Copyright Agency awards $46k to authors, artists
June 3, 2019
Eight authors and three artists have received a total of $46,440 from the Cultural Fund’s IGNITE grants program.
The grants, ranging from $1900 to $5000, support the individuals through structured mentorships, residencies and study, some of which involves international travel.
The authors are:
NSW: Winnie Dunn, Adele Dumont, Ellen O’Brien and Michele Freeman.
VIC: Janine Mikosza, Ronnie Scott and Kaitlyn Plyley.
WA: Madelaine Dickie.
The artists are:
NSW: Thom Roberts and Lisa Sammut.
WA: Alana Hunt.
Western Australian author Madelaine Dickie will use her $5000 grant for a month-long structured residency at Arquetopia International Artists Residency in Oaxaca, Mexico. Madelaine’s first novel Troppo won the City of Fremantle T.A.G Hungerford Award. Her second novel, Red Can Origami is due for release this December. She will attend the residency in September to complete the first draft of her third novel, a literary surf-noir crime thriller set in Mexico and Western Australia.
Sydney video installation artist and sculptor, Lisa Sammut, will undergo an eight-week structured Studio Program at Heima Art Residency (Iceland), a one–week intensive Mentorship in Video & Installation Art with Turner-prize winning artist Laure Prouvost (France) and a period of research at the Venice Biennale (Italy) where artist Angelica Mesiti will represent Australia and Laure Prouvost will represent France.
Lisa, who was a finalist in the 2018 John Fries Award, says, “I will experience significant conceptual and practical skills development through collective studio experimentation at Heima; outstanding opportunities for personal development with the respected and experienced guidance of Prouvost; and technical and conceptual immersion within Prouvost and Mesiti’s most significant international exhibitions to date.”
Left to right, top to bottom: Adele Dumont, Alana Hunt, Ellen O’Brien, Kaitlyn Plyley, Janine Mokisza, Lisa Sammut, Madelaine Dickie, Michele Freeman, Ronnie Scott, Thom Roberts and Winnie Dunn.
The judges for the IGNITE grants 2019 were Sam Cooney, Publisher, The Lifted Brow/Brow Books, Ineke Dane, curator and Fiona Wright, author.
The Copyright Agency’s IGNITE grants provide financial support to authors and visual artists in recognition of their creative endeavours that enrich and promote Australia’s literary and arts communities. These grants are in addition to the payment of more than $100 million in copyright licence fees to publishers, writers, visual artists and surveyors every year.