Creative sparks ignite for young artists

Twelve young artists from across Australia will gain a kick-start to their professional career in the arts, as they begin the 2007 SPARK mentoring program.

SPARK is a national mentorship program that enables young dancers, media artists, theatre makers and visual artists to establish a professional career in the arts.

Over the next ten-months, the young artists aged between 18 - 26 will develop their individual arts practice with the expert guidance of an established Australian arts professional.

SPARK program manager, Leah Shelton said since its inception in 2003, SPARK has supported 35 young artists in a range of professional development opportunities. 

‘Young artists have been exposed to an amazing array of experiences, from travelling overseas to skills development through to presenting new works at festivals such as Next Wave and Artrage,' she said.

This year's SPARK participants are theatre makers: Ashley Dyer (NSW), Ofa Fotu (WA), Ming-Zhu Hii (Vic), Gareth Hudson (NSW), Paul Morrison (NSW) and Wiloh Weiland (VIC); dancers: Aisling Donovan (WA), Alistair Macindoe (VIC) and Amber Haines (VIC); media artists: Yusuke Akai (QLD), Lara Thoms (NSW) and music artist: Luke Haralampou.

SPARK is an initiative of the Young and Emerging Artists fund of the Australia Council for the Arts, and is managed by Youth Arts Queensland (YAQ) and is part of the Australian Government’s Young and Emerging Artists Initiative.

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Carla Viola

Tel 0434 310 211