Connecting art lovers with art makers:
building community partnerships through direct financial support.
The 2021 Calendar of Events was launched at the Canberra Hotel on 17 March 2021.
![Guests at the BAF Calendar Launch held at The Canberra Hotel: [from the top…] Val Sarah and Susanna Yung, Vicki Bethell, Haydn Smith, Marg Dobson and Amy Tsilemanis, Silvia Doust and Maureen Andrews; and BAF Chair, Paula Nicholson announcing the exciting array of events for the year.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5825bf5ee4fcb5d483d672b1/1624084070736-RQIBBVPXCMSGWG8E5R69/Launch+photos+snip.JPG)
Guests at the BAF Calendar Launch held at The Canberra Hotel: [from the top…] Val Sarah and Susanna Yung, Vicki Bethell, Haydn Smith, Marg Dobson and Amy Tsilemanis, Silvia Doust and Maureen Andrews; and BAF Chair, Paula Nicholson announcing the exciting array of events for the year.
The April 2019 edition of GQ Magazine lists Ballarat-born Aaron Glenane as one of the top 6 next generation of Australian leading names about to crack the Hollywood scene. Aaron is a BAF alumni, collecting BAF awards in 2003 and 2004. He
recently appeared as the lead role of Chook in the survival thriller Killing Ground which had its International Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2017 followed by an Australian release in early 2017.
Gaining national and international attention for his performance as Gus in Drift, Aaron recently starred alongside Academy Award winners Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett in James Vanderbilt's political drama Truth. His other film credits include Bucko in The Black Balloon starring Toni Colette, Luke Ford, Rhys Wakefield and Gemma Ward, Larry in Concealed as well as a starring role in the 2013 Tropfest short film Ca$h Cow.
Here is his interview from GQ Magazine, and what might be next for him on the international film stage.
Hometown: Ballarat
Look out for: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Snowpiercer, Ride Like a Girl (2019)
GQ: What’s been the most memorable project you’ve worked on?
AG: Playing [the character of] Chook in Killing Ground made a big splash. I’ve had people in Australia and LA say, “you’ve ruined camping for me! I can never go to the Outback again!”
GQ: Yikes! What does an average day in Hollywood look like for you?
AG: Wake up. Work out. Smash a shake. Drill my accents. Read about something I know nothing about. Eat lunch. Write my script. Chat with my agent. Shoot some hoops. Meditate. Sleep. And then every three months get out of LA and remind myself how the rest of the world lives!
GQ: What changes have you seen occur in the film industry since you started acting?
AG: I’ve noticed big changes in the last 12 months – I’ve worked with two brilliant female directors and acted alongside an African American/Jewish leading man. One group who, I feel, are still missing out are people with physical and intellectual disabilities. I’m determined to find a way to bring their voices forward.
The 2019 Ballarat Arts Foundation calendar was announced on the 20th February, at a little known hidden location of Willow & Stone Estate. Surrounded by lush gardens and glorious landscaping, this was the perfect place to announce the important dates on the 2019 BAF calendar.
Guests were welcomed by alumna and bagpiper, Amber Ives and they enjoyed performances by local band fronted by another alumna Arian Lane, and her group Honey Hunter. The event announced the new Will Coltman award for Writing.
The events calendar carries some of the important dates for the 2019 year, including the release dates for the grant applications, as well as upcoming event information.
We are very fortunate to be able to offer several remarkable events to our supporters over the course of this calendar year. First up, we have the very talented nationally recognised talent of Piers Lane performing at the Clunes Anglican Church, as part of the very popular Plate Up Festival. Tickets for the performance and support can be found here.
Later in the year we will be featuring Cheryl Barker and Peter Coleman-Wright, accompanied by Board Member Wendy Rechenberg at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
We thank the support of our BAF members, board and friends and family for their continued support.
The award-winning tourism attraction and museum, Sovereign Hill, has partnered with the Ballarat Arts Foundation, commissioning a BAF alumni to produce a special piece of music.
Sovereign Hill’s Gold Museum commissioned talented composer Daniel Tusjak to produce a piece of music for their current exhibition 'Wonderful Things' which showcases the museum’s strange and eclectic collection.
Check out Daniel playing the Gold Museum’s 1920s pianola. 'Wonderful Things' the exhibition opened on the 28th November.
With our annual granting program now a fixture on the calendars of Ballarat’s emerging artists, this year has seen a major record broken for the Ballarat Arts Foundation. While our application seasons was open from June to mid July 2018 our organisation saw an amazing array of applications from all genres of the arts. This in itself is not unusual. What was outstanding was the huge collective body of work these applications represented, with total project costs exceeding $300,000.
This year we celebrate the achievements of a writer, two internationally bound performing artisrs, to photographer, several visual artists and a ballerina. The age range of our grantees is large, but the common these as always is that they are all emerging within the genre of their choice and we look forward to sharing their careers with you as they develop.
Angela Robinson - Di Bresciani Drawing and Painting Award
Heather Horrocks - Rotary Club of Ballarat South Award for Visual and Performing Arts.
