New York, NY, –– The American Australian Association is pleased to announce The Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant (The Beverley) is open in the 2024 application round to support American journalists and writers to travel to Australia to explore and report on the wealth of Australian visual arts culture. Now in its third year, The Beverley is the result of a partnership between the Association and Australian expatriate John Melick, founder of Blue Medium, a New York-based art and design public relations firm. This round of grant applications is open now through Friday, May 10 and will be awarded in June 2024.
A grant selection committee—comprised of art world professionals with a working or personal connection to the visual arts community in Australia— award The Beverley each year. Last year, the committee selected Lauren O’Neill-Butler to receive the 2023 Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant. While in Australia, Lauren plans to explore some of Australia’s cultural capitals along with a trip to Central Australia.
The committee members for the 2024 grant cycle 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); Mark Hughes, Founder of Mark Hughes Art Advisory (Sydney, Australia); Rachel Kent, Chief Executive Officer of Bundanon (Illaroo, Australia); Jessica Lynne, writer and arts critic (New York, NY); Elizabeth Ann MacGregor AM OBE, Former Director of MCA Australia (Sydney, 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 the Association 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 welcomed.
“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 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 modest 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.
Media Contacts
For additional information on the scholarship, please contact the Education Manager; for more information on Blue Medium or founder John Melick, please contact Katrina Stewart.
