Brisbane has been and continues to be well served by artist run spaces and access galleries, particularly in the last 2 years 1993-1994. Can there ever be an over supply? Looks at Dogget Street Studios, QAA, Metro Arts, Inkahoots, Loading Bay, Isn't Studios and Fireworks Gallery.
Every State has one - a local council that is outstanding in its commitment to the arts and in Western Australia, the credit for innovation and energy goes to the City of Gosnells, who have arguably led the pack for the last 5 years in interesting community arts projects...
They may not have been characterised as 'artist run initiatives' but exhibition spaces run by artists have been around, in one form, or another for a long time.
...So in effect, what we have in Australia is a separation of public and commercial by governments arts departments that unfortunately does not take into account the fact that the arts industry operates on a continuum...
The transforming role of local government. More enlightened attitudes towards art making are coming from all levels of government and from property developers and others - often at the urging of those various levels of government.