Creative Art Fund Grant Recipients 2022

Congratulations to the Creative Arts Fund Grant Recipients 2022!

Blacktown Arts are pleased to announce the 17 recipients of our Creative Arts Fund grants for 2022. These individuals and organisations made excellent entries during our call for applications earlier this year. They proposed a range of projects including:

• workshop development for young artists with disability
• ceramic works to be exhibited at Sydney World Pride 2023
• ten street libraries to be created in association with the Street Library Movement
• a 6-week course in a cappella singing for women from the Blacktown community
• portfolio development for local emerging artists
• a self-released dual language album in Greek and English
• Many of this year’s recipients will use their grants for projects involving strong elements of community engagement, knowledge-sharing, and resource creation – activities that Blacktown Arts are proud to support through this funding scheme. Others will use their funds to support the creation of new work across a range of media, and to invest in professional development as artists and creative professionals.

For each annual round of this grant, we invite applications in two categories: Category A, for local incorporated community organisations, and Category B, for local artists applying as individuals or artist groups.

The recipients in each category, and their projects, are:

Category A

Front Up Ability Options (Seven Hills): A program to support and mentor 8 active Front Up Studio young artists with disability. This will assist the artists to facilitate fortnightly workshops as a way to re-engage with non-active members affected by isolation, due to COVID.

Category B

Yusra Alkeswani of Glenwood: An environmental project for the development of handmade mosaic artworks on terracotta bird baths.

The Cheatcoders of Plumpton: Performances, special guest speakers and interviews to celebrate the 200th episode of The Cheatcoders podcast through a gameshow format presented by the hosts of The Cheatcoders.

Wayne Tunks of Blacktown: Artist fees for the production and development of a comedy web series about an ageing brother-and-sister team of monster hunters.

Anjali Sharma of Blacktown: Professional development fees to develop a professional portfolio, social media presence and online presence as well as attending 2 creative business courses.

Gaele Sobott of Blacktown: Development of a poem to be transposed into an animation with sound.

Kristone Capistrano of Rooty Hill: Development of a durational drawing video with dual screens.

Mike Moore of Blacktown: Artist fees and use of photography studio to develop a photography portfolio.

Jeffrey Lees of Blacktown: Development and making of ceramic moulds with melted glass techniques to exhibit as part of Sydney World Pride 2023.

Catherine Leung of The Ponds: Artist fees to support the development of 10–15 large-scale abstract mixed media paintings which explore the impact of colour and words on the human psyche.

Priyanka Gounder of Rooty Hill: Artist fees for 3 canvas artworks inspired by deep Indian folk-art culture.

Ozlum Guccuk of Blacktown: A visual arts mural.

Amrita Paudel Timalsina of Riverstone: Professional development and artist fees for paintings.

George Varelis of Mount Druitt: Production fees for the development of a music video for 3^rd self-released dual-language album in Greek and English.

Rose Lewis of Marayong: Development and creation of 10 street libraries in association with the Street Library Movement.

Paul Schmidt of Lalor Park: Artist fees for the development of a mural at Karishna Spices Store, Lalor Park.

Circular Keys Chorus of Quakers Hill: Development of performance for women from the Blacktown community to learn the art of a cappella singing, with the Circular Keys Chorus over a 6-week course.

We extend our warm congratulations to each of these grant recipients, and look forward to seeing the artworks and projects emerge from their activities.