Arts Impact WA 2023 finalists announced!

As Major supporters of Arts Impact WA, Fogarty Foundation was excited to be in the room last week when the 2023 grant winners were announced. The Arts Impact WA grants event was hosted at The Rechabite Hall, where six short-listed art projects were revealed, and the winners were announced.

The two winning projects each went home with a grant of $100,000 towards the creation of their artwork. One major grant was presented to The Freeze Frame Opera and WA Young Voices who will collaborate on The Little Prince opera production in November, while the second went to Guy Ben-Ary and Nathan Thompson’s Revivification project, which will construct a ‘living’ sculpture of late American composer Alvin Lucier. Fogarty Foundation Chairperson Annie Fogarty says “We are really pleased to be supporting emerging and small arts organisations in WA, building talent and telling great stories”. Four other short-listed projects each received a $10,000 grant.

Arts Impact WA is supported by 25 Founding Champions, who contribute up to $10,000 a year for three years, and other donors who contribute a minimum of $1,000 annually. Donors came together to vote for their preferred project with the winner reflecting the community's preference. The initiative is the first of its kind in Australia focused solely on the arts, underlining the community’s passion for the arts and culture sector in Western Australia. The organisation aims to support unique and ambitious arts projects, promoting new talent and pathways for the WA arts giving sector to flourish.

In 2022, Vivienne Robertson won a $100,000 grant for her Reclaim the Void project, while the CinefestOZ Film Festival received the second grant to extend its film festival to Broome. Paul Chamberlain, co-founder and Chair of Arts Impact WA, said, “What we have already achieved is phenomenal, not only reflecting the generosity of Western Australians but our collective passion for the arts. The establishment of Arts Impact WA provides an opportunity for everyone to come together, ignite new talent and enable new pathways to grow the WA arts giving sector.”