28 November 2013

Australia Council joins John Monash scholarship program Fernando do Campo and Kathryn Roberts have been named as the first recipients of the new Australian Cultural John Monash Scholarships.

The cultural scholarships are an exciting addition to the prestigious General Sir John Monash Foundation Scholarship program, supported by the Australia Council and Tim Fairfax AM. The announcement was made on Tuesday night at the Sydney Opera House.

Australia Council Chair Rupert Myer AM said he was pleased the Council was able to support an initiative which enables outstanding scholars to pursue international postgraduate studies in an area related to arts and culture.

“This type of scholarship is important in building the capacity of our next generation of leaders, whose original thinking and global perspective will push the boundaries of Australia’s cultural ambitions.

General Sir John Monash Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Peter Binks thanked the Australia Council and philanthropist Tim Fairfax AM for their support.

“This is a special initiative and recognises the importance of the humanities to Australia,” Dr Binks said.

“We received many high quality applications in the humanities in 2013 and our panels were impressed by the calibre of the field.

“Fernando and Kathryn are outstanding new John Monash Scholars and will play important leadership roles for Australia in the future.”

Fernando do Campo is from Tasmania and will use his scholarship to undertake a Masters of Fine Arts at Parsons New School, New York.

Kathryn Roberts is from NSW and will do a Masters in Shakespeare Studies at Kings College, London.

Since 2003 the General Sir John Monash Foundation has offered a range of scholarships in various disciplines in its postgraduate program.

The scholarships provide postgraduate students with $50,000 a year for up to three years to complete their Masters or Doctoral degrees at the world’s elite universities.

Scholars are chosen on their leadership skills, academic excellence and their commitment to the Australian community.

The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body

ABOUT FERNANDO DO CAMPO

Fernando do Campo (b. Mar del Plata, Argentina, 1987) is an artist, writer and curator based in Tasmania.

Fernando is a graduate of both the University of Tasmania and the Australian National University, Canberra.

From 2009-2013 he was the Director of Sawtooth ARI.

Fernando has been the recipient of numerous awards, including in 2012; a studio residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, an Arts Tasmania grant, an Artstart grant and Jump Mentorship (with Paul O’Neill, UK) both from the Australia Council for the Arts.

He was named Young Tasmanian of the Year (Arts) earlier this year.

During 2012 he presented solo exhibitions at Firstdraft ARI, Sydney, Devonport Regional Gallery, Tasmania and tcb Art Inc. Melbourne.

In early 2013 he presented Nuclei, a collective project at FELTspace, Adelaide and at MoMa (MONA Markets, Hobart) and mounted a major solo exhibition titled Onomatopoeia at the Academy Gallery, University of Tasmania.

Fernando was the Team Leader during the vernisagge of the Australian Pavilion’s presentation at this year’s 55th Venice Biennale and has just completed a three-month studio residency at Schloss Laudon, Vienna through BMUKK, the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

Fernando is represented by Mclemoi Gallery, Sydney.

ABOUT KATHRYN ROBERTS

Kathryn Roberts is a professional musician and performance researcher working on developing interpretive processes around language, music and performance in theatre, particularly in relation to Shakespeare’s works.

With the support of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, as well as Australia Council for the Arts and Tim Fairfax AM, Kathryn will be undertaking a Masters in Shakespeare Studies at Kings College London, which is run in partnership with Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.

This will provide her with a unique opportunity to work with world-leading practitioners.

Kathryn is always seeking to discover ways in which music can be used as a bridge across historical and cultural divides to create theatre, which is accessible and engaging for all kinds of audiences.

She has worked as a dramaturg and musician with ABC Radio National, as well as companies such as the Globe and Rose Theatres in the UK as a researcher.

Aside from her work on Shakespeare, Kathryn is co-pioneering a new theatre company based in Sydney, Matriark Art Theatre, producing new visual/physical works.

Kathryn completed a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours at the University of Sydney in 2012 and a Bachelor of Music Studies at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2011.

Media contact Karen Smith 02 9215 9030 | 0498 123 541 k.smith@australiacouncil.gov.au

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