Artists, a creative space and projects built around access, inclusion and participation in the arts are recipients of Ngā Toi Rangatira o Aotearoa Arts Access Fellowships 2022, announced by Arts Access Aotearoa today.

The fellowships initiative is Arts Access Aotearoa’s response to the impact of COVID-19 across the arts community over the past two years. The four fellowships, worth $10,000 each, are an investment in artists’ practice and something positive, practical and forward-looking, says Richard Benge, Executive Director, Arts Access Aotearoa.

“For Aotearoa to thrive, it’s important that our artists are supported to develop their practice, and have the time and funding to explore possibilities,” Richard says.

“Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, at a time when arts funding is very competitive, the recipients will have the freedom to do just that.”

The decisions were made by assessment panels, made up of arts practitioners and people with relevant expertise. Overall, the panels stated, there were many ground-breaking, high-calibre proposals and making the final decisions had been a difficult task.

The four recipients are:

• Ari Kerssens, Auckland, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Whanaketanga PAK’nSAVE Artist Fellowship: to develop a project in collaboration with sound artist Tash van Schaardenburg, based on a series of audio recordings exploring Ari’s blind experience of navigating various environments in Tāmaki Makaurau using a cane.

This Fellowship supports a Deaf or disabled artist, or an artist who has a disability or impairment, or lived experience of mental distress, to undertake a project that will develop their art practice.

• Salā Roseanne Leota, Kāpiti Coast, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi i Te Ara Poutama Arts in Corrections Artist Fellowship: to explore and research the development of her creative writing processes and abilities, with the support of an arts mentor. She is currently Home Ground’s Creative Advisor and is working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Massey University.

This Fellowship supports an artist who is living in the community and is/has been in the criminal justice system to develop their art practice.

• Magenta Creative Space, Nelson, recipient of the Whakahoa Whakawatea Kaitoi Tangata Holdsworth Creative Spaces Fellowship: to support art tutor and artist Major Herewini to undertake an artist residency and also lead Project Legit, where he will work with young people living with mental distress to create mural-style street art.

This Fellowship supports a facilitator/tutor-led project that involves artists within a creative space working collaboratively. Accessibility will be built into the creation and/or presentation of new or existing work.

• Charlotte Nightingale, Warkworth, Auckland, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Te Puna Toi Creative New Zealand Arts For All Fellowship: to work with the PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities) community and create Spark, a multisensory theatre work for audiences with PMLD. The work will be produced and presented by Glass Ceiling Arts Collective, which Charlotte co-founded in 2020.

This fellowship support an individual to work with an Arts For All Network member organisation to research or develop an area of accessibility.

You can read more about the recipients and their projects on Arts Access Aotearoa’s website.

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