Neil Para - The Fiona Sweet and Paul Newcombe award for Photography
Sarah Wynen and Katherine Gale - BLOC and Ballarat Lyric Theatre Award for Performing Arts and/or Musical Theatre
Len Hyatt - BAF Award
Maidie Widmer - The Craig Revel Horwood Award
Nadia McKay - Coltman Award for Photography
Georgina Williams - BAF Award
Download our latest copy of of Aspirations, to see the full details on the grants and our award winners.
The Denis Bateman Award recognises a long term community service to the arts. For 2018, the award has been issued to Peter Morey, local Ballarat resident, for his outstanding contribution to the arts.
Peter is a lifetime member of the BLOC Theatre Company, coordinator of the Ballarat Philatelic Society and a recognised volunteer of the Ballarat Arts Foundation. Peter's award was announced at the Rotary Club of Ballarat South dinner on 17th May.
Left to right
Denis Bateman - inaugural BAF Board Member and past Rotary Club of Ballarat South member
Peter Morey - Award Winner
Gordon Williamson - inaugural BAF Board Member and Rotary Club of Ballarat South Member
A big congratulations to Peter and a big thank you to the Rotary Club of Ballarat South for their vital ongoing support and interest in the Foundation.
Based in the towns of Creswick and Clunes, the Four Seasons Fine Music Festival is set to kick off it's autumn performances. St. Paul's Anglican Church in Clunes plays host to two performances on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May, coinciding with the Clunes Booktown event.
Take some time out to enjoy the performances, as there are a few tickets still remaining.
Louis Stevens, BAF Alumni
The Ballarat Arts Foundation is honoured to welcome the Stevens family as a supporter, with Dean Stevens committing to create a new award in recognition of the support the Foundation has provided to their son, Louis Stevens.
2018 will see the addition of the Louis Stevens Award for Musicianship for classical or jazz musicians, composers and conductors.
Louis Stevens is a Melbourne, Australia based composer and multi-instrumentalist with particular interests in theatre and film. His compositional outlook is concerned with the complexities of human relationships and the emotional outcomes they inspire. Taking inspiration from such composers as John Adams, Johan Johannsson and Olafur Arnalds, Louis incorporates a post-minimalist style in his music giving greater emphasis to complex textures and the expressive use of tone-colour. Louis’ music seeks to create emotion-based experiences for his audiences.
Louis is currently completing his Bachelor of Music (Degree with Honours) at the University of Melbourne. Majoring in composition under the esteemed Australian composer, Elliot Gyger, past teachers also include Christine McCombe, Kevin March and Miriama Young.
Louis has written for a large range of ensembles including orchestral works for theatre, solo works and chamber music. Louis has recently written music for Tellulah Theatre’s original production of A Dog Called Monkey written by Laura Collins and the University of Melbourne Shakespeare Companies production of Twelfth Night where Louis received an award for outstanding sound design/composition from Union House Theatre.
The 2018 grants will open on the 1st June 2018 and close on the 13th July. Interviews will be held with shortlisted candidates on 18th August 2018.
More information about Louis can be found on his website.
BAF Alum, Aunty Donna are set to headline at the Melbourne International Comedy on March 29th at Max Watts, 125 Swanston Street.
In 2012, Aunty Donna exploded onto the Melbourne comedy scene with a unique brand of surreal, fast paced, alternative sketch. Their debut show Aunty Donna in Pantsuits was nominated for the illustrious Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Golden Gibbo Award, and the Donna’s have since gone on to create an award winning YouTube channel, garnering over 170 thousand+ subscribers and 27 million+ views.
Having met throughout high-school and their time at the University of Ballarat Arts Academy, Aunty Donna are a collective of creative cats dedicated to bringing the funny across all mediums: actor / writers Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane, writer / director Sam Lingham, film director / editor Max Miller and sound designer / composer Tom Armstrong all come together to bring Aunty Donna’s wildly entertaining style of comedy to life.
Aunty Donna’s online presence is massive, they developed award winning ‘1999’ an original web series exclusively for YouTube thanks to Screen Australia and Google’s Skip Ahead funding, ‘Trendy’ commissioned by Comedy Central and a TV Series pilot for ABC iView and Screen Australia as part of the Fresh Blood Comedy Initiative. Most recently the popular TV channel Stan announced new original productions for 2017 including ‘Chaperones’ written by and starring Aunty Donna.
Aunty Donna LIVE had a huge year in 2016, they played to sell out audiences at Comedy Festivals and their own debut national tour in Australia and New Zealand, then headed to London and Edinburgh for the second time to packed houses. Their show “New show” was filmed at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre for ABC2 and they also headed to the US to make an impressive and well received debut at Largo in Los Angeles.
Having just completed the Australian and New Zealand 2017 festival circuit with “Big Boys”, Aunty Donna made a big impression overseas by heading out on a quick fire tour of the US and Canada which saw them perform in eleven cities in just 3 weeks. Then they went to Edinburgh for the Fringe and performed to sold out crowds at the prestigious Leicester Square Theatre in London.
Aunty Donna are a true force to be reckoned with.