Indigenous Creative Leaders Travel to London with Accelerate Award Program

19th October, 2012

ACCELERATE 2012: Lily Shearer, Rita Pryce, Gina Williams, Nicole Monks (Boeree), Alison Page, Jane Harrison

ACCELERATE is an innovative leadership initiative for talented Indigenous Australians working in the creative industries.Through an intensive, fully funded programme that includes tailored leadership development, mentoring and industry placements in Australia and the UK, it offers outstanding applicants a unique opportunity to develop as leaders.

ACCELERATE came about in response to the lack of representation of Indigenous Australians in positions of influence within the creative sector and mainstream media. It aims to empower its alumni with the recognition, skills and networks to drive their own careers, both internationally and at home.

Six of Australia's most prominent Indigenous arts workers set sail for London last week, following a moving farewell event, held at the Australia Council for the Arts. This year's awardees of the British Council's ACCELERATE programme were announced by British Council Director Nick Marchand. He said, "...it's a great honour to welcome these six incredible individuals to the programme in 2012. They understand what ACCELERATE is capable of achieving - and their own individual plans reflect this opportunity in terms of ambition. It's going to be an extraordinary journey."

This year's awardees and their UK plans are:

• Nicole Monks (Nee Boeree) - a senior interior designer and artist from NSW, who will meet with staff at the studio of leading UK industrial designer Tom Dixon.

• Alison Page - a designer and arts manager from NSW, who will second with CultureLabel and 100%, two progressive UK arts marketing companies.

• Gina Williams - a multi-lingual singer/songwriter from WA, who will visit intercultural, multimedia theatre company Border Crossings and world music company Serious Productions.

• Jane Harrison - an award-winning playwright and essayist from Vic, Jane will second at the National Theatre Scotland and National Theatre Wales.

• Lily Shearer - a practitioner of interdisciplinary arts from NSW, who will spend time with international student-run initiative Room 13 in Fort William, Scotland and at the Eden Project environmental park in Cornwall

• Rita Pryce - the founder and Artistic Director of Baiwa Dance Company from Qld, who will spend time with Greenwich Dance and the English National Ballet School

To see more photographs of the farewell breakfast and finalists, and to read more about ACCELERATE click here.