State Library Victoria awards Fellowships for 2015

A playwright, a documentary filmmaker, a historian, an Iranian photographer, a novelist and graphic design duo are among the recipients of State Library Victoria’s Fellowships this year. 

Now in its 12th year, the State Library’s Creative Fellowships is the largest program of its kind in Australia.

State Library Victoria announced recipients of 10 fellowships in 2015. Two new fellowships were offered this year, including the Russell Beedles Fellowship in theatre and performing arts and a fellowship in Ukrainian Studies supported by the Ukrainian Studies Foundation.

Specialist fellowships were also awarded in children’s literature, social history, visual arts, 19th century Victoria and to commemorate the centenary of World War I. 

State Library Victoria’s Manager of Community Programs Indra Kurzeme said: “The State Library fellowships program has now supported more than 200 creatives and scholars since it was founded in 2003, with more than $1.9 million in funding.”

“Every year, the State Library’s fellowships attract many high calibre applications from a diverse field of talented people - including artists, playwrights, poets, academics, historians, writers, filmmakers and designers. This year was no exception with more than 220 applications.”

“Fellowships are one of the cornerstones of how the State Library supports creative industries and communities. The fellowships are awarded on merit, and intended to support people to develop work based on our collections in innovative and creative ways,” she said. 

The Fellowships are funded by the State Library of Victoria Foundation and other program partners, and are awarded annually on the advice of independent expert panels.

Honorary Fellowships are also awarded, and these recipients receive access to office space, dedicated support from librarians and access to the State Library collections, but without the monetary grant.

Further information http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/our-community/fellows-scholars

The Fellowship recipients for 2015-2016 include:

Russell Beedles Performing Arts Fellowship

Christopher Bryant – The Other Place

Playwright Christopher Bryant will develop a work looking at the lives of two influential women of theatre; Mary Ann “Buzz” Goodbody and Betty Burstall.

Redmond Barry Fellowship

Professor Jennifer Clark - Yours faithfully: writing letters for the Council for Aboriginal Rights, 1952-1961

Professor Jennifer Clark will write a historical narrative, scholarly article and blog examining the first 10 years of CAR through the lens of its honorary secretary, Shirley Andrew’s letters and uses the papers to understand recent Aboriginal History and the pursuit of indigenous civil rights.

Centenary of World War One Fellowship

Belinda Ensor and Joel Checkley – The Lucas Girls – A Match to Remember

A documentary and oral histories project on the first documented women’s Australian Rules Football match during World War I to raise money for the war effort.

Louis Lothian Children’s Literature Fellowship

Lyndal Mebberson – Onions, Bunions, Corns and Crabs - From the Magic Pudding to Lockie Leonard. Adapting Children’s Literature for Stage and Screen

Documentary filmmaker Lyndal Mebberson will produce a documentary that explores the translation of Australian children’s literary classics to stage and screen over the last century, supplemented by interviews with historians, archivists, authors, illustrators, screenwriters, producers, actors and animators.

Creative Fellowships

Matthew Greaves and Nicholas Tammens - Honesty 

A film essay/moving image and exhibition on the history and development of the Melbourne Anarchists Club in the late 1800s. 

Katayoun Javan – Building a Home Away from Home

Photographic exhibition and catalogue detailing the experiences of Iranian immigrants to Melbourne from Iranian female photographer Katayoun Javan.

Dr Johanna Selleck – Eternal Pioneers: the journey of Women Composers in Australia

Scholarly articles, a book and an orchestral piece inspired by the journey of female composers from colonial times to the present day.

Dr David Sornig – Dudley Flats: a Psychogeography

Scholarly essays and an exhibition about the lives of some of the marginalised inhabitants of Dudley Flats, the largely forgotten homeless camp located on an administrative no-man’s land between West Melbourne and Footscray from the Depression to the 1950’s.

Nicola Stairmand – Living at Coranderrk: everyday life on a self-sufficient station.

Publication and online documentation of illustrative maps examining and explaining the life and times of Aboriginal Station Coranderrk from its establishment in 1863 to its closure in 1924.

Warren Taylor and Dominic Hofstede – The Birth of the Professional Studio: Australian Graphic Design 1960 – 1990

Book manuscript and online archive seeking to provide an overview of the Australian graphic design industry between 1960 and 1990 including the impact of the likes of Australian Graffiti, Rennie Ellis, Alex Stitt and Bruce Weatherhead (Jigsaw).

Ukrainian Studies Foundation in Australia Fellowship

Svitlana Yakovenko – Ukrainians in Australia and their experience. An example of Multiculturalism. What makes them distinctive?

Book manuscript.

Research will study and highlight the input and integration of Ukrainian immigrants into Australian society over 65 years.

Fellowship recipients are awarded a monetary grant, dedicated office within the State Library and dedicated support from the State Library’s librarians to access the State Library’s vast collection.

Honorary Fellowships

Dr Brigid Louise Magner

On the Trail: Reading Literary Places in Australia

A book and interactive map project seeking to connect literary texts with specific places in the Australian landscape. The central focus is on the memorialisation of notable authors such as Henry Lawson, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Henry Handel Richardson, Nan Chauncy, P.L. Travers, Joseph Furphy, Katharine Susannah Pritchard and Eleanor Dark.

Dr Sue Walker

WA Somerset Shum – Editor, Journalist, Practical Man - an unknown figure whose impact on people from all walks of life contributed to the making of Melbourne’s culture.

Sue Walker will research a book on the unknown story of WA Somerset Shum, (the recipient’s grandfather), who was founding Editor of the Australian Home Beautiful (AHB) through the years 1926-46.

Dr Amanda Scardamaglia

Charles Troedel: A Biography of Colonial Trade Marks, Pictorial Advertising and other Lithographs

Scholarly research and an exhibition project on Charles Troedel, a lithographic printer with an esteemed reputation in the production of commercial art, labels and colonial trade marks. In fact, Troedel’s signature style is stamped all over colonial trade mark registrations.