Five young artists in the MIA have been awarded a huge boost thanks to a statewide mentoring program partnering them up with experienced artists and creatives to learn the ropes.
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The Horizons Creative Industries Career Launchpad project has selected five promising young creative people from the area to provide a helping hand, linking them up with mentors in their field.
The statewide program pairs up around 70 young artists in regional NSW with 14 mentors who have experience in their particular interests and navigating the difficulties of pursuing art in the regions.
In Griffith and the MIA, the five young people who'll be stepping up to the challenge include Ella Burns, PJ Lale, Hannah Mitchell, Jet Smith and Aduny Takele.
- Ella Burns, Film and Television
- PJ Lale, Design
- Hannah Mitchell, Performing Arts
- Jet Smith, Software and Creative Technology
- Aduny Takele, Music and Sound Recording
Western Riverina Arts executive director Aanya Whitehead said she was excited to help young regional artists take that next step into their careers.
"They are already deeply involved in their artistic fields and the creative community around them," she said.
"This is a chance to extend that practice out, meet new people and explore new ideas, without having to leave their whole world behind - which is so often the only option for young regional artists".
Mr Takele, better known as A.D, is a rising musician and was looking forward to learning more about the industry from an insider.
"I'm happy that I got picked, I'm excited to see what's going to happen," he said.
"I've been doing this music thing a while, just hoping for guidance on where I might possibly go and how much further I can take it."
Mr Takele said it was good to see initiatives like the Horizons program giving regional artists opportunities that they might not otherwise have access to.
"It's a good thing for local artists, not just within music. Anyone that is trying to reach for things that don't normally get a lot of light on them ... it's good to see that opportunities like this are starting to arise for rural towns."
Western Riverina Arts Communications Officer Gemma Purcell agreed, saying that networking was often one of the hardest parts about starting a creative career regionally.
"Having those points of contact and networks is one of those things that's a really big challenge."
Cai Holroyd
Journalist for the Area News in Griffith. RMIT graduate. Full-time writer and part-time nuisance. Been described as 'present.'
Journalist for the Area News in Griffith. RMIT graduate. Full-time writer and part-time nuisance. Been described as 'present.'
