And the fellowship recipients are ...

Artists, a creative space and projects built around access, inclusion and participation in the arts are recipients of Ngā Toi Rangatira o Aotearoa Arts Access Fellowships 2022. Below are brief details about the four recipients and their projects.

Charlotte Nightingale, Warkworth, Auckland, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Te Puna Toi Creative New Zealand Arts For All Fellowship

Charlotte is an experienced theatre practitioner and Artistic Director of Glass Ceiling Arts Collective. Her project involves working with the PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities) community to create Spark, a multisensory theatre work for audiences with PMLD. Based on a short story she wrote during Level 3 lockdown in Auckland in 2021, the work will include live and recorded music, binaural sound, New Zealand Sign Language, lighting effects, multisensory props, things to smell and taste, and film projection. Spark will be produced and presented by Glass Ceiling Arts Collective and one of the two actors, Lily Mae Ivatt Oakley, has been a member of the Collective since it was founded in 2020.

Of the project, the assessment panel commented:

“Your project has huge potential to extend new ways of re-imagining the theatre experience and welcoming new audiences. Your application was thorough and detailed, clearly demonstrating the processes required to execute your ideas and the strength of support you have from your community.”

Salā Roseanne Leota, Kāpiti Coast, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi i Te Ara Poutama Arts in Corrections Artist Fellowship

Salā Roseanne Leota’s cultural heritage is Samoan, Chinese and Tongan. Mother of 11 children and grandmother to six, she lives on the Kāpiti Coast with her partner, Ieremia. Motivated by her participation in a Home Ground project in 2019, Roseanne has gone on to become Home Ground’s Creative Advisor. Home Ground is a creativity and wellbeing initiative for women who are engaged in or have experience with the justice system. Roseanne will explore and research the development of her creative writing processes and abilities, with the support of an arts mentor. She has also completed a Diploma in Creative Writing from Whitireia Community Polytechnic in 2019, and is working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Massey University. 

Of her project, the assessment panel commented:

“We loved your project and very much enjoyed the samples of your poetry. You produced a great application that looks highly achievable and well-considered in every aspect. We were very impressed by the way you presented as an artist, mentor and connector in your community. It was also clear you have strong networks and great support to realise your ideas. Finally, we appreciated the way your project will enable you to extend your own artistic development while also benefiting others.”

Magenta Creative Space, Nelson, recipient of the Whakahoa Whakawatea Kaitoi Tangata Holdsworth Creative Spaces Fellowship

Magenta Creative Space is an art studio in Whakatu Nelson for people with experience of mental distress. Samara Davis, an art tutor and artist at Magenta, will be mentored to develop project management and delivery skills and become the lead tutor in Magenta’s Youth Programme. Samara will work with young people living with mental distress to create mural-style street art. This will include workshops and sessions on exploring identity through street art and incorporating te ao Māori. The programme includes a project that will culminate in an exhibition of works in July, created by the young artists.

Of the project, the assessment panel commented:

“This was an excellent application. Your proposal amplifies your own skills and also enables you to share your experience with your community. It also demonstrates that you understand the youth you intend to work with and can cater to their specific needs. You gave good evidence of community support and demonstrated that you have thought through many of the key steps in the process already. Congratulations!”

Ari Kerssens, Auckland, recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Whanaketanga PAK’nSAVE Artist Fellowship

Ari Kerssens will collaborate with sound artist Tash van Schaardenburg on a series of audio recordings. These will explore Ari’s blind experience of navigating acoustically distinct environments in Tāmaki Makaurau using a cane: for example, an empty room, the beach, a forest, a paved footpath. Two proudly disabled queer creatives, the duo will explore ableism in environmental design, and the relationship between the body, mobility aid and place. The resulting work will be presented in the dark as a multi-speaker/surround sound installation – an allegory of the ableism designed into our cities and the anxiety and discomfort systemic ableism creates. There will also be an event where musicians will improvise with the sound work after it’s been installed.

This Fellowship supports a Deaf or disabled artist, or an artist who has a disability or impairment, or lived experience of mental distress to undertake a project that develops their arts practice. 

Of the project, the assessment panel commented: 

“You are breaking new ground with your highly original proposal idea. The ideas you are exploring have the potential to have a significant impact on the very nature of what art is in a disabled setting. Your application demonstrates that you are an artist with an established practice and are a deep and critical thinker. You have a clearly thought-out process that enabled us to imagine the trajectory of your work.”