The largest ever round of the Victorian Government’s ground-breaking Creators Fund is backing the people who power Victoria’s creative industries.

Grants totalling almost $2.7 million have been awarded to 70 individual creatives and small collectives through the 2022 round of the fund.

An action of the Victorian Government’s Creative State strategy, the Creators Fund provides local creatives with a stable income base of up to $50,000 for a period of up to six months, enabling them to undertake research and development, explore new ideas and hone their craft.

Recipients of the 2022 Creators Fund span all creative disciplines and include:

Since its launch in 2017, the Creators Fund has invested almost $6 million directly into the careers of Victorian creatives - from fashion designers, composers and game developers, to writers, visual artists and theatre-makers.

By supporting creatives for a sustained period of up to six months, the Creators Fund affords them time to devote to experimentation, trialling new methods and approaches, and testing new ideas. Just like in the science and technology sectors, this type of research and development is vital to innovation and breaking new ground.

The Creators Fund was established as part of the Victorian Government’s first Creative State strategy and was extended in the 2021-22 state budget. This latest round includes dedicated streams for First Peoples creatives and creatives who identify as deaf or disabled.

Charlotte Algie, HAWTHORN, $46,820 Designer Charlotte Algie will work to develop a prototype structure for a fire-proof house.

Natasha Anderson, STRATHFIELDSAYE, $30,000 Composer and musician Natasha Anderson will undertake an art/glaciology residency at the Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (Switzerland) and experiment with re-processing archival glaciology material.

Ben Andrews, LINTON, $36,852 Ben Andrews is a director working with immersive/XR technologies who will develop an interactive project that explores the chronic condition of vestibular migraines.

Girius Antanaitis, BALWYN NORTH, $40,000 Designer Girius Antanaitis will develop a method for creating on-demand implant designs for medical devices for Australian wildlife.

Julia Bak, BRUNSWICK WEST, $44,521 Writer, researcher and organiser Julia Bak is developing a non-fiction work that explores how chronic pain and illness, and the ongoing impact of colonisation, impacts a person.

Bronwyn Batten, RICHMOND, $24,000 Performer, theatre-maker and producer Bronwyn Batten will collaborate with Dr Jude MacNaughton and Lucy Bool to develop a new theatre piece With Child.

Maxine Beneba Clarke, KINGSVILLE, $24,000 Writer Maxine Beneba Clarke will research and develop Bossanova: 100 New Poems for Children.

Katherine Beynon, NORTHCOTE, $28,000 Visual artist Katherine Beynon will collaborate with her son, artist and animator Rali Beynon, to experiment with new multi-artform works merging animation, fashion and projection art.

Ann Bolch, WOODEND, $35,000 Writer Ann Bolch will research and develop a memoir chronicling Baburam Poudel's life story.

Candy Bowers, NORTHCOTE, $45,000 Performer, writer and director, Candy Bowers will develop a new theatre work exploring the connection between diabetes, migration and social disadvantage in the Australian African Diaspora.

Ingrid Brooker, PRESTON, $25,570 Multidisciplinary artist Ingrid Brooker will research sculptural practice and experiment with bronze casting, including undertaking a period of development at Space Tank Studio.

Lauren Burrow, EAST MELBOURNE, $39,999 Lauren Burrow will research and develop a new body of sculptural work exploring the emergence of environmental politics and poetics in Australia.

Jason Christou, DOCKLANDS, $45,083 Screen-writer and director Jason Christou will undertake research to support the development of an interactive TV crime series.

Robert Croft, TORQUAY, $22,600 Visual artist Robert Croft will collaborate with filmmaker and musician Stephen Oakes and art therapist and disability support worker Celia Adams on In The Room, a project melding visual art and sound art.

Madelynne Cornish, BOGONG VILLAGE, $45,263 Audio visual artist and curator Madelynne Cornish will collaborate with digital animator Gina Moore, under the mentorship of soundscape composer Philip Samartzis, to experiment with 3D technologies, digital animation and sound spatialisation.

Croissants & Whiskey, LARA, $28,260 Cross-cultural ensemble Croissants & Whiskey will research improvisation traditions and Chinese traditional music practices.

Grace Culley, ST KILDA, $35,000 Visual artist Grace Culley will develop Surprised Face; Heart Eyes, a project that investigates the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Tess Cullity, THORNBURY, $32,420 Tess Cullity will develop picture-book-inspired fiction and non-fiction zines and comics for children.

Pamela Debrincat, CAIRNLEA, $35,000 Pamela Debrincat will draw upon her lived experience of disability to establish accessible curatorial frameworks that aim to dismantle boundaries between artist and audience.

