Arts grants cater for parenthood

Ten mid-career artists will share in $210,000 in grants from Minderoo Foundation, with two recipients offered extra funds to cover the costs of childcare in recognition of the pressures of caregiving.

The recipients of the grants were announced at an event on Thursday evening, along with the news that previous grant winner artist Nathan Beard had been awarded $50,000 for his efforts during his project. 

In addition to the six grants and four residencies awarded to the 2022 cohort, two recipients, photographer Claire Martin and writer Laurie Steed, received $2,500 to pay for childcare costs.

Ms Martin, who received a $25,000 grant for her project photographing the length of the Blackwood River, said the childcare support was a practical way to support primary carers to create new works.

She said it was difficult to dedicate time to her art while taking on a caring role in the family.

“Choosing the arts and being an artist in the variety of capacities you can do that, is quite a tenuous financial choice,” Ms Martin told Business News.

“You are over employed, then under employed, then over employed and it’s rarely a secure choice of vocation.

“If one partner is more securely employed then it falls on the artist in the family to pick up that slack.”

The other recipient of the childcare support, Mr Steed, is using his $15,000 residency to work on his memoir about being a father titled Better than Me: The Story of a Dad, which is going to print next year with Fremantle Press.

He said the grant, combined with the childcare support, gave him the time and space to work without having to focus on the writing work he normally does for an income.

“It’s a deeply relieving and heartening feeling that someone wants me to do this and I don’t have to fight so hard just to get it done,” Mr Steed said.

Minderoo Foundation Arts & Culture director Ella McNeill said the offer of additional funding acknowledged the barriers primary carers faced in returning to work due to the inaccessibility of childcare.

“Artists are our artistic workforce, and independent artists do not have the same sorts of security and benefits that other areas of our workforce have access to,” Ms McNeill said.

“The Artist Fund parental payments recognise the value of an artists’ time.

“It acknowledges the challenge of balancing a sustainable artistic career with caring for a family.”

Along with Mr Steed, Kathryn Lefroy, Mikaela Castledine and Tineke Van der Eeken were awarded $15,000 to undertake month-long residencies at Minderoo Station in the Pilbara, Forrest Hall in Perth and the Minderoo Foundation Exmouth Research Laboratory.

Lucy Peach, Tara Gower, Yvan Karlsson, Sid Pattni and Melle Branson received $25,000 to create new work.

Projects funded include a portraiture series on refugees, a children’s puppetry work on the dangers of overfishing and a community dance program for young people in Broome.

One member of the Minderoo Foundation Artist Fund cohort will receive an additional $50,000 award in recognition of achievement while delivering their project and the contribution the work has made to the community in July 2023.