VINCENT NAMATJIRA: Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship Recipient

Congratulations to Vincent Namatjira who has been awarded the 2022 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship!



  The prestigious Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships have been awarded to nine exceptional and courageous artists from across Australia. This year marks the significant milestone of 100 Fellowships having been awarded since 2011 – this is an extraordinary alumni of outstanding talent and an enormous commitment to Australian creativity, arts and culture. To date, $16 million has been invested in this program since its inception, all of which has gone to individuals. These creative thinkers and doers are the life blood of arts and culture in this country and Sidney Myer Fund values their immense contribution to our nation. The Fellowships are not tied to any particular outcomes. The Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships value the contribution that artists and cultural leaders make to strengthening, enlivening and shaping our community and recognise the importance of financially rewarding that contribution.

The two criteria used to select Fellows are: outstanding talent and exceptional courage. Specifically, this talent and courage relates to the artistic practice of the Fellows and not to cases of personal hardship.

The 2022 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship Selection Panel: Andrew Myer AM (Chair), Amos Gebhardt, Amrit Gill, Brian Ritchie, Cara Kirkwood, Jo Dyer, Sarah Goodes and Stephanie Lake.



“It’s a huge honour for me to receive the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. As an Indigenous artist I strongly believe that living in a remote Aboriginal community should not be a barrier to anybody’s artistic and professional development. The Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship offers me an incredible opportunity to continue to develop my artistic practice. I’m not afraid to try new things, and this fellowship will allow me to continue to push myself and expand my practice into new and exciting directions. I am proud to be a role model to young Aboriginal kids, especially aspiring artists, and it is important to me that I am able to share opportunities like this, to help open doors for the next generation of Indigenous artists in remote communities. I am truly grateful to the Sidney Myer Fund for this significant acknowledgment and support – thank you.” - Vincent Namatjira





Photo: Rhett Hammerton