Chelle Destefano, NORTH WONTHAGGI, $40,835 Multi-disciplinary artist Chelle Destefano will develop a series of performance videos interpreting Auslan poetry into choreographed dances, working under the mentorship of Nina Sanadze.

Holly Durant, KEW, $39,500 Performer and choreographer Holly Durant will investigate new processes for choreographic practice.

Benjamin Dynan, ABBOTSFORD, $25,580 Multi-modal therapeutic arts practitioner Benjamin Dynan will undertake research in support of their emerging practice.

Talgium Edwards, THORNBURY, $55,000 Writer Talgium Edwards is developing a second autobiographical book, detailing the later part of life as a member of the Stolen Generation.

Naomi Eller, CARLTON, $36,600 Sculptor Naomi Eller will experiment with material and form as part of a new project, Sea of Fragments.

FLUXUS, ST KILDA, $20,000 FLUXUS will undertake research and creative development on an opera based on the life of African-Australian woman Elsie Williams.

Jessie French, CLIFTON HILL, $50,000 Artist and experimental designer Jessie French will collaborate with art conservators Care of Studios on research into sustainable materials for sculpture and architectural applications.

David Gagliardi, BENDIGO, $37,150 Artistic director, composer and producer David Gagliardi will undertake initial development on new cross-art form works that aim to provide professional opportunities for regional artists and arts workers.

Samuel Gaskin, ELTHAM NORTH, $50,000 Musician and actor Samuel Gaskin will research how children’s theatre can tackle themes of ancestry and trauma.

Luna Mrozik Gawler, COBURG, $36,997Speculative and relational artist Luna Mrozik Gawler will research new ways of working across disciplines, combining the natural sciences with creative practice.

Tara Gilbee, Fryerstown, $25,000 Multidisciplinary visual artist Tara Gilbee will research the impact of temporal and elemental forces on the materiality of artworks imbedded in a landscape.

Amrita Hepi, BRUNSWICK, $36,500 Dancer and choreographer Amrita Hepi will research participatory art and performance models, and use of technology.

HoMie, FITZROY, $40,000 Fashion social enterprise HoMie will undertake research, technique development and practice-based experimentation to push the boundaries of its current design offering.

Lucinda Horrocks, BALLARAT CENTRAL, $49,998 Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo, co-founders of Wind & Sky Productions, will undertake research into Victoria’s former goldfields region.

Luke Howard and Simon Burgin, KEW, $41,876 Composer Luke Howard and digital artist Simon Burgin will work to develop a prototype for an immersive audio-visual performance format.

David Jenkinson, WEST WODONGA, $40,200 David Jenkinson will research how games technology can help make interactive virtual spaces more accessible.

Donna Kendrigan, COBURG, $30,000 Animator and visual artist Donna Kendrigan will develop creative content for an augmented reality platform.

Carmen Knox, PARKDALE, $42,450 Carmen Knox will develop a feature film treatment that reflects on the Motherhood Complex.

Katerina Kokkinos-Kennedy, RICHMOND, $36,840 Theatre director and writer Katerina Kokkinos-Kennedy will undertake research and collaborations to explore mixed reality and how to create hybrid immersive events.

LaGuapa Outerwear, DOCKLANDS, $50,000 Sustainable and ethical fashion label La Guapa Outerwear will experiment with bio-based material developments, natural resins and components with a high content of plant-based matter.

Audrey Lam, EAST MELBOURNE, $50,000 Filmmaker Audrey Lam will research the culture of community radio stations for a film project.

Liza Lim, SOUTH YARRA, $49,200 Composer, educator and researcher Liza Lim will develop a new opera with libretto, compositional sketches and an associated podcast series.

Alena Lodkina, EAST MELBOURNE, $32,586 Filmmaker Alena Lodkina will research the recurring dreams and nightmares of urban professional women in their 30s to inform narrative ideas for a feature film.

Kimberley Lovegrove, BRUNSWICK, $20,000 Kimberley Lovegrove will develop Kungari Comedy Workshops, a program for First Nations creatives to learn to write stand-up comedy with mentoring by established comedians.

John McCormick, WERRIBEE, $38,500 Technology based artist John McCormick will use robots to research movement as a method for collaboration.

Caroline Meaden, KENSINGTON, $40,357 Dancer and choreographer Caroline Meaden will undertake research and explore a new working methodology for dance-led choreographic practice.

Fatima Measham, WYNDHAM VALE, $45,305 Writer and speaker Fatima Measham will research human interventions in nature to develop innovative storytelling techniques.

Rose Michael, FITZROY NORTH, $32,349 Writer Rose Michael will develop NovelLab, a collaborative program and feminist collective that will initially support the works of five novelists.

