The ACICIS Creative Arts and Design Professional Practicum (CADPP) resumed its in-country delivery in Indonesia in January-February 2023. Launched in 2017, the program exposes students to the vibrancy of contemporary Indonesian arts and cultural production, combining academic elements with hands-on practical creative production experience.
Running from early January to mid-February each year, the CADPP is a six-week intensive academic and vocational study program in Indonesia for undergraduate and postgraduate Australian and international students. The program includes a two-week intensive Indonesian language study and industry-led seminars at an Indonesian partner university, followed by a four-week supervised industry placement.
The practicum placement will involve students collaborating with Indonesian peers and creative practitioners to produce work including, but not limited to: short films, animations, sound and video art, websites, online installations, blogs and social media apps.
The CADPP is designed for students who have no existing Indonesian language skills. Candidates with existing language skills are also welcome. All industry placements provide an English-language working environment.
A fabulous experience to really meet some of Australia’s closest neighbours, explore their art scene, while meeting and working with amazing and inspiring artists.
– ACICIS Past Participant
Aims
The two main aims of the CADPP are to:
- Provide students with a practical learning experience with a Host Organisation (or individual artist, artist collective or art/design studio) in an Indonesian creative arts and design workplace environment; and
- To enhance bilateral understanding through the creation of new partnerships between Australian and Indonesian counterparts, and to serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas in the field of creative arts and design.
The structure of the six-week program is as follows:
- Two weeks of intensive Indonesian language classes at an Indonesian partner university, designed to give participants basic Indonesian language capacity;
alongside
- A series of seminars and fieldtrips led by experts and practitioners from Indonesian creative arts and design organisations;
Followed by
- A four-week supervised practicum placement designed to give participants an English-speaking professional experience within an Indonesian or international organisation (or with an individual practitioner, artist collective or art/design studio) operating within Indonesia’s creative industries.
Supervision
ACICIS’ programs in Indonesia operate under the direction of the ACICIS Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman.
In addition, an Academic Program Officer (APO) is assigned for the duration of the CADPP to oversee all aspects of the program, including the supervision of its academic content.
Elly Kent was the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 CADPP Academic Program Officer. Elly Kent is a translator, writer, artist and has obtained a PhD in art theory and practice at the ANU School of Art. She was the recipient of a Prime Minister’s Australia-Asia Postgraduate Award in 2012, and the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art’s emerging artist award in the same year. Read more about Elly here.
Some important points to note
- Applicants should be aware that they are applying for the program, not a specific placement. Participants must therefore accept that they may not be placed in their desired choice. In addition, all ACICIS placements with business organisations depend entirely on the goodwill and preparedness of such organisations to host participants. Such organisations retain the right to withdraw from the program or vary the number of participants they host at any stage. Therefore, while acting in good faith in preparing participants for placements, ACICIS cannot guarantee any specific internship site and participants must accept this need for flexibility as a condition of participation in the Creative Arts and Design Professional Practicum.
- The visa that participants enter Indonesia on is not a working visa. Participants are strictly prohibited from undertaking any form of paid work during their time on the CADPP. ACICIS takes this matter very seriously and will take disciplinary measures against any student found undertaking paid work of any kind throughout the program.
- Participants are advised to take a laptop with them to Indonesia, as in most cases this will help them greatly in their work placements. In some work placements it is essential.
- Please be advised that Indonesian Universities have a dress code which will be enforced by ACICIS. T-shirts and thongs are not appropriate.
- Orientation is compulsory for all CADPP participants. If you cannot attend orientation then you will, unfortunately, not be able to participate in the program.
