PAINTER Marie Hagerty was tonight (November 3) named the 2018 Capital Arts Patrons’ Organisation fellow.

CAPO patron Patricia Piccinini awarded the top award to Hagerty at the annual gala and auction in East Space gallery on Lake Burley Griffin, where 120 artworks onated by ACT artists graced the walls.

With an eye on the wider world, Hagerty will use her fellowship award to mount an exhibition of her paintings at Olsen Gruin Gallery, New York, in January next year.

The Rosalie Gascoigne Memorial Award, partly funded by Bates & Pickering, went to printmaker Katy Mutton to help her produce work exploring counter-surveillance movements, which will be exhibited in Plexus at Blindside in Melbourne in September.

Established as a way in which business could help support the arts, CAPO has now evolved to see artists and business join in a collaborative funding model that provides financial and in-kind support for new arts projects.

The CAPO Fellowship of up to $15,000 and the Rosalie Gascoigne Memorial Award of up to $5000 is funded through the annual fundraiser and auction, the other awards are provided by businesses trading in this area.

While most of the awards went to visual artists, the MPS Travel & Tours Award was given to the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra and vocal expert Dianna Nixon has been funded to attend the Estill World Voice Symposium next year.

Over the years a unique feature of the CAPO awards has been the support for artists’ equipment, and, 2018 was no exception, with the Capital Insurance Brokers Emerging Artist Award going to sculptor Naomi Taylor Royds for workshop equipment. The McGrath Woden Emerging Artist Award went to fellow-sculptor Sian Watson so she can construct a flat workspace and portable photography studio, the Tall Foundation Award went to Hannah Gason to purchase a glass kiln, and the Robert Foster Memorial Award went to Larah Nott for a hydraulic press and tooling.

The winner of the Capital Chemist Award was “Shags”, who will create a grid of black abstracted geometric shapes made out of laser cut marine plywood, while the Dixon Advisory Award was given to Julian Laffin to explore the woodcut image as a sculptural form and the Workplace Research Associates Award to ceramicist Cathy Franzi.

The Belconnen Arts Centre Inclusion Award went to Maria Cofinas to create an art space, titled “Art Sparks”, while the Urban Pantry Manuka Award went to printmaker Marilou Chagnaud and The Macquarie Telecom Award to painter Emma Beer.

Inaugural awards were the Shaw & Partners Award, given to Nick Stranks to attend an art residency in Vancouver, and the Canberra Glassworks Award, presented to Madisyn Zabel to help fund a year-long exhibition at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.