Perth

Perth (/ˈpɜːrθ/) is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 2.02 million (as of 30 June 2014) living in Greater Perth. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both located on its shores. Perth is formally divided into a number of local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.

Perth was originally founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status (currently vested in the smaller City of Perth) in 1856, and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929. The city is named after Perth, Scotland, due to the influence of Sir George Murray, then British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The city's population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century, largely as a result of emigration from the eastern colonies of Australia. During Australia's involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre, and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay. An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, led to rapid population growth. This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for a number of large mining operations located around the state.

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts, and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only. The term is often used in the entertainment business, especially in a business context, for musicians and other performers (less often for actors). "Artiste" (the French for artist) is a variant used in English only in this context. Use of the term to describe writers, for example, is valid, but less common, and mostly restricted to contexts like criticism.

Dictionary definitions

Wiktionary defines the noun 'artist' (Singular: artist; Plural: artists) as follows:

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the older broad meanings of the term "artist":

Street artist

A street artist is a person who creates their art or craft in public, most usually on streets, for monetary reward. Some artists also sell their art or craft. Artists include portrait artists, caricaturists, artists who replicate famous paintings on the street itself or on large canvases, hair braiders, friendship bracelet makers and many others.

The term 'street artist' is sometimes used more broadly to mean any persons involved in street performance or busking. These include musicians, acrobats, jugglers, living statues, and street theatre performers.

Street artists receive monetary reward for their art or craft either by donations being given in a hat, bottle or can or by the selling of their art or craft to the public. Some jurisdictions consider the selling of street art as street trading which therefore requires a license.

Street artists can be seen throughout the world. In some countries street artists will set up spontaneously wherever they like, but may run the risk of being moved on or even arrested by the police if municipal ordinances prohibit their display or their actions are against the law. In other countries, street artists can be licensed by the local or municipal authorities so they may legally sell their artwork. These municipal street artist licences usually place limitations on where the artist can perform as well as regulate what they are allowed to sell. Limitations on what the artists can sell is often the authority's attempt to allow only handmade items of the artists' creation and not the manufactured work of others. San Francisco, Berkeley, and Seattle are American cities that regulate the display and trade of street artists.

Western Australia

Western Australia (abbreviated as WA) is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state with a total land area of 2,529,875 square kilometres (976,790 sq mi), and the second-largest country subdivision in the world – however, a significant part of it is sparsely populated. The state has about 2.6 million inhabitants, around 11% of the national total. 92% of the population lives in the south-west corner of the state.

The first European visitor to Western Australia was the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog, who visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. The New South Wales colonial government established a convict-supported military garrison at King George III Sound, at present-day Albany, in 1826, which was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, Perth. York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831.

Curtin University

Curtin University (a trademark of Curtin University of Technology) is an Australian public university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. The University is named after the 14th Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin, and is the largest university in Western Australia, with over 50,000 students (as of 2014).

Curtin was conferred University status after the legislation was passed by the State Government of Western Australia in 1986. Since then, the University has been expanding its presence and currently has campuses in Sydney, Singapore, and Sarawak. It has ties with 90 exchange universities in more than 20 countries. The University comprises five main faculties with over 95 specialists centres.

Curtin was awarded five-stars overall in the annual QS Stars university ratings for 2014. Curtin is ranked 284 by QS World University Rankings 2015. As of 2013, the University is also ranked in The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) as one of the top 500 world universities.