Entries have opened for the 8th annual John Fries Award for early-career artists from Australia and New Zealand, which provides $10,000 in prize money for the winning artist and $1,000 for each award finalist participating in the exhibition.
The non-acquisitive award has established itself as one of the most highly coveted prizes for early-career artists working in any medium – from painting to conceptual art, performance to photography.
2017 John Fries Award curator and judge, Consuelo Cavaniglia, says the Award places early-career artists in the spotlight, supporting the advancement of their career and promoting a wide variety of artistic practices.
“The John Fries Award showcases the work of some of the most exciting and experimental work in contemporary art across Australia and New Zealand and I’m eager to see the scope and calibre of the work of this year’s entrants.”
“This award is a unique opportunity to connect with the next generation of artistic talent and for audiences to experience new and experimental artworks” says Consuelo.
“The $1,000 artist fee for all finalists acknowledges the effort that comes with producing works of a high standard and encourages the development of more ambitious artwork.”
The judging panel for this year’s award is: Melanie Oliver – Senior Curator and Programs Manager at The Dowse Art Museum in Wellington, New Zealand, Clothilde Bullen – Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Fiona Lowry – Artist and 2014 Archibald prize winner for her painting of Penelope Seidler and artist Kath Fries – Viscopy board member, Chair of the John Fries Award committee and daughter of the late John Fries.
The winner will be announced at a gala exhibition opening on 11 August. The exhibition will run from 11 August to 2 September at UNSW Galleries in Sydney, the award’s presenting partner for the fourth year running.
The award’s prize money has been donated by the Fries family in memory of former Viscopy director and honorary treasurer, John Fries, who made a remarkable contribution to the life and success of Viscopy.
ENTRY INFORMATION
Entries will be accepted from now until 5pm (AEDT) on Monday, 27 February 2017. Entry to the award costs $35 AUD. The entry fee is directly used to support the Finalists’ artists’ fees.
Entrants are required to submit a portfolio of five works created over the past three years, which demonstrate their commitment to developing their artistic practice.
Artists can enter via www.johnfriesaward.com/enter
KEY DATES
| Call for Entries Open | 16 January 2017 |
| Call for Entries Closes | 27 February 2017 |
| Announcement of Finalists | 7 April 2017 |
| Winner Announcement and Opening Event | 11 August 2017 |
| Exhibition Opens | 11 August 2017 |
| Exhibition Closes | 2 September 2017 |
THE PRESENTING PARTNER
All finalists works will feature in an exhibition from 11 August – 2 September at UNSW Galleries – the Award’s presenting partner for the fourth year running.
ABOUT COPYRIGHT AGENCY | VISCOPY:
Copyright Agency | Viscopy is a not-for-profit rights management organisation that provides services to ensure artists are fairly rewarded for the reproduction of their work. We provide licences for people to use creative content, and distribute those fees back to creators as royalties. In doing so, we aim to help build a more resilient creative economy where new artistic expression is valued and artists are fairly acknowledged and financially rewarded for the time, energy and skills needed to create their work. We are committed to encouraging the development of lively and diverse markets for published works with our range of commercial licence solutions and through our philanthropic Cultural Fund, which provides grants to Australian creators.
Membership is free. To find out more about us, go to www.copyright.com.au
