2020! Congratulations! What are your visions for the future of Trocadero? Where would you like to see it in the next 15 years? 

3:00 p.m. ZS: Hi team, how’s it going? Excited for us to participate in this conversation together. Before we delve into this, it’s important to note that Trocadero is located on the stolen lands of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and also acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.

So, I am the Vice-President at Trocadero, but whenever I say this, it always feels a bit odd - I feel these titles infer a certain hierarchy that we try not to abide by, however, do so for legality’s sake. I view my role as someone who oversees things alongside Andree, to initiate projects, delegate tasks, and assist whoever needs help. Managing the workload of a volunteer-led org is undoubtedly a struggle that evolves over time. It would be great if we could all simply get together for a few hours a week, but these things aren’t possible when everyone works or studies at different hours. What about everyone else?

4:13 p.m. BB: I agree Zara, I feel like you and Andree are in a co-parenting role of our Baby Troc, and the rest of the committee are cool aunties. I’m always glad that we all contribute to decision-making and programming. It really feels valuable to be a part of a team where the hierarchy is very flat. I’m in my 4th year of Trocadero committee roles, currently as Install Coordinator.

11:51 a.m. NC: If Andree and Zara are the parents, and everyone else are aunties, I feel like the weird great grandmother hiding in the corner watching proudly from the sidelines. Having been involved with Troc since 2015, I am so proud to be part of the evolution of Troc and to watch it grow since stepping away from the President role at the end of 2018. Pushing for the committee to be egalitarian was something I really strived for while President and it’s now championed by Zara and Andree’s openness and inclusion.

I’m really proud of the collaborations we’ve had, particularly with West Projections, and showcasing artists such as Alison Bennett, Youjia Lu and Roberta Rich. The IWD shows have been a proud moment too as well as the development of the Midsumma shows.

4:16 p.m. AR: Hello Narinda! That’s all very much at the centre of why I wanted to work with Troc (not you being a corner grandma but the other stuff!) Those West Projections shows have been a major highlight - it’s so great when we are able to move out of the gallery and into the community in some way. Being part of Footscray, its people and spaces is really important to me, and I think to the whole committee too.

As to managing the workload of running a volunteer org… lol. I think for about the first 6 months of being in the President role I was non-stop stressed. Just trying to figure it all out and help lead a pretty new committee. I really didn’t know how to balance a full time job with running an ARI. Why don’t they teach that at uni? I probably cried a lot and got lots of cold sores. But in the last couple of years I’ve definitely learned to manage my expectations, be kind and patient! This has also meant accepting that we’re probably never going to be able to develop Troc to the extent we’d really like to. We achieve so much, and we all are so dedicated, but it is super hard when you’re all volunteers. Sometimes I fantasise about quitting my day job and just working on Troc stuff. This fantasy also includes magically finding grant money with which to pay myself and everyone else a living wage. Maybe one day!!

1:25 p.m. BB: Yes! Nanny Narinda, it’s been such a treat to watch the team grow and our program unfold each year. It’s hard to weigh up all the guest curator programs and the annual shows for NAIDOC and Midsumma, they are such wonderful spreads and we really get to see organised community efforts and intentions, distilled into beautiful shows!

But yes, the stress can be REAL sometimes. Someone always shows up though, and having our amazing vollie team come through gives me joy! I am excited this year to upskill our volunteers and committee to cover more ground and share skills, it’s really at the core of all this. To share skills and carry Troc into a new year!

I’m trying to imagine our space in 15 years! ██████████ ████████ ██████ ████████████████ █████ I hope we are still doing graduate student shows! That was my entrance into all these fun times running an ARI!

11:01 p.m. RM: ‘DIY’ and ‘punk’ was the way Troc was first described to me by Zara, and I think those labels have absolutely held up over the 2 years I’ve been involved. Sharing skills and upskilling volunteers - that’s really what makes the hard work worth it, for me. I have personally gained really valuable skills through the generosity of everyone on the team - I always say this is how I made it to my current employment! It’s really tough to get a job in general, and even harder in the Arts so I feel it’s important to pass on what I’ve learned.

I joined as a vollie in 2019, and quickly became the Social Media Coordinator. It’s a lot of work that never really feels complete; as Andree said we’ll never really get Troc to where we ideally want it to be until we have sufficient funding to pay people…!!! But I do feel there’s power in not being tied to anyone else’s money - of course we receive council funding, but our committee’s decisions aren’t controlled by a Board (i.e. notoriously conservative group of rich people). With the conflicting work/ life/ volunteering schedules also comes a wonderful flexibility; I think our limitations also push us in interesting directions.

It’s become even more evident throughout the pandemic that the core of Troc isn’t the building for which we’re named, but the incredibly dedicated team ████████████ ███████████████ ██████ ███████████ ████████████ I think that’s our biggest challenge - being more accessible, but also ensuring we’re a meaningful part of the community beyond ‘the Arts.’

