Since 2011, the Sidney Myer Fund has awarded the outstanding talent and professional courage of artists and cultural leaders from across the entire spectrum of the visual, performing, interdisciplinary, new media and literary arts, and the humanities who are working within seven to fifteen years of their creative practice through the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship.
The 2022 Sidney Myer Creative Fellows are:
Dr Alethea Beetson, cultural leadership (QLD); Ghenoa Gela, storytelling, dance, and theatre (QLD); Nam Le, literature (VIC); Fred Leone, traditional and contemporary music, dance, song lines, and animation (VIC); Eugenia Lim, visual arts (VIC); Vincent Namatjira, visual arts, (SA); Rachel Arianne Ogle, dance, (WA); Carly Sheppard, performance, dance, and theatre (VIC); Mindy Meng Wang, music (VIC).

Fred Leone, Sidney Myer Creative Fellow. Photograph: Mark Crannitch
The Fellowships reward the extraordinary contributions artists and cultural leaders make to strengthening, enlivening, and shaping community with support that allows them to engage in opportunities to further explore their ideas, bring new projects to fruition, and develop their creative and professional practices.
“More than ever, we need artists to tell our stories. This year, we have selected artists and cultural leaders who are at the forefront of storytelling across many different artforms. They share their many different narratives, posing questions and asking us to see ourselves and our country anew. I am proud that we have been able to support these artists,” says Andrew Myer AM, Chair of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship Selection Panel.
Exploring the politics of history, power, and leadership in Australia through his painting practice, Namatjira from Indulkana on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia says, “It’s a huge honour for me to receive the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. As an Indigenous artist, I strongly believe that living in a remote Aboriginal community should not be a barrier to anybody’s artistic and professional development. The Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship offers me an incredible opportunity to continue to develop my artistic practice. I’m not afraid to try new things, and this fellowship will allow me to continue to push myself and expand my practice into new and exciting directions.” Read more about the 2022 Sidney Myer Creative Fellows online.