Founded by music manager Mikaela Copland, the free directory pulls together more than 100 grants, competitions, festivals and mentoring programs, and lets artists search by identity.
Grants, residencies, competitions and professional development programs are often scattered across dozens of websites, newsletters and social pages, which can make them easy to miss. Community Garden, a new online hub from Melbourne talent management agency Tall Poppy MGMT, gathers more than 100 of those opportunities into one hub, making opportunities more accessible and searchable.
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Founded by music manager Mikaela Copland, the directory pulls together grants, showcases, competitions, mentoring programs, industry events and other career pathways from across Australia, updated fortnightly as new listings come in. The idea grew from Copland’s years working with emerging artists, having seen first-hand how hard the industry is to navigate without established networks or easy access to information. Community Garden allows users to search by identity – so First Nations, LGBTQIAPN+, female and gender-diverse, disabled and culturally diverse musicians can find programs built specifically for them rather than trawling through listings that don’t apply.
“There’s no shortage of opportunities in Australia’s music scene, but there is a shortage of accessible information,” Copland said. “Community Garden was created to remove some of those barriers by bringing opportunities together in one place. Whether it’s a grant, residency, competition or professional development program, we want emerging artists spending more time creating and less time searching.”
Community Garden sits outside Tall Poppy’s core talent management business, though Copland sees it as an extension of the same purpose, pointing out that supporting musicians shouldn’t begin and end with representation. Alongside the directory, a free newsletter keeps subscribers across newly added opportunities and industry news.
Community Garden comes at an opportune time, with the wider scene looking for better ways to support emerging artists and build sustainable creative careers.
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