Arts NT director Angela Hill has congratulated Northern Territory digital artist Jonathan Saunders on his selection as one of six Indigenous Australians to participate in the prestigious international arts leadership program ACCELERATE.

Established in 2009, ACCELERATE is a program designed by the British Council and Australia Council for the Arts for Indigenous Australians working within the creative industries providing access to significant national and international networks and career development opportunities.

Arts NT established a partnership with the British Council earlier this year and contributed $30,000 through the NT Arts Grant Program to support a Northern Territory arts professional to participate in the program for the first time.

“Arts NT supports the development of the Northern Territory arts sector and opportunities for NT creative professionals to develop their leadership skills and career pathways, and I congratulate Mr Saunders on his selection,” Ms Hill said.

“Following on from last night’s Welcoming Function in Melbourne where each of the participants were announced, Mr Saunders will spend the next few days participating in a creative laboratory and cultural event as a platform to share and develop knowledge in a collaborative and international context and to inspire new work.

“The successful participants will then travel to the United Kingdom in November to share knowledge and creative practice with other cultural leaders facing similar issues of working across cultural barriers, dealing with cultural protocols and taboos at the same time as entering and succeeding in high profile international art markets.”

Mr Saunders recently completed an internship at Fox Studios in Sydney and has worked on a web series with the support of Screen Territory. He also works with artists and arts workers through Aboriginal owned arts centres in remote communities in the Northern Territory through the Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Aboriginal Corporation (ANKA).

“The skills and knowledge that I will learn on the ACCELERATE program will be put to good use within the Territory visual art and screen sector, supporting new opportunities for unique Indigenous content to be created from this experience,” Mr Saunders said.

“I want to show that Indigenous stories have merit within genre fiction, and that Australia has some interesting stories to share the world.”

Media Note – Angela Hill is available for interview on 0477740186

Authorised by Hugo Leschen for the Department of Arts and Museums, 9-11 Cavanagh St, Darwin