ACCELERATE Creative Leadership
Six Indigenous creative professionals are participating in the ACCELERATE programme this year
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Indigenous arts professionals from around the country have been selected to take part in a leadership skills development programme, which will include travel to the UK to work with high profile leaders in the creative field.
The programme, ACCELERATE, which is administered by the British Council and the Australian Council for the Arts, assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts professionals develop their skills and networks to excel in leadership positions within their creative fields.
The programme is aimed at creative professionals with at least five years’ experience and who can show a bold vision for their career and for their community.
The 2016 selection panel identified six mid-career professionals ready to move in to senior leadership roles across the arts and creative industries. The 2016 ACCELERATE programme participants are:
- Jilda Andrews – a curator and singer from the Australian Capital Territory
- Kamarra Bell-Wykes – an arts manager and playwright from Victoria
- Travis De Vries – an arts manager and writer from New South Wales
- Glenn Iseger-Pilkington – a museums and galleries curator from Western Australia
- Francoise Lane – a designer from Queensland
- Jonathon Saunders – an illustrator and arts worker from the Northern Territory
The participants took part in a three day facilitated workshop in August and will travel to the UK for three weeks in November, where they will meet with a range of high profile individuals and organisations working within their chosen field.
During the trip in November, the ACCELERATE scholars will also be joined by those participating in the 2016 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour at a reception held at Australia House in London. The event will be a chance for the scholars from both programmes to meet and continue the conversation between Britain and Indigenous Australia.
The event will also highlight the growing impact the two programmes are having on fostering a new generation of Indigenous leaders, and in promoting cultural exchange.
In its seventh year, the ACCELERATE programme has a long history of developing Indigenous creative talent, and has fostered the creative careers of many successful artists.
“By the end of this year, ACCELERATE will have been instrumental in shaping the careers of 35 incredibly talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander creative leaders. It has been successful in developing long-lasting links and opportunities between arts practitioners in Australia and the UK and in creating career pathways for future generations”, said British Council Director Helen O’Neil.
Lydia Miller, Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts at the Australia Council, says, “Keeping culture strong is one of the most universally important human endeavours. It requires recognition and support for the Indigenous cultural leadership and investment in the development of vibrant communities. The Australia Council is pleased to collaborate with the British Council on ACCELERATE as an important platform for First Nations arts leaders to develop their skills and engage in global dialogue.”
The ACCELERATE programme is also presented in conjunction with Arts NSW, Arts NT, Arts Queensland, Creative Victoria and the Victorian Department of Culture and Arts WA, with further support from SBS NITV.
Further information on the ACCELERATE programme can be found at accelerate.org.au.