Contemporary Arts Organisations Australia (CAOA) represents a national network of 15 independent, not-for-profit, small-to-medium, contemporary visual arts organisations operating across every state and territory. With organisational histories spanning 15 to 51 years, CAOA members are a vital part of Australia’s national cultural infrastructure. Collectively, CAOA organisations commission and present contemporary visual art and research, employ artists and arts workers, support First Nations leadership and artists from culturally diverse backgrounds, deliver education and community access programs, and connect Australian artists with national and international audiences.

CAOA organisations are a major engine of contemporary visual arts production and workforce development in Australia. Over the past three years, members have supported more than 6,500 artists working professionally, and commissioned over 3,200 new works. Collectively, the CAOA network reaches a global audience of more than one million people annually through exhibitions, public programs, touring, publishing, education and community engagement initiatives.

CAOA is a self-sustaining network representing an unparalleled collective experience of contemporary art practices, cultural workforce and audience engagement across Australia. CAOA offers a forum for collaboration across the country—for knowledge sharing, peer support and for the strategic development of ideas within the broader visual arts sector. Each CAOA organisation operates in a different geographic, physical, stylistic and conceptual space, facilitating production, exhibition and interpretation of work by living artists.