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MEDIA RELEASE: Prestigious Awards For Community Arts and Cultural Development Leaders
MEDIA RELEASE: Prestigious Awards For Community Arts and Cultural Development Leaders
Background to the Community Arts and Cultural Development Awards: Ros Bower was a journalist, television producer and community arts pioneer. After joining the Australia Council as a policy officer, she identified areas of arts activities not eligible for subsidies and became a passionate advocate for what was to become known as community arts. She became the founding Director of the Australia Councils first Community Arts Board. The Ros Bower Award was initiated in her honour by by her former colleagues. It was first awarded in 1981. Kirk Robson was a community and cultural development artist who tragically died in a car crash in 2005. He received the Australia Councils Young and Emerging Artists Initiative in 2002. He was the Artistic Director of The Torch Project, a community and cultural development company that uses theatre as a means to explore critical issues. Highlights included The Bridge (2003), Idol Quest (2004) and the films Faith (2005) and his first documentary The Turning of the Tide (2004). After his death, the Australia Council renamed one of the three annual Young Leaders Awards in his honour. Past winners of the Ros Bower and Kirk Robson awards include Lockie McDonald, Steve Payne, Alissar Chidiac, Shakthi Shakthidharan, Jade Lillie and Alexandra Kelly.
Media contact Karen Smith 02 9215 9030 | 0498 123 541 k.smith@australiacouncil.gov.au
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The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Governments arts funding and advisory body