The ninth manifestation National Summer School will be held over three weeks in January 1998 at the IMAGO/ Film and Television Institute Digital Arts Studio in Fremantle, WA.

ANAT has pioneered intensive skilling programs for artists through its coordination of annual national summer schools in computer media since 1989. The overriding aim of the summer schools is to provide artists from any media background with an immersive and catalytic context for the acquisition of relevant computer skills and the generation of ideas.

Many artists are now turning to the internet as a site for conceptualisation, production and dissemination of new works which use the real-time multimedia distributed environment and culture of the net as an integral component of webbed artworks.

Tutors for the National Summer Schools are established artists themselves and bring to the schools not only a thorough working knowledge of the various programs and processes, but also a profound understanding of artists/students will to push technology to new places to achieve their creative ideas. The artist tutors for this years school will have a strong background in programming, multimedia authoring, conceptual design and cultural critique.

The school included tuition in a range of web authoring applications, which students will use to create their own highly interactive internet projects. It will also give participants the opportunity to learn additional internet and digital production skills specific to their internet projects.

Participants at the school at IMAGO Multimedia Centre/Film and Television Institute Digital Arts Studio in Fremantle, WA
       
    * Keith Armstrong, Brisbane, QLD
    * Robyn Backen, Sydney, NSW
    * Di Ball, Brisbane, QLD
    * Lisa Beilby, Darwin, NT
    * Tim Burns, Perth WA
    * Simone Hockley, Adelaide, SA
    * Teri Hoskin, Adelaide, SA
    * Leah Irving, Perth, WA
    * Jun-ann Lam, Melbourne, VIC
    * Brian Martin, Hobart, TAS
    * Paul Thomas, Perth, WA
    * Trevor van Weeren, Darwin, NT
    * Isabelle Delmotte ,Sydney, NSW
    * Joy Hardman, Alice Springs, NT
    * Timothy Hancox, Brisbane, WA


The Ninth National Summer School provides artists with unique opportunities to upskill in an area of growing importance to both art and industry - the internet. The internet not only presents artists with a powerful resource tool, but an important space for exhibiting. ANAT's Summer School is timed specifically to allow Australian artists to accrue the necessary skills to excel in this expanding area.

With an eye toward ensuring the Summer School remains current and tailored specifically for artists, ANAT have selected three of Australia's leading new media artists as this year's tutors. Renowned cyber feminist artist, Francesca da Rimini, joins pioneering digital media specialists Lloyd Sharp and John Tonkin, forming a team who fully comprehend artists' desire to 'bend' technological tools to achieve their artistic goals.

To culturally contextualise the school, a satellite event combining a forum with an
 open day of the school will give the public and media an opportunity to view the work-in-progress produced by the students. Including presentations by some of Australia's most innovative media artists, the forum will also feature Kathy Bowry, a new media legal specialist, who will focus on internet ethics.

The National Summer School is supported by: the Queensland Government's Office of Arts and Cultural Development through Queensland Artworker's Alliance; the New South Wales Film and Television Office; the Minister for Education and the Arts through Arts Tasmania, South Australian Government.