The first ever Generations Fellowships is a particularly exciting piece of news in the current climate. A brand new initiative, courtesy of the Powerhouse Museum in collaboration with Create NSW and Astral People, the Generations Fellowships will see in-kind and cash support given to up and coming NSW-based musicians. It's the kind of support that the creative industry needs, especially right now.
Olivia Abbott, Tanaya Barat and Blake Rhodes are the three young emerging artists that have been selected to take their careers to the next level with the help and support of the first Generations Fellowships - and what we hope is the first of many.
Each artist will receive $25,000 in financial support to undertake a six-month residency with the Powerhouse Museum. The artists will also receive in-kind industry mentoring and networking from Astral People during these residencies. The total support from the fellowship has been valued at $100,000 - a life-changing move for many musicians.
It is hoped that Olivia, Tanaya and Blake can use this as a diving board to develop their skills, knowledge and profiles as artists in the industry. Hopefully, this can also breathe new life into and help to reinvigorate the NSW music industry through the difficult times ahead - during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive, Powerhouse Museum said of the new initiative: “The NSW creative industry residency launched last year has allowed us to play an active role in nurturing the career development of artists working across a range of artistic disciplines,” she said.
“With the new Generations Fellowships, we are able to go further, and help invest in their future and the future of contemporary music. We have a well-established and growing music collection at the Museum, and this new fellowship is an indicator of the new direction the Powerhouse continues to move towards.”
Create NSW Executive Director Chris Keely said: “With funding, access to creative spaces, musical assets and switched-on and connected industry experts, this is a fantastic opportunity for our musicians to take stock of their musical ambitions and work to turn these into reality.”
Astral People co-founder and director Tom Huggett added: “The Generations Fellowship artists reflect the breadth of the talent that exists in NSW. Tanaya’s sound marries shoegaze and R&B, Mr Rhodes approaches rapping and producing from a soulful and conscious angle, and Olivia is creating electronic pop with an experimental twist. Vichara Edirisinghe, myself and the whole Astral People team are excited to help guide and grow their promising careers over the course of the fellowship.”
The coronavirus pandemic has hit many industries hard. In particular, the creative industries are suffering. We've spoken to our network of creative minds to ask what they need from their community during this challenging time. Some of the other things you can do are continue to patron your favourite art galleries online and even tune into live performances from the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Opera House online. Our continued participation makes a real difference to keeping creatives working and in jobs.
