culture

Investment in First Nations literature and fashion to expand markets and showcase depth and diversity of talent

Phoebe Blogg Published November 5, 2024 at 2.00pm (AWST)

Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation. (Image: supplied)

Creative Australia has announced the latest recipients of the Flourish and Elevate investment programs, supporting First Nations creators across literature, storytelling, fashion and textiles.

It has also been announced that an investment of $500,000 through Flourish will support First Nations designers and organisations in the fashion and textiles sector.

2024 will see the program support 12 recipients, including Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, a collective of Yindjibarndi artists, as they work towards the launch of the Juluwarlu Fashion Label.

A further $120,000 investment through Elevate will support 12 First Nations storytellers, including writers, poets and illustrators. The latest investment will support emerging and established voices working across diverse genres from romantic comedy and memoir to young adult fiction.

*Franchesca Cubillo. (Image: Lisa Mattiazzi, NGA)*

First Nations Arts and Culture executive director Franchesca Cubillo said investments and support such as these will encourage the continued success of First Nations creatives.

"This crucial investment will encourage and support the continued success of First Nations excellence across an array of art forms and genres. Through Flourish, we are excited to support innovative opportunities for individuals and small business, with a strong focus on cultural and economic sustainability, business development and ethical engagement modelling in the fashion industry," she said.

"The investment through Elevate will support our storytellers; as writers, poets and illustrators bring their stories to life and provide opportunities for new audiences to have access to Australia's First Nation ways of seeing and being.

"These initiatives expand the reach of First Nations creatives and showcase the profound depth and diversity of First Nations artistry to broader communities and markets, and hence enrich us as a nation."

Skye Cusack, one of the Elevate recipients, says the project will enable her to undertake research and development, with the aim of becoming a published romantic comedy author.

"I will be mentored by the amazing Melanie Saward, the second Aboriginal author to traditionally publish a romcom in Australia. I would like to be the third (or as close to it)," she said.

"I am also so grateful to the Elevate fund for the personal impact this project will have. I will be travelling to Yungaburra to visit my mob's Country for the first time [and] work with my grandfather Uncle."

With Creative Australia having recently announced a range of new initiatives to support First Nations art and the creative sector, Indigenous creatives are being encouraged to step forward and apply for a spot in these programs.

Recipients:

Elevate – First Nations Storytelling and Literature

Tahnee Carter (Western Australia)

Vivienne Cleven (New South Wales)

Skye Cusack (Victoria)

Kirrilly Dawn (New South Wales)

Bernadette Duncan (New South Wales)

Charlie King (Northern Territory)

Lay Maloney (New South Wales)

Bebe Oliver (Victoria)

Lystra Rose (Queensland)

Desirai Saunders (Queensland)