9:40 a.m. NC: Yes, Benjamin, I remember the work you presented at Nooky, which Georgia our former Vice President ran and oversaw at Trocadero. And yes, Rachel, very punk and DIY, staying true to these roots is a testament to our origins.

1:58 p.m. AR: Another day, another lockdown. Here we go again! Hopefully just for five days this time. It’s really sad for our artists! I’ve been so impressed and grateful by how flexible and responsive our artists have been during lockdown and now in this limbo-space. I feel like our Troc Talks Online series, now in its second iteration focusing on 2020 lockdown projects, has been such a testament to people’s resilience and creativity.

6.37 p.m. ES: It’s unfortunate that there is another lockdown, and there may be more lockdowns in the future. But I am confident that the Troc committee will once again pull together to make a wonderful Year of the Ox.

As a previous Public Programs Coordinator at Troc, I ran two different modes of public programming due to the Covid situation: physical and online programs. When the lockdown began in March 2020, I remember March, April and May were the most overwhelming time for Troc. The working pattern with other committee members remained similar, but the working hours significantly increased for everyone. I think the Troc committee grew substantially in this short period of time.

The major achievement of Troc in 2020 was receiving Triennial Arts Partner Funding from Maribyrnong City Council! Thank you, Stacy and Andree, who intensely worked on grant applications.

In the next 15 years, I imagine Troc with more diverse programs that engage the local community in the West. Community engagement is what we continue to focus on, in order to promote the exhibiting artists to the wider audience. I believe the key to this success is to continue developing exciting and experimental workshops/ programs as well as receiving more funding.

4:22 a.m. KY: Hi team, haha I know, what am I doing not sleeping around this time?! This Stage 4 lockdown is really getting to me, and I’ve been struggling to sleep. On a positive note, I have you guys and Troc that constantly inspire me with your courage and creativity.

I’m feeling lucky to be in the team as a Public Programs Coordinator. Our Troc Talks really represent how a simple act of sharing our own experiences and stories can create such a strong support network within communities and empower their members, especially in this rough time. This was why I joined Troc. I have to admit, joining Troc in the midst of COVID and only being able to meet and work with everyone on Zoom was not easy as a new member. But I’ve enjoyed the processes and I feel like I’ve already grown a lot in the 6 months since I joined!!!

Andree, I agree with you - the first step to manage stress and to balance between Troc and jobs that pay the bills/ life is to accept the reality: we are all volunteers! You and Zara would know how I progressed from ‘I wanna plan everything ahead, have things under control to meet the standards I want’ (outcome: a zillion Zoom meetings) to ‘I can wait, things can change and we can accommodate.’ At the end of the day, Troc’s value comes from, as Rachel said, the incredibly dedicated team. We have to understand what we are actually capable of doing so that we can save ourselves from burnouts.

As an ARI, I think our role in the broad arts/ societal ecosystem is to remain as that alternative creative and safe space for artists to experiment and find direction in their careers. And by artists, I mean ANYONE AND EVERYONE. Not just people from English speaking backgrounds, or people with a tertiary education or connections to Melbourne’s artist networks, or VCA kids, or people with studios or money who can do it as a ‘side hustle’. I’m not saying that Troc only shows these artists or that these artists don’t need space. They do! (In fact, I easily fall into more than one of these categories). Troc shows artists from diverse backgrounds and from various points in their career. But the question that repeats itself is: are we doing enough? Are we actually including all people? If we want the public to recognise the power and value we see in our existence, we need to reach out further to provide opportunities for those who are truly neglected and be more active about giving them the exposure they need. To be honest, we are probably not capable of carrying out that agenda as much as we want with the financial restrictions we have. Regardless, I think Troc has really stepped up the game with the expanded public programs. It has opened up more access points for both the artists and the audience.

Oops, I ranted! It’s refreshing to have this kind of internal communication separate from our normal committee meetings. I might try to sleep a little now (think this was therapeutic for me lol).

11:54 a.m. ZS: Kelly, why does it not surprise me that you wrote that at four o’clock in the morning?! Thank you everyone for participating in this conversation, I truly appreciate it. I hope our hopes and dreams for Troc can come to fruition (wow what a cliche, hopes and dreams.) Apologies for being a bit quiet, I’ve been exhausted, as we all have, and this lockdown, as necessary as it is, I think it caught us all by surprise. Incredibly grateful that the artists who are currently showing are flexible. Aside from the current health crisis, I think as a committee, we should be very proud of our achievements, despite being around for fifteen years, most of us joined the committee from around 2018 (minus Nanny Narinda haha, sorry that name might stick), and there have been a multiplicity of achievements for Troc since! Our triennial funding, Troc Talks Online, a number of guest curated shows, participation in events such as One Night in Footscray! Just to name a few, however, I think the greatest achievement (not to sound corny lol) is the connection we have with one another, Troc has truly become a strange kind of art family for us all. Everyone acts as a puzzle piece in this massive jigsaw, and together we make a whole, well actually, I think a few pieces might be missing still, but we hold it together!