MEDIA RELEASE
AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NEW US$10,000 TRAVEL GRANT FOR ART WRITERS
APPLICATIONS OPEN MAY 1, 2022
New York, NY, May 2, 2022 –– The American Australian Association (AAA) is pleased to announce a new US$10,000 annual grant to support American journalists and writers to travel to Australia to explore and report on the wealth of Australian visual arts culture. The Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant (The Beverley) is the result of a partnership between AAA and Australian expatriate John Melick, founder of Blue Medium, a New York-based art and design public relations firm. This first round of grant applications is open now through May 31 and will be awarded in July 2022.
The Beverley will be administered by the American Australian Association. A grant selection committee—comprised of art world professionals with a working or personal connection to the visual arts community in Australia— will award The Beverley each year. The committee members for the inaugural grant are: Nicholas Baume, Artistic and Executive Director of The Public Art Fund (New York, NY); Anne Ellegood, Good Works Executive Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA); Ben Hartley, Executive Director of The National Arts Club (New York, NY); Mark Hughes, Founder of Mark Hughes Art Advisory (Sydney, Australia); Elizabeth Ann Macgregor AM OBE, Former Director of MCA Australia (Australia), and Trevor Smith, Associate Director of The Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA).
The grantee will be at liberty to set their own itinerary, is required to spend at least two weeks in Australia (preferably longer) and must complete their trip within nine months of being awarded the grant. The grantee will also be invited to report on their experience at an event hosted (either virtually or in person) by AAA within two months of their return. The Beverley is intended to support the career and practice of the grantee. While there is no obligation to generate articles as a result of the travel, coverage is encouraged.
“Travel is one of the essential ways we learn and refresh our understanding of the world”, explained John Berry, President of the American Australian Association. “By traveling to Australia, our arts journalists here in the United States can help spread the rich culture of Australian fine art and culture to wider audiences.”
The name of the grant is in honor of the grant founder’s mother, Beverley Joan Melick (née van Eerde), who currently resides in New South Wales, Australia. According to John Melick, “as a painter and designer, my mother has inspired me to pursue a career in promoting the visual arts in the US and globally. As a public relations professional, I’ve witnessed a reduction in media travel budgets that has also led to less cultural exchange and coverage of my home country’s art. This is a small way to have a positive impact on free, independent and exceptional art journalism from the US while also benefiting Australia more broadly.”
To apply for The Beverley, please visit here.
Background:
The American Australian Association is the leading privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to deepening and strengthening cooperation and understanding between the institutions and people of the United States and Australia. Since 2002, the Association’s philanthropic scholarship and grant programs have awarded over US$14 million to more than 900 graduates, veterans and artists. This investment has contributed to further advancing the careers of the next generation of leaders, developing international networks and generating solutions that address the global issues of our time.
Website – www.americanaustralian.org
Media Contacts
For additional information or to request an interview please contact:
Lourdes Miller, Blue Medium, Inc.
+1.212.675.1800
For additional information on the American Australian Association please contact:
Libbi Swan, Director of Government Affairs, Arts and Operations
+1.212.338.6862
