FNQ Contemporaries & Artist Fellowship Awards
Cairns RSL Club proudly supports Cairns Gallery Artist Fellowship Program
The Fellowship Awards provide each artist with $7,500 to develop a new body of work for a solo exhibition at the Gallery.
The Fellowships are open to creative practitioners from all art, craft and design disciplines,
at any stage of their career development and who reside in the region served by Cairns Art Gallery
(from Cardwell in the south, west to Normanton and Mornington Island and north to the Torres Strait Islands).
2022 Artist Fellowship Award Winners
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𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙡
Simone was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer last year, currently fighting at moment, with the help of the FNQ Contemporary Artist Fellowship of $7,500 Simone is making her dream come true for a solo exhibition with the Cairns Art Gallery 2023. The deep underlying passion of Simone Arnol is reflected in all of her works. Descending from the Gunggandji Peoples through her father (and her mother of Sicilian heritage), she uses this strong connection to family and country as a foundation for all of her art. Inspired by the many Elders, children and all the Traditional Owners that has been a part of her life through her working career in Indigenous Law and Native Title, she continues to expand herself as a developing, grassroots artist. Her stories flow strongly through her works on canvas, portraits on paper, photography and her true passion for textiles and clothing design. Simone continues to experiment and progress through different mediums with each piece keeping within cultural and mainstream sustainability practices. |
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𝙉𝙖𝙤𝙢𝙞 𝙃𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙣
Naomi Hobson is a Visual Artist who resides on the banks of the riverbeds her grandparents were born. Her residence is an old tin shed that was once her village church. Her colourful abstract compositions act as a link between individuality and a shared identity. Her continual inspiration is the vast traditional lands of her ancestors surrounding the town of Coen in Queensland and her culture. More recently, Naomi is further inspired by the richness of cultural diversity she witnessed first-hand while exploring village life, rural farmlands and the organised urban chaos throughout South East Asia! "I hope to use the RSL Scholarship to advance my career and to procure the resources and expertise in preparing for and organising a future solo exhibition at The Cairns Art Gallery. This sort of scholarship allows me to concentrate on my artistic freedom. It takes away a level of stress and worry when you have some of the cost and expenses taken care of. Thank you" - Naomi |
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𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙚𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧
Born and raised in Cairns, Australia, where I also currently live. Jason graduated from James Cook University Cairns in 2014 with a Bachelor in Creative Industries majoring in Visual Arts, He’s current practice focuses on drawing - a medium chosen mostly out of necessity, as what is more simple and accessible than pencil and paper. Jason is currently creating a new body of work for a solo exhibition (his first) with the Cairns Art Gallery after winning one of the three fellowships. “Winning this fellowship will primarily allow me to afford a temporary studio space and new materials in which to create new work for a solo exhibition. A solo exhibition presenting a larger body of work for the first time is a very important step in an artists' career (which can be mostly about uncertainty) and can be a very real confidence booster. At the same time, it is also quite scary to think about, too. Just to have a space to turn up to every day to make new work is a tremendous blessing. “- Jason |