The 2019 Arts Fellowships have been awarded to leading Territory arts professionals Daniel Wilfred, Marina Strocchi, David Garnham and Britt Guy with each to receive $50,000 in funding.

Now in its second year, the arts fellowships recognise the outstanding achievements of Fellowship recipients and their contribution to the arts and culture of the Northern Territory.

The NT Arts Fellowships provide artists with support to further their professional arts practice and careers within the Northern Territory, nationally and internationally with individual fellowship programs commencing after 1 July 2019.

Daniel Wilfred Leading Wagilak musician and ceremonial leader Daniel Wilfred, from Ngukurr in south east Arnhem Land has toured internationally with the Australian Art Orchestra for a number of years and is recognised nationally for his cross-cultural collaborations.

During his fellowship, Daniel, will work with Indigenous artists and elders including Wanta Patrick, Shellie Morris, Fred Leone as well as Skinnnyfish Creative Director Michael Honen. He will also travel to Tasmania to meet with Korean and Australian artists, attend the Melbourne International Arts Festival and participate in a two week Indigenous singer-songwriter residency at the Banff Centre in Canada.

Marina Strocchi

Alice Springs based painter and printmaker Marina Strocchi has been a practising artist in the NT for more than 20 years with exhibitions in Paris, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Alice Springs. Her works are featured in numerous state, corporate and private collections in the NT and nationally including Artbank, Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the Charles Darwin University Art Collection and the Araluen Arts Centre. Marina has been a finalist in The Wynne, The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize and Tattersall’s Club Landscape prize.

During her fellowship, Art, Trauma and More Art, Marina will undertake a professional development program which includes a studio residency and public presentations at the New York University, attending the 10th Annual Expressive Therapies Summit and 50th American Art Therapy Conference in Kansas City, Missouri before returning to Australia where she will exhibit a new body of work, deliver a series of painting workshops and present a paper at the 2020 Desert Mob Symposium in Alice Springs.

David Garnham

Darwin based musician and multi-award winning songwriter David Garnham’s fellowship is focussed on strengthening his song writing and music practice.

During his fellowship David will undertake a mentorship with Kasey Chambers, attend the 2019 Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville in September, and participate in a song writing workshop at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. David will then return to the NT for an APRA NT songwriting roadshow that will travel to Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs followed by a showcase performance in Darwin with his band David Garnham & the Reasons to Live, featuring new songs written during his fellowship.

Britt Guy

Also based in Darwin is Arts Fellowship recipient Britt Guy, a curator, producer, youth worker and Executive Producer of Creative Accomplice, a production company that recently delivered the opening and closing celebrations for the 2019 Arafura Games in partnership with Party Passport. Britt Guy is the Festival Director of the 2019 Northern Territory Travelling Film Festival that toured to iconic locations across the NT from March to May 2019.

Britt’s fellowship project Build Up to the Wet is an extensive research and development program that explores community led programming and the celebration of unique local experiences. Britt will attend the Jumpers and Jazz Festival in Queensland, the Bon Om Touk (Water Festival in Cambodia), the Holi Festival in India, and Dark Mofo in Tasmania. Britt will then return to the NT to undertake residencies at the NT Archives Service and the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens in Darwin.

Quotes by Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture, Director of Arts NT Angela Hill

“The purpose of the Arts Fellowships is to assist established artists and arts workers to develop skills, knowledge and networks to advance their careers.

“The Arts Fellowship Program is a fantastic initiative that recognises artists and creative professionals who contribute significantly to the arts industry and community in the Territory.”

“The program acts as an important catalyst to provide the successful artists with key funding to further advance their careers through the broadening of skills, knowledge and networks, which they bring back and contribute to the Territory.”

Quotes from fellowship recipient Daniel Wilfred:

“I’m ready for the next step. I want to grow as an artist, and I want to grow in my role for my community. I want to learn from Aboriginal musicians like me, learn old songs and new songs, old ways and new ways.

“I also want to connect to Aboriginal musicians from other countries, to learn how they make music and share my songs with them, and hear about their stories and their culture.”

Images/video:

Daniel Wilfred by Leo Dale (attached)
Solo recording of Daniel Wilfred performing Bambula as part of the AAO 25th anniversary Solo Series is available on https://vimeo.com/337920806

Marina Strocchi (attached)

David Garnham (attached)

Britt Guy (attached)

Media contact: Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture media manager: 0476 844 832