Sarah Oliver
Women artists from Melton and Moorabool are being encouraged to apply for a new government funded project that will help more public art depict and be created by women.
The new $1 million program recognises women leaders and ensures greater opportunities for female artists who are also significantly underrepresented when it comes to major public commissions.
Grants of between $50,000 to $200,000 are available to organisations across the state, with applicants strongly encouraged to work in partnership with community or interest groups such as local sporting and advocacy groups or arts collectives.
The project also hopes to encourage more statues to be commissioned that are made by women, of women.
The program builds on the Labor government’s $300,000 investment in the Victorian budget 2021-22 to design and erect a statue of an iconic netball player at John Cain Arena.
Netball Victoria found that there are just three statues of sportswomen in the state, compared to 29 depicting male athletes.
Minister for women Gabrielle Williams said the imbalance of statues symbolises the structural inequality experienced by women across almost every setting.
“While Victoria’s public statues may be silent, the unequal numbers of women speaks volumes,” Ms Williams said.
Women artists will be prioritised, recognising that women have low representation in art media, commercial galleries and state museums compared to men.
“Victorian women have achieved amazing things in politics, activism, literature, civil life, science, medicine and on the sporting field – these achievements should be celebrated just as equally as those of men,” Ms Williams said.
“The program will go a long way in ensuring that female artists are prioritised – recognising that women artists have low representation in art media, commercial galleries and state museums compared to men.”
Applications close on January 10 2022.
Details: bit.ly/3kJADmc
