New round of VCA50 Creative Development Grants supports seven emerging artists

A person holds on to a bright orange hanging artwork in a white gallery space
A Process of Enfleurage, Jemima Lucas, 2024. Image credit: Rick Maxwell Douglas.

A creative practice grants scheme for graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) will support seven talented artists this year.

First launched in 2022 to coincide with the VCA’s 50th anniversary celebrations and in the wake of the global pandemic, the VCA50 Creative Development Grants were established to provide crucial support to early-career VCA alumni to develop creative projects.

The scheme aims to broaden opportunities for graduates across all creative disciplines and provide critical showcase platforms for establishing a professional career in the arts. The grants are funded by the Hansen Little Foundation, with additional support provided by the VCA Foundation. Grants in previous rounds have also been funded individually by VCA Foundation Board members  Nina Wei and Konfir Kabo, and VCA Foundation Board Chair Beck Wilkinson.

Each of the seven recent VCA alumni selected will receive necessary funds to develop a range of exciting creative projects spanning performance, visual art, design and film, as follows:

  • Mary Angley (Theatre)
  • Erfan Behzadnia (Film and Television)
  • Julien Comer-Kleine Visual Art (Visual Art)
  • Ludomyr Kemp-Mykyta Theatre (Theatre)
  • Jemima Lucas (Visual Art)
  • Theo Mcmahon (Performance Design)
  • Lucien Perry (Film and Television)

Recipient Mary Angley, who will use the grant to develop an interdisciplinary theatre work that explores how theatre can respond to the modern attention economy, said receiving a VCA50 Creative Development Grant is a game-changer for their practice.

"The grant will allow me to deepen collaboration with performers, designers and creative technologists as I develop a new production with State Theatre Company South Australia," Mary said.

"As an independent theatre-maker, opportunities to work at this scale are rare, and this support allows me to expand the collaborative and experimental methods that define my work while taking an important step towards a more sustainable directing practice."

A person in a blonde wig stands looking shocked on a dark stage

Visual artist Jemima Lucas, who will use the grant to support an exhibition of work at Sydney’s Passage Gallery, said: “Receiving this contribution will assist me in realising the most technically ambitious, large-scale work my practice has seen. Passage Gallery’s visibility will platform my work to a diverse and broad demographic of humans.

"Passages Gallery’s space facilitates a capsuled environment, one in which the entire ecosystem of the gallery is transformed by a singular motivation. Sculptures will be in capitulatory motion and systems will be pumping — an opportunity I would not be able to finance personally."

Chancellor of the University and Chair of the Hansen Little Foundation, Ms Jane Hansen AO, said: "We are delighted to support the VCA50 Creative Development Grants program, which is an important investment in emerging artists as they embark on the next stage of their creative journeys. I congratulate all seven recipients and look forward to seeing what they create."

VCA Board Chair Beck Wilkinson said: "Since 2022, the VCA50 Creative Development Grants have helped to catalyse outstanding artistic projects and support the next generation of artists. Building a creative profile as a recent graduate can be tough, and this program helps artists to create new work that pushes boundaries."

Director of the VCA, Professor Jane Davidson, said: "Nurturing early career artists has never been more important, and philanthropy continues to play a crucial role in the arts ecosystem. We thank the Hansen Little Foundation and our other donors for their generous support and commitment to our VCA alumni as they navigate the transition into industry and forge sustainable careers."