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Love UTP Fundraiser 2020 - A message from the Artistic Director, Dr Jessica Olivieri
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Wow. Hello.
So, 2020 is like no other year we’ve ever experienced. In response to this UTP is excited to announce a range of projects, including a brand-new initiative, that will support artists at this critical time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated our industry and the livelihoods of independent artists who are the life-blood of the sector. They are largely ineligible for the JobKeeper scheme and have been disproportionately impacted by the lockdowns, with the vast majority unable to pursue paid work.
In the last month, we’ve been busy working away to re-imagine our artistic program for the remainder of this year, to ensure we can continue to deliver for our community of artists and loyal audiences. While 2020 looks different now, UTP remains just as ambitious and we’d love you to support our efforts to provide more opportunities for artists and audiences via our fundraising campaign.
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We have worked collectively with artists to design a way forward and we’re pleased to unveil the plans…
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Nancy Denis’ first solo work M’ap Boule was to premiere as part of our site-based festival RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. (RHRN) in Blacktown throughout September. It will now be realised as an ambitious, live-streamed digital work that speaks directly to the global Pan-African diaspora. Read more here.
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Similarly, Sex Drugs & Pork Rolls another project planned for RHRN with our partners at Sweatshop will also transition to a screen-based outcome. We’re excited to announce S. Shakthidharan (from CuriousWorks /Counting and Cracking fame) has joined as the Director of this work. More here.
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A new program that will deliver a total of $33,000 directly to 11 artists. These artists will undertake 2-week supported digital residencies to create an archive of 2020/21 through online work. The title references the dystopian surrealist state we currently live in, while invoking a hopeful way forward into the future. More here.
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Across the three projects above, we have the pleasure of working with over 30 artists including Nancy Denis, Dr. Michael Mohammed Ahmad, S. Shakthidharan, Peter Polites, Latai Taumoepeau, Brian Fuata, Evelyn Araluen Corr, James Nguyen, Linda Brescia, Enoch Mailangi, Mish Grigor, Riana Head-Toussaint, Justine Youssef, Claudia Nicholson and many more.
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Some planned projects for 2020 will be moved to next year including Bilingual Screen, Blak Box Kids and The Nightline. You can read about The Quiet Discomfort and other works that remain in development this year here.
If you value diversity in Australia’s creative life, please consider making a tax deductible donation to UTP before June 30 so we can continue to make work that responds to the urgencies of our time. Our 2020 program supports diverse artists to shape the cultural conversation right now, when it’s most needed.
Along with this exciting new program, we also ask for your support as we recently lost our multi-year federal funding.
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Should you have capacity at this time here’s how you can help:
$50 = Ticket price to our cancelled festival Right Here. Right Now. You will now be able to enjoy M’ap Boule and Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls online
$200 = Materials budget provided to our Dream Sequence Artists
$1500 = Weekly wage paid to our Lead Artists
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We thank all of the artists involved in our new look 2020 program and those we’ll now work with in 2021 for their continued love and enthusiasm.
Thanks for your support!
Love UTP x
Jess, Bron, Adam, Frank, Sid and Veronica
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