Micro Grants

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arts Northern Rivers initiated a Micro Grants project offering grants of up to $1,000 for independent practicing artists or organisations working across all art forms to support their creative endeavours.

We have received a huge response during this project which has meant that many worthy applications could not be supported. Arts Northern Rivers will continue to work to find opportunities to support the arts and creative industries in our region.

 

RECIPIENTS

Arts Northern Rivers is pleased to announce some the successful recipients of our Micro-Grant support program included:

 

Antoinette O’Brien – Professional & Skills Developmen

Antoinette will use this grant for two purposes: firstly, to pay for participation in an online sculpture class (Head in Clay) run by renowned American artist, Cristina Cordova and secondly, to assist with the costs of some basic materials and tools to go towards works for exhibition at the Lismore Regional Gallery in March 2021.

 

Belle Budden – Creation and Publication of a Multi Media Zine

Creation of a publication reflecting themes of connectivity through social isolation in mediums of visual arts, dance, weaving and printmaking. The publication a multi media zine for print and online social media platforms will have links to videos, articles, photos and web references from Belle’s existing body of work.

 

Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) – Product Developmen

Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) will use this grant to assist in the development of a new Arakwal Website which will have a merchandise / Arakwal artwork section for online purchasing to further promote and distribute Arakwal products and art all over the country and world.

 

Byron School of Art – Adaptation of Gallery Space

The grant will be used to professionally remodel window space for the Byron School of Art Project Space Drive-in Gallery. The Project Space has become an integral part of BSA as it services the community of the school as well as the greater community.

 

Cara MacLeod – Showcase and Audience Development

Cara is an artist facilitator at Northern Rivers Community Gallery. Her work is currently on display in a group show in the Gallery and she will use this opportunity to showcase her practice and connect with existing audiences who are unable to attend the exhibition or creative learning programs onsite. The Micro Grant will allow her to connect with a group of older people in an aged care facility.

 

Christina Giorgio: Heart on My Sleeve

Local folk-roots singer-songwriter Christina Giorgio will be bringing her show Heart on My Sleeve to the Brunswick Picture House. Often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and always unflinchingly honest, it’s an evening of stories and songs about love, loss and getting wiser — the hard way.

 

Christine Porter – Creation of an Online Teaching Program

The creation of a four-week on-line teaching program to facilitate understanding of how to program, present, video and create an online art course.

 

Clint Hurrell – Projection Mapping Project

The activity involves making a scale model of a Northern Rivers public Band Stand, then creating animation imagery for projection mapping, then test projecting on the model in studio. The project will include:  Archival research and field trips, printing plans and building a scale model, developing projection mapping animations and designing lighting states for the model, documenting the live controlled projections for online feedback.

 

Joanna Kambourian – Home Studio Residency

The grant will enable Joanna to participate in a home studio residency project and produce work for online exhibition in lieu of the planned residency with ICA Yerevan. The opportunity will allow Joanna to plan and instigate new work with a broad scope of outcomes.

 

Karma Barnes- ‘Super Rough Seas’

This is an artist lead Community Recovery Art Project. The project seeks to bring together our stories and experiences during the COVID-19 isolation period in a Street Art Story Montage. The work will be a visual storytelling of our communities compounded lived experiences through the pandemic and recent fires, drought and floods.

 

Kerrie Bowles – Development of Workshop Program for Online Delivery

The grant will be used to develop a workshop for online delivery. Pre-COVID-19, Kerrie had been running workshops and classes in her Studio for over four years with great success. However, unexpected factors such as COVID-19 have demonstrated that when it is not possible to physically run the workshops, her arts business is significantly affected putting it in jeopardy of not being able to continue to operate either the Gallery or Studio.

 

Mandy Nolan & Ellen Briggs – Workshop for Northern Rivers Comedians

The grant will be used to run a workshop that addresses the marketing and management deficits many comedians both professional and aspirant have in our region. This will involve looking at social media engagement, building a following, developing a rapport with ancillary and support industry along with creating a solid marketing package. The workshop will also address how to innovate performance during times of restriction.

 

Michael Dhinawan Barker – Creation of New Work

Will purchase equipment, tools and materials needed to create a new body of work. The body of work is to create a minimum of 10 shields, exploring regional timbers and their significance and depicting significant Indigenous stories.

 

Valley Lipcer – Creative Development

Valley will use this grant to support a creative development process for her Roundabout Theatre that will lead to a new vision for a new time. She will focus, re-ignite and reimagine parts of the company and how her practise can grow and contribute to a greater resilience for the company.