Helpmann Academy announces $52,000 in grants

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: Helpmann Academy

The Helpmann Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts has announced its second round of competitive grants for 2010, awarding more than $52,000 to sixteen individual projects by emerging artists from a wide range of creative disciplines.

Many of the projects that have been supported are student-driven graduation showcases at each of the Helpmann Academy’s partner institutions, including graduation tours and performances, a series of dance showcases and a number of graduate visual art exhibitions.

“For the students who will be graduating from full-time arts study at the end of 2010, these showcase performances and exhibitions are the culmination of years of dedicated and disciplined training. At the same time, these projects are just the first step in what we hope will be a long journey as professional artists,” says Alison Dunn, CEO Helpmann Academy. “Whether it be meeting an agent, performing for the country’s leading dance choreographers, establishing a new theatre company or mounting an exhibition, these projects are all springboards towards the life of a professional artist. It is a privilege for the Helpmann Academy to be able to support these many talented and dedicated individuals.”

Over $52,000 in grants has been awarded to sixteen individual projects in the areas of technical production and design, theatre, music, dance and visual arts. Projects include specialised jazz and operatic tuition in New York and Perth, a short film production driven entirely by its design look and feel, a series of quirky musical concerts, an assistant director’s placement in Europe and a range of graduate showcase performances and exhibitions.

The Helpmann Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts assists emerging artists to make the leap into professional practice, by providing a range of programs and opportunities including exhibitions, awards, grants, mentorships and international exchanges. Academy grants are open to staff, students and recent graduates of the Adelaide Central School of Art, Elder Conservatorium of Music (University of Adelaide), the Adelaide College of the Arts (TAFE SA), Vizarts O’Halloran Hill (TAFE SA), Flinders Drama and Screen Production (Flinders University) and the South Australian School of Art (UniSA).

The Helpmann Academy Grant Scheme is proudly supported by ETSA Utilities (platinum sponsor) and Ernst & Young.