Female artists dominate the 200 projects in Australia Council’s latest funding round

Female talent dominated the Australia Council’s latest funding round, which supports close to 200 projects.

The $6.4 million funding will support 118 individual artists, 27 groups, and 51 arts organisations.

They cover Music, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts, Community Arts and Cultural Development, Dance, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Literature, Multi-art form, Theatre and Visual Arts.

Altogether the Council received 1,423 applications.

58% of the music grants went to women, or groups including women.

The Council said this was “particularly encouraging in light of the Council’s recent research report Making Art Work which found that on average female artists earn 25% less than male artists and earn 30% less from their creative work.”

The music recipients were:

* Stella Donnelly, $18,400 for showcase performances at SxSW and The Great Escape

* Middle Kids, $24,095 for SxSW showcase and US & Europe album tour

* Gordi, $15,500 to showcase at SxSW and tour North America

* Benji Lewis, $14,524 to showcase at SxSW and tour USA

* Jen Cloher, $20,000 to tour UK, Europe and USA in Jan/Feb

*Carla Del Forno, $15,657 for a North American tour in May

*WAFIA, $23,209 for USA touring and recording

*NT women Kardajala Kirridarra, $40,000 to create a long form video work supporting their new album

*Liz Stringer, $15,944 to record new album in Toronto, Canada

*Tim Shiel, $5,747 for travel to Norway and the UK representing the Spirit Level catalogue

*Michael Blackmann for Chapter Music $36,877 to support new releases in 2018 from Montero, Totally Mild, Twerps, Laura Jean, The Goon Sax and Gregor

*Hope St Recordings, $47,164 to support new releases in 2018/19 from Emma Donovan & The Putbacks, The Cactus Channel, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, The Do Yo Thangs and Zillanova

*Music NT, $97,000 towards Music NTs 2018 program of activity including the Bush Bands program and National Indigenous Music Awards

In addition to the $6.4 million in core grants delivered through the latest (October) round approximately $3.3 million was invested in other targeted programs and initiatives.

These included International Residencies, Visual Art and Craft Strategy funding to individuals, Playing Australia and the Contemporary Music Touring Program.

The recipients of the Contemporary Music Touring Program were:

*Tia Gostelow, $15,000 for national tour in support of her debut album

*Deborah Suckling, $11,400 to tour The Soldiers Wife project nationally in 2018.

It was a project by a group of female Queensland songwriters – Suckling, Jackie Marshall, Roz Pappalardo, Emma Bosworth, Kristy Apps and Melinda J Wells – to tell the stories of the sacrifices of women whose partners have served in conflicts over the past 60 years.

*Black Rock Band, $15,000 to support a national tour from their base in the Northern Territory

*Country Arts WA, $30,000 towards the tri-state remote indigenous community touring initiative Sand Tracks.

*Tracey Griffiths for William Crighton & Gawurra,  $15,000 for The Earth Meets The Sky national tour.

Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski pointed out that this funding round would benefit local and international audiences with a large number of live performance projects being successful.

“Many of the projects funded include international components which will expand artistic and commercial opportunities for Australian artists and strengthen our international reputation for producing great art and artists, as well as sharing Australian stories with global audiences,” he said.