Dreaming Award winner Corey ‘Nooky’ Webster. Photos supplied.
Young Indigenous artists have just a few days left to nominate for the 2017 Dreaming Award presented by the Australia Council. With a prize of $20,000 the Dreaming Award could be a life-changing experience for an emerging artist enabling them to create a major body while working with leading practitioners in their field.
Nominations for this prestigious prize close on 16 December. There is no fee to enter and artists can nominate themselves by simply completing the Expression of Interest online at www.australiacouncil.gov.au
The Dreaming Award for artists aged 18 to 26 complements the Red Ochre Award which recognises the lifetime achievement of a senior practitioner in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts. Together, the awards aim to put a spotlight on the contribution Indigenous artists make to the artistic vibrancy and cultural life of Australia.
For Corey ‘Nooky’ Webster, winning the last Dreaming Award was ‘an amazing vote of confidence’.
Webster is a lyricist, rapper, composer, and producer from Nowra on the NSW south coast. He is using the prize money to produce his first album release along with two video clips.
The Award winner chooses their own mentors. For Webster, this means working with leading Indigenous hip hop artists Briggs, Trials and Jimblah.
Like many arts practitioners, Webster’s goal is to establish a sustainable career as a financially viable artist and to have the opportunity to contribute to his community.
‘Art is so important for Aboriginal Culture, it’s a way of keeping our traditions alive. Wire MC said it best: ‘hip hop is a modern-day corroboree’. We are a resilient and defiant people. Our language and ceremonies were taken from us but not lost in their entirety. I want my words and music to shine a light on the part of Australia’s history that’s often kept in the shadows. I want to take all the negativity and injustice given to me and mine and use that to fuel my success and bring my people with me every step of the way. It’s bigger than just hip hop for me. I want to be a Pemulwuy, that’s what I’m shooting for,’ said Webster.
Since its inception in 2012, the Dreaming Award has recognised Indigenous artists working across a diverse range of arts practice. The inaugural winner was playwright Nakkiah Lui, whose latest work Kill the Messenger has been widely acclaimed. She has also starred in the series Black Comedy which she co-wrote for the ABC. ‘If there is such a thing as a rock-star playwright, Nakkiah Lui is it,’ said Radio National recently.
Dreaming Awards winner Nakkiah Lui
In 2013, the award went to Rhonda Unrupa Dick, a visual artist from the APY Lands in outback South Australia, who was mentored by Nici Cumpston, Artistic Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Festival at the Art Gallery of South Australia
Tyrone Sheather, the 2014 recipient, is a Gumbaynggirr artist from northern NSW whose work encompasses several art-forms, including photography, film, projection art, paint, textiles and dance.
He used the Award to create an exhibition called GIIDANYBA featuring glowing, interactive humanoid sculptures which symbolise the knowledge keepers of the old world.
Kahl Wallis, lead singer and songwriter for indie band The Medics, used the 2015 Award to record his debut solo album. He is working with family members in Cairns to explore his family heritage, creating an album using traditional language, songs and stories. He is also making an accompanying documentary about his journey exploring his family roots.
Entries for the Dreaming Award are assessed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Strategy Panel of the Australia Council for the Arts. The panel considers all aspects of each entry including the strength of the idea or concept, the inherent artistic merit of the project, the professional development benefits to the artist, and the experience of those involved to ensure they have skills appropriate to the project. As a leading First Nations arts award, there is also a special consideration of the cultural integrity of each project.
Applicants must outline their project in writing including the aims and expected outcomes, the pathway to completion, and their motivation as a young Indigenous artist in undertaking the body of work. The assessors want to see some passion and depth of personal expression, saying ‘Remember to express yourself when telling us about your project – it’s like a Yarn.’
Nominations are encouraged from young practitioners in art-forms including music, dance, theatre, literature, visual arts, new media, and cultural vibrancy.
The deadline for the 2017 Dreaming Award is Friday 16 December. The winner will be notified by 1 February, 2017 and officially presented with the Award at the National Indigenous Arts Awards on 27 May, 2017.
