The biennial Footscray Art Prize is returning in 2021 with entries opening on Monday 5 October. Artists from across Australia are invited to enter, with the opportunity to share in $28,000 worth of prizes across multiple categories.
Established in 2016, the Footscray Art Prize has received over 800 entries for two consecutive years, firmly placing the Prize on the Australian art prize calendar. In 2021, it will provide a welcome injection of funds into the creative sector and reinvigorate the thriving cultural hub of Footscray in Melbourne’s west in what is hoped will be a post-COVID world.
The coveted main prize is valued at $10,000, while the Street Art Prize is valued at $5,000 and pays tribute to Footscray’s thriving street art scene. Two new sub-categories have also been added: a $10,000 acquisition prize for local artists that will see the winning work added to Maribyrnong City Council’s Art and Heritage Collection, and an artistic residency at Footscray Community Arts Centre for emerging practitioners. The popular Young Artists Prize continues, featuring two categories each valued at $500, encouraging students in Melbourne’s west to explore their creativity.
A panel of esteemed judges will shortlist the artworks and select winners in 2021:
Myles Russell-Cook, Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Victoria
Vikki McInnes, Curator, writer, gallerist and Research Development Fellow
Kirsty Grant, former Director and CEO of Heide Museum of Modern Art; and
Dawn Tan and Rosie Kalina will judge the Young Artists Categories.
Shortlisted works artworks will be on display in an exhibition held at Footscray Community Arts Centre (Main and Street Art Prize), and VU at MetroWest (Young Artists) in May and June 2021 with winners announced at the exhibition opening.
The biennial prize is a unique collaboration between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Rotary Club of Footscray, who share a commitment to demonstrating and promoting creativity, cultural achievements and the arts.
Entries open to all Australian residents on Monday 5 October 2020 and can be submitted online, with no restrictions on visual art media. Entries will close at midday on Monday 8 February 2021.
For more information, visit www.footscrayartprize.com.
Quotes from partner organisations
Peter Dawkins AO, Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University:
Since its inception in 2016, the Footscray Art Prize has been showcasing Footscray’s creative community in a national context. This year the prize will have the challenges of a pandemic to contend with. It is therefore more important than ever that we, along with our partners Footscray Community Arts Centre, Maribyrnong City Council and Footscray Rotary, uplift the Footscray arts and culture sector and continue to offer opportunities such as this.
School students, in particular, have had a difficult year and we hope that the Young Artists category provides an enticing opportunity for them to get creative and have their efforts displayed at our community hub, VU at MetroWest.
This is my final year as Vice-Chancellor at VU, and it has been an honour to observe the next generation of artists through this prize and see it develop into a recognised Australian art prize.
Stephen Wall, CEO of Maribyrnong City Council:
Footscray is a thriving creative hub, and has developed an enviable reputation as a centre of arts and culture, which has been reflected in the success of the Footscray Art Prize to date.
This year, a new sub-category supported by Maribyrnong City Council has been added to the Prize to celebrate and acknowledge local artists. The winning work of the Local Artist Acquisition Prize will be added to Maribyrnong City Council’s Art and Heritage Collection and be exhibited at Footscray Town Hall or other Council facility. The work will be selected based on key themes, including our environment, people, growth, identity, and culture.
We look forward to hosting the work of talented artists from across Australia here in Footscray once again!
Daniel Santangeli, Artistic Director and Co-CEO at Footscray Community Arts Centre:
At Footscray Community Arts Centre we believe all communities should be valued as makers of culture, regardless of their identity. Footscray Art Prize provides a platform for a vast number of visual artists to truly announce their presence and be seen by acclaimed visual art judges and hundreds of visitors to FCAC.
Jama Farah, President of Footscray Rotary:
Footscray Rotary was the initiator of the Footscray Art Prize in conjunction with Victoria University in 2016 to mark the university’s centenary, and we are excited to continue this project into its third year with VU, Maribyrnong City Council and Footscray Community Arts Centre to develop a vibrant, artists and social event for the Footscray community.
We proudly sponsor the Young Artists categories and also host the Footscray Art Prize dinner the night after the prize announcements. Dinner guests attend a private viewing of the finalists work and proceed to an evening full of culinary and artistic delights, featuring auctions with a wide variety of art and a guest speaker to provide insight into the art world.
The money raised at the dinner supports many young people in our community to access scholarships, both primary and secondary, and to attend a variety of leadership and learning camps.
Quotes from judges
Myles Russell-Cook:
I am delighted to be a judge for the upcoming Footscray Art Prize 2021. This is a significant award that recognises the vital role artists play in shaping our lives, which now in 2020 feels more important than ever.
Kirsty Grant:
The Footscray Art Prize attracts entries from artists all over the country who work in diverse ways, providing a snapshot of current creative practice and the ideas and images that speak to contemporary life and experience. 2020 has been an extraordinary year and presented us all with many challenges - I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges in the prize in 2021.