PAINTER, mixed media artist, mentor and tireless advocate for the arts,  Julie Bradley is the 2019 CAPO Fellow.

The award was announced tonight (October 26) by the Capital Arts Patrons’ Organisation patron, Patricia Piccinini, at a gala auction held in the East Space gallery on Lake Burley Griffin.

Bradley says she intends to use her fellowship award to create a new body of work and mount an exhibition in Melbourne next year, inspired by her recent artist residency at Ballinglen Art Foundation in Ireland.

The Rosalie Gascoigne Memorial Award, funded conjointly by Bates & Pickering and CAPO, went to Lisa Cahill, who was also awarded the inaugural Craft ACT Award, to create architectural glass installations and to fund the purchase of a compressor.

Piccinini, recently back in the news after her “Skywhale” balloon  was gifted to the National Gallery of Australia, was on hand for the  announcement of a total of 19 award-winners in CAPO’s 36th annual grant round.

Founded on a unique model of collaboration between art and business, the event and exhibition of more than 120 artworks donated by artists, have become the annual culmination of the organisation’s work to support local artists and arts patronage.

The CAPO Fellowship has a value of up to $15,000 and the Rosalie Gascoigne Memorial Award is valued at up to $5000. Both are funded partly through the sale of donated art and business items at the annual fundraiser and auction.

The other awards provide financial and in-kind support for a range of new arts projects, sponsored by businesses trading in the Act region.

Other awards

• The Tall Foundation Award was awarded to Saskia Scott to curate an exhibition, “Common Threads,” at ANCA Gallery in April. 
• The inaugural Raine and Horne Commercial Award went to composer Michael Dooley for the performance and recording of a contemporary sacred oratorio;
• The Robert Foster Memorial Award was presented to Kristina Neuman for travel to Germany to undertake a MFA at Hochschule Trier and to buy a camera. She was also awarded the inaugural Craft ACT Emerging Artist Award.
• Neil Doody was awarded funds to buy a professional roving microphone for interviews in radio broadcasts;
• The Shaw & Partners Award went to Rebecca Selleck to create a new body of cast sculptural works.
• The Belconnen Arts Centre Inclusion Award went to textile artist Vera Delova to mount an exhibition of her tapestry works.
• The MPS Travel & Tours Award was given to Jake Silvestro to produce a physical theatre show.
• The winner of the Capital Chemist Award was Millán Pintos-Lopez to complete an artist residency at the University of Tasmania School of Creative Arts.
• The Workplace Research Associates Award went to Samuel Townsend to research and develop his manuscript, “From Sir, With Love”. He also received the inaugural Cook Creative Writing Prize.
• The Canberra Glassworks Award was presented to Louis Grant, for investigations in  combining kiln-formed and cold-worked glass with custom fabricated neon elements;
• The Urban Pantry Manuka Award went to Dan Venables, to set up his studio for his knife-making practice;
• The Macquarie Telecom Award went to photographer Amy McGregor to buy lighting equipment to produce a new series of work.
• The PSC Capital Insurance Brokers Emerging Artist Award went to Abbey Jamieson, who will will collaborate with Rowan McGinness to produce painted ceramic objects.
• The McGrath Woden Emerging Artist Award was given to McGinness for the same project.