How the arts sector fared in this year’s Queens Honours List
Dancer David McAllister among only five awarded this year's highest honour, with a list generally that has shifted its focus, with the highest number of women in history and a strong recognition of diversity and underrepresented.
Australian Queens Honours Day medals. Image: Shutterstock
The Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List recognises 1,190 Australians. Of those (by our count) 77 are from within the arts and culture sector or are patrons who have keenly supported it. That is 6.5% in a year when the arts played such a strong role in the wellbeing of the wider national community struggling to live through a pandemic.
This is up slightly on last year with 59 Honours awarded, but continues the trend favouring the performing arts sector.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
