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 2023, announced by Arts Access Aotearoa today.

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The four fellowships, worth $10,000 each, are an investment in artists’ practice. The high number of strong, innovative applications illustrate the value of offering these fellowships, says Richard Benge, Executive Director, Arts Access Aotearoa.

“For the arts in Aotearoa to thrive, it’s important that 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 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 transformative, high-calibre and exciting proposals. Making the final decisions had been a difficult task.

The four recipients are:

• Henrietta Bollinger, Wellington, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Whanaketanga Creative New Zealand Artist Fellowship: to develop a production-ready short film script for submission to the New Zealand Film Commission’s Kopere Hou Fresh Shorts Fund with the mentorship of filmmaker Ness Simons.

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.

• Phillipa Mita, Wellington, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi i Te Ara Poutama Arts in Corrections Artist Fellowship: to explore painting, using natural materials from Te Tairāwhiti and the Wellington area, reconnecting with whenua (land) while learning the kaupapa behind painting with whenua.

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.

• The White Room, Christchurch, recipient of the Whakahoa Whakawatea Kaitoi Tangata Holdsworth Creative Spaces Fellowship: to develop a creative project, Tiny Rooms, in collaboration with TinyFest’s curatorial panel and The White Room’s community of artists.

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.

• Emily Duncan, Ōtepoti Dunedin, the recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Te Puna Toi Arts For All Fellowship: to work on Between the Lines, a practice-as-research based project to test, develop and document tools and approaches for neurodivergent playwrights to write for theatre and other live performances. The project is supported by Prospect Park Productions NZ.

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

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