WESFARMERS Ltd and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival have won the top prize for a business arts partnership at the national Australia Business Arts Foundation Awards, held in Sydney this week. “The partnership has created the first multi-artform commissioning venture of its kind in Australia,” AbaF chairman Terry Campbell said. “It is a major investment in the future of Australian repertoire, which is particularly noteworthy because there is a large element of risk in any new production.” The pair also won the Marsh partnering award for their four-year collaboration, which has helped to produce newly commissioned works from the West Australian Ballet, West Australian Opera, Black Swan Theatre and West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Three other WA partnerships also won national awards. Rio Tinto Iron Ore and the Shire of Roebourne won the QantasLink regional award for the Cossack art award, Australia’s richest regional art competition, with total prize money of $65,000. Grain storage and marketing group CBH Group and West Australian Symphony Orchestra won the City of Sydney encouragement award, while Alcoa of Australia and Western Australian Museum won the Bytecraft entertainment commitment award for a 12-year partnership to deliver Frog Watch. Emily Piesse
