TRACQS helps visual and performance artist Zane Saunders explore new horizons

Zane Saunders, descendant of the Butchulla, Gunggari and Jarrowia People’s of Southern Queensland, is a self-employed artist with over twenty years of dedication to his craft. Zane calls Kuranda home, and predominantly works in Cairns and regularly travels around when work opportunities present themselves.  

Zane has a background in visual and performance art, and his work has been featured in many gallery collections, including the National Gallery of Australia. Zane specialises in interdisciplinary arts and regularly uses a combination of art disciplines to achieve his goals.  

Culture and Aboriginal spirituality are the basis and inspiration of Zane’s artistic practice. His motivation is to help improve the quality of life for First Nations people, which he achieves through education and creative expression.  

The TRACQS team was very familiar with Zane and his artistry, and in December 2023, TRACQS approached Zane to offer him assistance in achieving his self-employment goals. 

TRACQS offers Self-Employment Assistance, a service that provides a pathway for participants to access support in launching a start-up business, or further developing their existing small business. Through this program, participants receive support such as tailored training, financial assistance through wage support, or assistance with purchasing equipment to enhance the business. 

One of the main obstacles Zane was facing was having limited resources available to store and edit his work, and reliably keep track of his business’ progress. To further Zane’s ability to grow his business, TRACQS provided him with a MacBook laptop, which would assist him in storing and preparing various mediums in preparation for performances. This new laptop was presented before Christmas, providing Zane with the tools needed to focus on exploring new goals in 2024.  

Zane has expressed his gratitude for the assistance TRACQS provided, advising that it was the perfect Christmas gift. He shared the impact of receiving his laptop, commenting,

“The laptop is an essential tool for business, as I need access to my email to stay connected with production opportunities and the art community.

I use the laptop to document ideas, and store documents, photos, videos, music and sounds that I can then utilise when creating new production work. I also utilise the laptop to send information to my website manager, who keeps my website up to date.

I again would like to thank TRACQS for assisting me to purchase the MacBook laptop.”

TRACQS is committed to supporting the preservation of First Nations cultures, and the small business and self-employment goals of participants in the Western Tablelands regions. To learn more about Zane’s artistic endeavours, we encourage you to visit his website.