About
tbC is a youth-driven, adult and peer-mentored artist-run initiative that generates creative opportunities and recognition.
tbC’s Foundation Story
tbC began in 2008 as a community arts project spearheaded by a group of thirteen-year-olds living in Upwey, forty-five minutes east of Melbourne. Zoe, Jacqui, Anna, Charlotte and Trentt wanted to make and present a body of photographic artwork that focused on community tensions surrounding the Upwey train station. They approached their local community arts centre, which referred them to photographer Tiffaney Bishop who agreed to support them in producing such a creative body of work. The group met at the Upwey train station each Monday after school to photograph the social and cultural dynamics of the space. Everyone shared Tiffaney’s single pro camera, which meant no one was entirely sure who took which photo. This didn’t bother the group, as using professional equipment was exciting and elevated the project’s artistic potential. This communal approach marked the beginning of an empowering collaborative youth arts practice.
After a few weeks, the group named themselves tiffaney bishop and the SCUMPUPS. The double-barrelled name reflected the mentor-protégé culture that was developing between Tiffaney and the young artists. However, while the young artists initially looked to Tiffaney to facilitate and guide, a peer mentoring culture of practice soon redefined the group’s modus operandi. Zoe, Jacqui, Anna, Charlotte and Trentt actively engaged in the group’s conceptual and creative direction. This led to the development of an unusually egalitarian power structure and empowering group practice.
tiffaney bishop and the SCUMPUPS made a significant body of photographic work together, culminating in two photographic exhibitions held in the main gallery of the local arts centre. Large, high-quality photographs were presented. Over one hundred people came to the first exhibition, and more than two hundred went to the second. The group was impressed by the professional gallery setting they could present in, the scale and quality of the final works and the large audiences that attended.
After about four years, tiffaney bishop and the SCUMPUP’s morphed into the tiffaney bishop COLLECTIVE. The name change was prompted by the growing scope of the group’s artistic practices and the wider membership it was attracting. Again, the double-barrelled name reflected the positive mentor-protégé culture that continued to support the professional development of young artist members. However, as the mentoring dynamics of the group became more peer-based, highlighting a single lead artist was no longer relevant. It obscured the growing non-hierarchical governance and operation. As tbC was already being used as a common nickname, it quickly replaced the longer title. The lower case ‘t’ and ‘b’ deliberately de-emphasised Tiffaney Bishop’s name and founding lead artist role. The capital ‘C’ emphasised the collective practices that more accurately defined the group’s growing multi artist-led culture and joint authorship practices. Members of tbC find the colloquial expression ‘to be continued’ often attributed to these initials as an amusing attribution, one that very much represents the group’s ongoing durational arts practice. The other common colloquial expression often attributed to these initials, ‘to be confirmed,’ is seen as a provocation – one the group is responding to via ongoing artistic practice and presentation.
Since 2013, the group has been operating under the moniker tbC. Collaborative practice, egalitarian governance, joint authorship and group presentation define tbC’s contemporary operation.
tbC Today
tbC is a youth-driven, adult and peer mentored artist-run initiative. Young members are aged between twelve and twenty-something and self-identify as artists. All artists, irrespective of age, experience and level of expertise, actively collaborate in the making of artistic works. A funded studio environment supports this artistic practice and the development of creative careers. tbC initially operated in the communities of Upwey and Belgrave but now works in communities all over Melbourne. tbC is currently based in Laverton, southwest of Melbourne. The group also engages with artists from around the world. The Hoodie Mag project is an excellent example of this international youth arts engagement.
How does tbC operate?
tbC’s shared power base extends equal opportunities and mutual benefits to member artists of all ages. This egalitarian model of operation sets tbC apart from more structured youth development practices. A studio-based learning environment supports self-directed artistic practice via reciprocal arts mentoring. This sets tbC apart from more formal arts education. tbC’s self-governed, self-directed and collaborative mode of operation supports young artists in building earlier creative practices and pathways, which leads to earlier artistic agency and status. While members opt in and out at will, there is always a strong youth membership respecting and embracing the space and opportunities. tbC’s practice is ongoing, offering young artists the opportunity to engage in durational arts practice. Most members are actively involved in the collective for several years. A handful of members have been involved with tbC since its inception. tbC exhibits art online and in the community, the studio, and the gallery. tbC also receives commissions and contract work from the local community and business sector. Depending on funding, tbC employs members as mentors, studio managers, programmers, public speakers, designers, art administrators, curators, team-teachers and project managers.
What does tbC make?
tbC produces printed and e-publications, coordinates graffiti and street art projects, designs digital and interactive interfaces and makes works on paper.
What makes tbC different?
The tbC model is distinguished by a dedicated and contemporary art focus. Artmaking is the central activity. This differs from traditional community art practices, youth development models and formal arts education, where social outcomes or the meeting of educational and wellbeing targets primarily shape activity. tbC’s creative focus directly supports the development of artistic practices and pathways.
What do artists members think of tbC?
Young members describe tbC as a safe, fun and creative space that gets them producing. They talk about how affirming the collaborative atmosphere is and that they derive much inspiration from working with other talented artists and mentors. They attribute their development as artists to tbC’s collaborative, dedicated arts model and productive studio learning environment. These sentiments are freely exchanged during studio time, many of which are documented throughout this website. These sentiments have also become part of tbC’s dialogical artmaking, examples of which are also documented throughout this site.
tbC’s Success
Thousands of people of all ages have visited and engaged with tbC over the past thirteen years, partly because of tbC’s main street and community hub locations and partly because the group presents creative programs and outcomes during community events and festivals. Over 100 young artists have been directly involved with tbC as members. tbC has mounted several exhibitions, sold many artworks, fulfilled various corporate and community commissions and received art and design awards and nominations. For example, one of the group’s interactive digital artworks, The Art of Conversation (Digital), was selected for inclusion in the (e)merge art fair in Washington, DC, in 2013. Hoodie Mag #1 received state and national best new publication and design award nominations in 2012 and 2011. Random Methodologies 2014 featured in an Australian Research Council project and a follow-up international art conference in 2014 called Spectres of Evaluation: Rethinking Art, Community, Value. tbC has also developed artistic partnerships with local Councils across Melbourne (including Hobsons Bay, Maroondah, Cardinia and Casey) and connected with youth arts projects in the United Kingdom (London’s Exposure magazine), Ireland (Dublin’s Rialto Youth Project) and the United States of America (New York City’s Tim Rollins and the Kids of Survival). In addition to this, tbC wins regular corporate and community commissions. Over the past decade, tbC has secured multiple small local and national funding grants totalling more than $100,000.
tbC’s Future
A mixed business model is being developed to sustain tbC’s practice, which includes funding partnerships, social enterprise strategies and income stream development. tbC acknowledges that it cannot (and should not) rely on funding alone and that its future depends on introducing revenue streams into the semi-funded model. tbC is keen to build an arts program that engages community buy-in, develops local business and stakeholder interest and generates an independent income stream that safeguards the critical autonomy of its arts model. tbC is exploring and rolling out a series of income-generating ideas that fit within this arts governance philosophy. For example, a workshop series for the general public has been successfully launched, with proceeds supporting the funded resident artist program. tbC also engages with schools through its Arts Industry Education and Development program. This fee-paying program offers art and design students the opportunity to visit and learn about the tbC model of arts practice as part of their exam preparation.
Updated August, 2021.