Dr Fiona Foley receives the 2018 Windmill Trust Scholarship for Regional NSW Artists
Image: Fiona Foley, Flotsam and Jetsam #11, 2011. Gouache and graphite on Arches paper 31x41cm
Media Release
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) and the Windmill Trust congratulate artist Dr Fiona Foley announced as the recipient of 21st annual scholarship for regional NSW artists.
Foley will use the $10,000 scholarship to travel to her traditional Badtjala country surrounding Hervey Bay and Fraser Island to create a new series of gouache paintings on water-colour paper.
Foley said today, "In December 2017 I completed my practice-led PhD with Griffith University, its outcomes jointly titled, Biting the Clouds: The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act, 1897. Now it’s time for a change of pace and spending some time back on my traditional country. The landmass of K’gari[1] means Paradise. With the assistance of the Windmill Trust Scholarship, I am overjoyed to be going home and creating a new body of work during the Spring of 2018. After a lean six months this really feels like winning lotto." said continued.
Dr Fiona Foley is a leading contemporary Australian artist with a practice encompassing painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, mixed-media work, found objects and installation to examine and dismantle historical stereotypes. A descendent from the Badtjala people of K’gari, she is currently based in Lismore, NSW. Foley explores a range of concerns through her practice including colonial race relations, sexuality and the experiences of Aboriginal populations at the turn of the twentieth century.
Representatives from the Windmill Trust Management Committee said “we are excited to support an outstanding established professional who is continually striving to take time to renew, refresh and further explore her practice. The Windmill are thrilled to support Fiona Foley in this next phase of her work.”
“Forty-seven eligible applications were received this year from artists across the state, from Lightning Ridge to Gerringong. The artists represent diverse practices and were of an extremely high calibre, making the decision challenging. We extend our congratulations to all 2018 applicants on the high quality of their proposals. This presents an exciting start to the Windmill’s third decade”, they continued.
Penelope Benton, General Manager of NAVA said “Australia’s artists work under increasingly precarious conditions, so scholarships like this are increasingly important for artists at all stages of their careers. NAVA is extremely proud to administer this annual program and delighted to see Fiona Foley awarded this opportunity to take the time and space to develop her career in new directions on her traditional country.”
[1] K’gari is the name for Fraser Island.
About the Windmill Trust Scholarship
The Windmill Trust Scholarship was established in 1997 by Primrose Moss to honour her sister, artist and former Director of the Macquarie Galleries, the late Penny Meagher and is targeted at regional NSW artists. Over the past two decades, this initiative has supported and promoted the vast array of talent that exists across the diverse regional and remote areas of NSW, including Bathurst, Moree, Orange, South Coast and the Northern Rivers supporting projects from a diverse range of media.
About NAVA
The National Association for the Visual Arts is the peak body representing the professional interests of the Australian visual and media arts, craft and design sector. Since its establishment in 1983, NAVA has been influential in bringing about policy and legislative change to encourage the growth and development of the visual arts sector and to increase professionalism within the industry. NAVA offers a range of programs, resources and membership benefits designed to strengthen artists’ capacity to develop and sustain their practice.
Become a Grant Donor
NAVA invites your tax exempt donation either toward one of our existing grants or to set up an entirely new program shaped to your ideas and for which we can offer naming rights.
Providing this kind of philanthropic support can be a source of great satisfaction in making a valuable contribution to supporting living Australian artists.
For more information or to discuss your ideas, please contact NAVA's General Manager, Penelope Benton via nava@visualarts.net.au.
