Five winners have been announced for ACCELERATE, the British Council’s Indigenous Australian creative leadership programme which was launched at the NIMA Awards at the Sydney Opera House this week.
ACCELERATE offers outstanding applicants a unique opportunity to develop as leaders, through two stages. The first stage entails a leadership intensive in Australia, the second involves an individual programme of professional placements and mentorship in the UK.
The program is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have at least five years of experience working in the arts or creative industries and are ready step up in their career. This is a great professional development opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working within the creative field, and will also assist in providing creative professionals with the confidence, skills and networking opportunities they need to pursue their career goals.
The recipients of the 2013 ACCELERATE programme are:
- Solomon Booth (Qld) – From Kubin Village on Moa Island in the Torres Strait, Solomon is a visual artist, whose has shown in major institutions at the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the Queensland Art gallery. He is currently the Chairman of the Ngalmun Lagau Minaral Art Centre and Chairman of the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance.
- Ron Bradfield Jnr (WA) – Ron is of the Bardi people from the tip of Cape Leveque, WA, and has been Manager of Artsource’s Regional and Indigenous Development programme. Ron was one of the first awardees of the Wesfarmers NGA Indigenous Art Leadership Program in 2010, and was invited to contribute to shaping the programme in the following year.
- Michael Cook (Qld) – Originally trained as a commercial photographer, Michael switched to visual art in 2008, whereupon his work has attracted international attention, placing him at the forefront of contemporary Australian Indigenous art. Michael is represented by Diane Tanzer gallery in Melbourne and Andrew Baker Art Dealer in Brisbane, and his work has been shown at many major institutions.
- Andrea James (NSW) – A descendent of the Yorta Yorta and Kurnai Aboriginal nations, Andrea is a playwright, director and producer, who has been nominated for an AWGIE award (for her play, Yanagai! Yanagai!), and has held positions such as Artistic Director of Melbourne Workers Theatre and Aboriginal Arts Development Officer at Blacktown Arts Centre. She is currently Artistic Associate at Carriageworks in Redfern.
- Kimberley Moulton (Vic) – Kimberley is a Yorta Yorta woman, with German, Scottish, English, Portugese and Mauritius heritage. from 2008, Kimberley has worked at Museum Victoria, as Project Officer for Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre Melbourne Museum and an Assistant Curator for the Bunjilaka Redevelopment Project, First Peoples. Kimberley is currently Curator and Project Manager of the Birrarung Gallery , a space dedicated to Victorian Aboriginal Art.
To find out more about the 2013 recipients, and to follow their ACCELERATE journeys, visit