Joint Media Release
with the Hon Peter Garrett MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
31 December 2008
Taking Australian arts to the world
The latest round of Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) funding was announced today by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett.
Thirteen art projects from around Australia will share more than $400,000 to help them take Australia’s art and culture to the world. All the projects will assist the Government’s efforts to promote a positive and contemporary image of Australia internationally.
The projects supported in this funding round range from innovative visual arts to our great performing arts companies. Many of the artists will use the funding to build on their strong existing links with counterparts in the region. Some will use the funding to present distinctive Australian works to new audiences.
The AICC has a busy program of cultural events coming up in the next two years, with major promotions planned for the United States in 2009 and China in 2010. Australia’s pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 will also be a showcase for our rich and diverse culture. Some of the projects funded by the AICC grants program will support the Government’s objectives in undertaking these initiatives.
The AICC is co-chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the Arts. It is a consultative group that advises the Government on international cultural priorities, and is composed of leaders from government, the arts and business.
The AICC grants program provides funding for international arts and cultural projects that promote Australia overseas, reinforcing Australia’s standing as a stable, sophisticated and innovative nation with a rich and diverse culture and promoting a contemporary and positive image of Australia’s Indigenous people.
The full list of grant recipients is attached below.
Media Contact: DFAT Departmental 02 6261 1555.
Australia International Cultural Council
Grant Recipients—Round 2 2008
Wollongong City Gallery (NSW)
Grant: $40,000
An international exhibition of works by 15 contemporary Chinese, Australian and Chinese-Australian artists who explore notions of globalisation and personal and cultural identity. The exhibition will be presented in Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen and Shanghai, China.
Australian Dance Theatre (SA)
Grant: $40,000
A tour of Australian Dance Theatre’s new work, G, to Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York. The tour will further consolidate the relationship Australian Dance Theatre has developed with New York’s premier dance venue, The Joyce Theatre.
Force Majeure Ltd (NSW)
Grant: $40,000
To tour the contemporary dance theatre work The Age I’m In by Force Majeure to three prestigious international performing arts events: the Seoul Performing Arts Festival, the Dublin Theatre Festival and the Place des Arts in Montreal.
Back to Back Theatre (VIC)
Grant: $20,000
Back to Back Theatre will present seasons of its award-winning work, Small Metal Objects, across the United States, including the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, UCLA Live (Los Angeles), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco) and Arizona State University. The company will also deliver lectures, seminars and workshops.
City of Melbourne (VIC)
Grant: $40,000
The second major international presentation of murundak by The Black Arm Band, at WOMAD UK in 2009. The artists who make up The Black Arm Band are Australia’s finest contemporary Indigenous musicians, including Archie Roach, Dan Sultan, Mark Atkins, Ruby Hunter, Lou Bennett and Kutcha Edwards.
Chunky Move (VIC)
Grant: $40,000
To undertake an international tour of three significant works by Chunky Move to the Festival de Mexico and several venues in Canada and the United States.
Circus Oz (VIC)
Grant: $10,000
To contribute to the company’s presentation in the United States in 2009, and in doing so build commercial opportunities for Circus Oz in North America.
Nikki Anderson (VIC)
Grant: $25,000
To tour an exhibition of Australian picture book artwork showcasing 30 of Australia’s most prominent contemporary children’s book illustrators, An Australian Menagerie, to Suzhou and Chengdu, China in 2009.
Way Out West Music (VIC)
Grant: $9,449
A tour by six-piece cross-cultural music group, Way Out West, to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan in 2009. The group’s music combines Vietnamese, African and jazz influences and their album Old Grooves for New Streets is one of the most successful Australian jazz albums.
Snuff Puppets Inc (VIC)
Grant: $28,660
For the Snuff Puppets to undertake a professional creative development with the artists at Padepokan Seni, an independent performing arts centre in Yogyakarta. The collaboration will be the first stage in creating a new main stage professional work, to be presented in Yogyakarta in July 2009.
The Song Company Pty Ltd (NSW)
Grant: $30,000
A tour of The Song Company to China in 2009, with performances in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou, together with a residency at The China Conservatory, Beijing. The Song Company is one of Australia’s leading vocal ensembles. The tour to China will be part of its 25th anniversary program.
Terrapin Puppet Theatre (TAS)
Grant: $37,200
Terrapin Puppet Theatre and the Children’s Art Theatre of China will collaborate on the development of a new puppet theatre work, with the working title of The Tiny Giant. The work is to be performed in Shanghai in 2010.
Opera Australia (NSW)
Grant: $40,000
Opera Australia will co-present its production of Carmen with the National Symphony Orchestra in Taipei as the local presenter. There will be four performances at the National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Centre, Taipei, in July 2009.