Recipients of 13 State Library Victoria Fellowships worth a total of $169,500 were announced today.
The 2016 Fellows include authors, artists, musicians, scholars and historians who will explore a diverse range of projects from unearthing a century of Australian Indigenous contemporary songs to a novel about Melbourne trams in the 1990s.
For 13 years the State Library’s Fellowships have been one of the most substantial fellowship programs in Australia, furthering the work of more than 200 artists, historians, composers, academics, playwrights, writers, poets and other creative researchers and delivering over $2 million in funding.
This year six Creative Fellowships were awarded and a further seven specialist fellowships for children’s literature, social history, visual arts, Ukrainian studies, and a fellowship to commemorate the centenary of WWI.
CEO Kate Torney said the Fellowship program supports a diverse range of creative work and research.
“The State Library Fellowships are one of the significant ways the Library supports our creative and scholarly communities. They provide space, time, money and the expertise of the Library staff to help bring exciting projects to fruition,” Ms. Torney said.
Past Fellowships have produced major exhibitions, public art installations, documentaries, books, graphic novels, plays, musical scores, interactive games and many other creative projects.
The Fellowships are funded by the State Library Victoria Foundation and other program partners, and are awarded annually on the advice of independent expert panels.
Read more about the Library’s Fellowship program.
2016 State Library Fellowships recipient list follows:
State Library Victoria Creative Fellowships
Six fellowships are available to artists and scholars as individuals or collaborative partnerships for developing innovative ways to express the Library’s collections. Each fellowship grant is: $12,500.
Miles Allinson
For a novel based on his father’s life in and around the counter-cultural movement that existed in Melbourne during the 1970s.
Nick Barkla
For an online archive and website documenting the creation and expansion of Melbourne’s iconic Apollo Gym, the oldest gym in Australia, established in 1850.
Paul Bateman
For research and writing in support of a novel set in 1990s Melbourne that charts the life and times of the men and women who worked at the now defunct South Melbourne tram depot on Kings Way.
Marita Dyson and Stuart Flanagan
For a suite of songs and accompanying video works about Melbourne waterways through the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring environmental change and the life of people who lived and worked along their banks.
Jessie Lloyd and Archie Roach
For a project to revive and present a rare collection of early Australian Indigenous contemporary songs that were composed and performed between 1900 and 1999.
Sarah Tracton
For an investigation of the archives and manuscripts of Dr Pierre Gorman and deaf history in Victoria from the 1800s.
Honorary Fellowships (no grant)
Philip Goldswain
Mapping Paris through the State Library’s collection of French photographic albums.
Dean Keep and Jeromie Maver
A book centering on the dynamic but now forgotten design and arts scene of 1950s Melbourne.
Centenary of WWI Fellowship
A fellowship for researchers including historians, artists, illustrators and scholars for works exploring a subject related to Victorians at home and abroad during the First World War (1914-1918) and its aftermath. This fellowship grant is: $12,500.
Dr Jordie Albiston
For a work that will draw on letters and postcards written by Victorian soldiers during WWI to create 70 original poems, one for each soldier in the study.
Children’s Literature Fellowship
A specialist fellowship for exploring children’s book publishing, writing or illustrating. This fellowship grant is: $12,500.
Stephanie Holm
For a graphic novel exploring representations of Australian fauna and flora in early Australian children’s book publishing.
The Amor Residency at Baldessin Press Studio
In association with the Baldessin Press, the Amor Residency at St. Andrews is available to a visual artist wishing to explore works on paper, in particular printmaking or artists’ books. The offer may include accommodation, printmaking tuition/ technical support, materials or editioning to the sum of $5000.
Rosalind Atkins
For a project combining analogue print technology, engraving and etching with digital print technology in an exploration of local change and its impact on art practice.
Berry Family Fellowship
A specialist fellowship for exploring an aspect of the social history of Melbourne or Victoria. This fellowship grant is: $12,500.
Guy Rundle and Jo Waite
For a study of a commercial building in Melbourne’s CBD, uncovering the forgotten lives and vanished professions that made the city.
The Georges Mora Fellowship
The Georges Mora Fellowship gives one contemporary artist the opportunity to study, experiment and explore fresh thinking in their art. This Fellowship grant is: $10,000.
James Geurts
For installation project sites to be located along the floodplain of the Birrarung River, creating a conceptual line and that will be explored to draw out ecological currents and identify cultural significance.
Redmond Barry Fellowship
In association with the University of Melbourne, the Redmond Barry Fellowship is available to scholars and writers for the production of literary works. The fellowship allows for three-to-six months’ research. This fellowship grant is up to $20,000.
Dr Ross Jones
For scholarly research and writing recreating the story of tuberculin in 1890s Melbourne. His research will draw on the collections of both institutions.
The Ukrainian Studies Foundation in Australia Fellowship
In association with the Ukrainian Studies Foundation in Australia, the fellowship is available to researchers wanting to undertake a project exploring Ukrainian history and/or culture. The fellowship allows for five months’ research. This fellowship grant is $22,000.
Dr Natalie Senjov-Makohon
For a digital storytelling project that will give voice to the first generation Ukrainian settlers in Geelong. Natalie will research the social, cultural and economic benefits of the Ukrainian community in sustaining and developing cultural heritage in Geelong.