Wesfarmers Ltd and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival have won the top prize for a business arts partnership at the national Australia Business Arts Foundation Awards, held in Sydney last night.
Wesfarmers Ltd and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival have won the top prize for a business arts partnership at the national Australia Business Arts Foundation Awards, held in Sydney last night.
The pair also won the Marsh partnering award for their four-year collaboration, which has helped to produce newly commissioned works from the West Australian Ballet, West Australian Opera, Black Swan Theatre and West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Three other WA partnerships also won national awards - Rio Tinto and the Shire of Roebourne; CBH Group and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra; and Alcoa of Australia and the Western Australian Museum.
A statement from AbaF is posted below:
Business and cultural organisations from Western Australia have dominated the national Australia Business Arts Foundation Awards announced in Sydney on Thursday 25 October.
Wesfarmers and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival won the top honour, the AbaF Partnership of the Year Award. The support of Wesfarmers has enabled the UWA Perth International Arts Festival to commission four major new Australian productions by the West Australian Ballet, West Australian Opera, Black Swan Theatre and West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
The chairman of AbaF, Terry Campbell said: "The partnership has created the first multi-artform commissioning venture of its kind in Australia. It is a major investment in the future of Australian repertoire, which is particularly noteworthy because there is a large element of risk in any new production."
In addition to their top award, Wesfarmers and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival won the Marsh Partnering Award.
Three other national awards were won by Western Australians.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore and the Shire of Roebourne won the QantasLink Regional Award for the Cossack Art Award. It is Australia's richest regional art competition, with total prize money of $65,000, supported for 15 years by Rio Tinto Iron Ore.
The CBH Group and West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) won the City of Sydney Encouragement Award. The CBH Group, a grain storage and marketing company, partnered WASO's Education Chamber Orchestra (EChO) to take music to country towns across the Grainbelt in 2006 and 2007, providing musical education experiences to 6,500 students overall. The CBH Group had never previously partnered an arts organisation.
Alcoa of Australia and Western Australian Museum won the Bytecraft Entertainment Commitment Award for a 12-year partnership to deliver Frog Watch, a program reporting on the health of frog populations in Western Australia.
"This is a fitting recognition of the considerable contribution that the business and cultural sectors make towards the cultural development of this State," said Henry Boston, State Manager AbaF WA.
The AbaF awards is an annual event that honours the best private sector relationships with the arts.
The Winners include:
AbaF Partnership of the Year Award: Wesfarmers Ltd and UWA Perth International Arts Festival
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award: Greg Mackie OAM
Richard Pratt Business Leadership Award: James Strong AO
Goldman Sachs JBWere Philanthropy Leadership Award: The Belgiorno-Nettis family
Marsh Partnering Award: Wesfarmers Ltd and UWA Perth International Arts Festival
The Wesfarmers Commission Series is a four-year partnership between Wesfarmers Arts and the UWA Perth International Arts Festival. Under the Festival banner, West Australian Ballet, West Australian Opera, Black Swan Theatre and West Australian Symphony Orchestra have each commissioned one major new Australian production with leading national and international figures in dance, opera, theatre and orchestral music. The partnership is the first multi-artform commissioning venture of its kind in Australia.
City of Sydney Encouragement Award: The CBH Group and West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The Western Australian-based CBH Group, a grain storage and marketing company, has partnered the West Australian Symphony Orchestra to take music to rural Western Australia. WASO's Education Chamber Orchestra (EChO) toured country towns across the Wheatbelt in 2006 and 2007, providing musical education experiences to 6,500 students overall. The CBH Group had never partnered an arts organisation before.
Australia Council Arts for Young People Award: BHP Billiton and South Australian Youth Arts Board
South Australian children and young people are the focus of this four-year, $1 million partnership between resources company BHP Billiton and the South Australian Youth Arts Board. The partnership builds on and expands existing programs to deliver a comprehensive suite of arts experiences for children across SA. Together these programs will enrich the lives of thousands of young people across South Australia.
Bytecraft Entertainment Commitment Award: Alcoa of Australia and Western Australian Museum
For 12 years Alcoa and Western Australian Museum have partnered to deliver Alcoa Frog Watch, a program reporting on the health of frog populations in Western Australia. The program is based on scientific research, public education, conservation and community. Outcomes include live specimen displays, educational resources, CDs, scientific expeditions and community activities.
QantasLink Regional Award: Rio Tinto Iron Ore and the Shire of Roebourne
Australia's richest regional art competition the Cossack Art Award, with total prize money of $65,000, has been supported for 15 years by a partnership between the Shire of Roebourne and Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO). The award attracts more than 300 entries from artists around Australia, including many from the Pilbara region, and allows regional artists to exhibit in a nationally-recognised public forum.
Toyota Community Award: MBF and Sydney Symphony
Health insurer MBF partners the Sydney Symphony's program of hospital visits, known as the music4health program. SSO musicians perform in hospitals, including the interactive experience of a 'toy symphony' involving the audience (patients). The musicians work with music therapists to strengthen the health benefits of the program.
KPMG adviceBank Award: Theodora Le Souquet and Queensland Writers Centre
Theodora Le Souquet assisted the QWC with a market strategy to successfully take its annual publication, The Australian Writers Marketplace, online. Theodora used her marketing and publicity expertise to create a business plan enabling the Centre to successfully launch the new website. Theodora has now joined the QWC's management committee and will have ongoing involvement.
AbaF Giving Award: Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
The MCA Bella Dinner is the MCA's annual fundraising project. The Dinner raises funds for the Bella Project, which has provided art education experiences for over 4000 young people with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Dinner also supports the Primavera, an exhibition for young artists; and the Ambassadors individual giving program.
National Australia Bank SME Award: Port Adelaide Football Club and Australian Festival for Young People
In 2006 Port Adelaide Football Club joined forces with the Australian Festival for Young People (Come Out 2007) urging people to "Come out to the Power". The partnership involved substantial cash sponsorship, a competition to design a guernsey for the team, and the 'Come out to the Power footy day'. The football club has been able to reach 160,000 children for its Planet Teal campaign, aimed at young footy fans.
