Empower five artists with disability to create amazing work and advance their careers.

Ask any artist about how hard it can be to develop a career in the arts. But it’s even harder when you live with disability. That’s where we come in.

Accessible Arts is NSW’s peak arts and disability organisation and every year we provide a program to assist artists, musicians and writers with disability to undertake a 7-day residency at the prestigious Bundanon Trust in NSW. This year’s residency is scheduled for September.

The Bundanon Trust is a rural property near Nowra in NSW that was gifted to the Australian people by one of Australia's most famous artists Arthur Boyd. The property now supports arts practice and engagement with the arts through residency, education, exhibition and performance programs.

The residencies provided by the Bundanon Trust have been important steppingstones in the careers of many successful Australian artists. This is what makes our program an incredibly valuable creative and career development opportunity for artists with disability right across NSW.

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has impacted on our budget for the program and without an additional $5000 our artist-in-residence program won’t be able to proceed this year. By supporting our campaign you’ll be playing a key part in helping five (5) artists with disability to explore their unique creativity, produce exciting new work and take a huge step in advancing their professional careers.

HOW YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP

Your donation will help us cover the costs of a range of expenses for the five participating artists. These expenses include:

• Access – such as support workers, Auslan (sign language) interpreters and audio describers (for people with vision impairment)
• Travel – our program is open to artists from across NSW and so we cover all relevant travel expenses
• Accommodation – in partnership with the Bundanon Trust, we provide 6 nights of accommodation for the five participating artists

WHAT YOU'LL GET

• All donations are tax deductible 
• Following their selection by our assessment panel in August, our participating artists will send you a personal expression of thanks 
• As a program benefactor, you’ll receive regular updates about this year’s Bundanon Trust residency program including messages from the artists during their residencies             

ABOUT ARTISTS WITH DISABILITY

Artists with disability are just like all artists – they love creating art, communicating ideas and entertaining people. However, when it comes to professional practice, artists with disability don’t get the same kind of opportunities that other artists get. Research by the Australia Council for the Arts shows artists with disability are under-represented, earn less, experience higher unemployment, and get much less professional support compared to artists without disability. 

We know that creativity and innovation is powered by distinctive insights and unique skills. This gives artists with disability a valuable edge in the creative marketplace, but it’s an advantage that’s under-utilized. By giving artists with disability a fairer go, we’ll be able to tap into vital creative forces, elevate our collective experience of art and culture, and build communities where everyone feels they belong.

HOW OUR RESIDENCIES EMPOWER ARTISTS WITH DISABILITY

Digby Webster

Digby has undertaken two residencies at Bundanon in 2014 and 2018 and his career as a professional artist has skyrocketed since with several local and international exhibitions, various commissions and selection as a finalist in the 2020 Archibald Prize. Digby is a visual artist with Down Syndrome from Sydney who paints, draws and designs. Digby’s residencies enabled him to create 16 works for a new exhibition at Redfern’s Bearded Tit. “I loved being at Bundanon. It was a fantastic opportunity to completely focus on creating my art and to be inspired by the beauty of the place and the creativity of the other artists.”

Rhiannon Pegler

Rhiannon participated in our 2020 Bundanon residency program. Rhiannon is an emerging visual artist from the Illawarra region who works in the medium of acrylic paint to interpret microscopic aspects of the natural world. Rhiannon has overcome various professional and personal barriers related to mental health and chronic pain to practice as a professional artist. Rhiannon’s residency enabled her to create works for a new exhibition inspired by the Bundanon microverse of fungi, slime mould and plant cross-sections. "Bundanon is such an amazing and inspirational place and I am so thankful for this incredible experience to develop myself creatively and professionally.

Lucas Wright

Lucas participated in our 2019 Bundanon residency program. Lucas is a visual artist with Down Syndrome from Lismore who paints, draws and creates ceramic artworks. He works out of the REDinc. Supported Art Studio and has is a connoisseur of high and popular culture who revels in the beauty around him and translates this into his paintings. Lucas’ residency enabled him to create new works for an exhibition this year at the Lismore Regional Gallery titled In My Town And You Town. “I loved being at Bundanon, making art inspired by the beauty of nature and the buildings, I developed new works for my future exhibition and i loved connecting with the environment and other artists. This time was very useful to me also because my art mentor and support worker was able to be there with me to guide me through the studio process.”

Michelle Teear

Michelle participated in our 2020 Bundanon residency program. Michelle is an emerging Newcastle-based visual artist whose work celebrates the vibrancy and character of the Australian landscape. She produces raw gestural landscape paintings, works with natural fibres to make woven sculptures and extracts plant colour onto textiles. Michelle lives with chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivities. Michelle’s residency enabled series paintings small paintings using handmade oil and tempera paints. Michelle subsequently was shortlisted last year for the prestigious Evelyn Chapman Award. “It was really so wonderful to be at Bundanon with an incredible group of people and in a location that holds so much provenance for Australian artists. I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to grow my practice in this phenomenal place.”