2022 Balnaves Foundation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist Fellowship Open for Submissions

Belvoir is now accepting submissions for the 2022 Balnaves Foundation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist Fellowship. The Balnaves Fellowship provides the opportunity to work at Belvoir as a resident artist to create a work for the stage, and this year, has increased to a $45,000 paid residency over an 18-month period.

Belvoir are committed to supporting and nurturing artists and their work, and in particular, the development of artists who face structural barriers in accessing these opportunities. Expressions of interest will be accepted from creatives of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who are writers or writer/directors or directors who have a new theatre work they wish to bring to life.

Previous recipients (including Leah Purcell, Nakkiah Lui, and Nathan Maynard) have submitted exceptional works that consistently affirm the depth of talent amongst our nation's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre-makers, whilst bringing extraordinary works to the Belvoir stage. The 2021 recipient, Thomas Weatherall (Netflix's Heartbreak High), will be presenting his work Blue as part of the 2023 Sydney Festival line-up.

"The platform that the Balnaves Fellowship provides is unparalleled! It gave me the opportunity to explore my artistic voice in a way that is viable, and really examine the work I wanted to create. In conjunction with Belvoir they are able to give you access to this environment that is both creatively freeing, but also acts as a kind of safety net. This makes you feel able to explore each and every facet of your practice, while providing you the opportunity to seek mentorship, advice and support from other artists and practitioners," said Thomas Weatherall.

The Fellowship seeks to be deeply collaborative, offering an invitation to have a voice in Belvoir's artistic decision-making processes and the opportunity to support other Indigenous artists through Belvoir's creative development and programming.

"The Balnaves Foundation has been championing Indigenous Theatre at Belvoir for more than ten years and are proud to continue its support in promoting Indigenous artists to create new ground-breaking works that engage, educate and challenge audiences," said Hamish Balnaves, CEO, The Balnaves Foundation.

Applications for the 2022 Balnaves Foundation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist Fellowship are now open, with submissions closing on 21 November 2022.

Information on the Fellowship, and how to apply can be found on the Belvoir website: https://belvoir.com.au/for-artists/fellowship-and-residencies/

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