Ranima Montes, NORTHCOTE, $53,750 Filmmaker Ranima Montes will develop a new feature film script, exploring punk, politics and witchcraft in the Philippines.

Jake Nakashima-Edwards, NORTHCOTE, $50,000 Fashion designer Jake Nakashima-Edwards will work to develop a sustainable textile dyeing method with native eucalyptus plants.

Phuong Ngo, SUNSHINE WEST, $40,000 Artist and curator Phuong Ngo will undertake research into furniture built in Australia by ‘European Labour Only’ to examine the racialised underpinning of historic white Australia.

Jess O'Farrell, BRUNSWICK EAST, $50,000 Creative video and virtual reality (VR) producer Jess O’Farrell will work to improve the integration of live action into VR environments to create cinematic experiences that meld with 3D assets and environments.

Public Service Announcement Theatre Collective, ELWOOD, $20,000 The theatre collective will explore how technology and multi-disciplinary forms can be used to create access aesthetics for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

Sangeeta Sandrasegar, FITZROY NORTH, $25,920 Visual artist Sangeeta Sandrasegar will undertake research and experiment with the application of natural dye techniques.

Ronnie Scott, BRUNSWICK EAST, $20,853 Ronnie Scott will experiment with techniques that combine literature, visual arts and graphic storytelling to advance his practice as a queer novelist.

Antonia Sellbach, COBURG, $36,500 Visual artist Antonia Sellbach will collaborate with sound artists Anthea Caddy and Jenny Branagan to develop new multimedia works.

Katie Sfetkidis, MELBOURNE, $32,900 Multi-disciplinary artist and lighting designer Katie Sfetkidis will undertake research exploring the nature of protest movements, older women and the digital realm.

Priya Srinivasan, KEYSBOROUGH, $43,130 Dancer and choreographer Priya Srinivasan will engage with Victoria’s South Asian dance community elders and dancers, First Nation artists, choreographers, and dancers to explore how South Asian dance knowledges can be collectively engaged within Victoria’s contemporary dance sector.

Stathis/Davey/Kim, BRUNSWICK, $49,200 The composer collective Stathis/Davey/Kim will research and experiment with new sonic composition techniques.

Alan Stewart, COBURG NORTH, $20,000 Photographer Alan Stewart will experiment with new photographic practices to capture Taungaurung Country in a way that moves beyond the Euro-centric portrayal of the Australian landscape.

Eden Swan, CASTLEMAINE, $48,944 Based on experience living with chronic autoimmune disease, Eden Swan will undertake research and create innovative performance-based artworks.

Vijay Thillaimuthu, PRESTON, $36,707 Audio visual artist Vijay Thillaimuthu will research techniques to record and visualise electromagnetic fields.

Antonella Thomas, SUNSHINE NORTH, $34,609 Circus artist Antonella Thomas will conduct research into the intersections of circus, movement, gender, sport and community engagement.

Christen Tynan, SOUTHBANK, $51,504 Visual artist Christen Tynan will develop methodologies to represent the diversity of disabled, queer and gender-diverse folklore within their work.

Julienne van Loon, FITZROY NORTH, $49,946 Writer Julienne van Loon will experiment with new methods to approach feminist literature with the goal of transforming the understanding of Australia’s leading women scientists.

Erkki Veltheim, CALRTON, $28,984 Musician Erkki Veltheim will explore socially and ecologically responsive field recording techniques and outdoor sound presentation strategies.

Mathew Watson, PRESTON, $36,878 Mathew Watson will research visual sound languages to create graphic scores for new experimental electronic music.

Narelle White, PARKVILLE, $44,005 Ceramic artist Narelle White will research experimental ceramic processes, digital manufacturing and traditional casting techniques to inform new work.

Misbah Wolf, NORTHCOTE, $49,173 Poet and artist Misbah Wolf will explore feminist narratives to create a book of stories with audio-visual components, under the mentorship of Koraly Dimitriadis.

Laura Woodward, CASTLEMAINE, $49,928 Kinetic sculptor Laura Woodward will explore alternative ways of working with plastics to find waste reduction solutions.

wreckedAllprods, ST KILDA, $49,300 Queer performance collective wreckedAllprods will develop a new music theatre work responding to LGBTQIA+ experiences in Victoria.

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New $4 million funding boost under the Regional Collections Access Program (RCAP).

Micro creative organisations and collectives from across the state can apply for game-changing funding through the latest round of the Creative Ventures Program.

Victoria’s screen industry receives another boost, with screenwriter accelerator program Impact Australia returning to Melbourne.

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Contact Us +61 3 9623 1394 info@creative.vic.gov.au