Arts grants

Flourish: Arts Recovery Grants Program

Merri-bek City Council is committed to strengthening and investing in the creative community of Merri-bek and recognises the challenges the sector is currently facing. These grants aim to help Merri-bek’s arts and culture sector recover and flourish.

Objectives:
  • To support local artists and arts organisations to recover and flourish.
  • To strengthen the capacity of local artists and arts organisations.
  • To support local artists and arts organisations to navigate new models of engagement.
  • To build connection and engagement through community led arts and cultural activities.
  • To support and encourage more people to be involved with arts and culture in Merri-bek.
Grant Categories:
  • Individual Artists (up to $5,000)
  • Arts Organisations (up to $10,000)

Open: Wednesday 17 August, 2022

Close: Wednesday 28 September, 2022

Information Session: Wednesday 31 August, 2022, 1.30 pm 

Register for the online information session here

For more information and to read the full guidelines 

Flourish: Arts Recovery Grants Program 2022 - 2023 Guidelines (DOC)

Flourish: Arts Recovery Grants Program 2022 - 2023 Guidlines (PDF)

To apply for the Flourish: Arts Recovery Grants Program click here

The full recipient list for previous rounds of this program are below.

  • The 2021 Flourish recipients are:

    • 7th Floor: 7th Floor 2022 Program
    • Alison Adriano: Ali Adriano - EP Project
    • Barry Solomon: Camping with Mrs Barb Wire
    • Belinda Locke: Disability Pride Month
    • Bonita Carzino: Purchasing Camera Equipment for Cinematography
    • Chelsea Hickman: Lockdown Response: Digital Adaptation Project
    • Commoners Press: 10 Press
    • Ell Sachs: We Too Us Too Me Too Too Too - Rehearsal Period
    • Gamaka Incorporated: Gamaka presents REVIVAL
    • Georgie Darvidis: Georgina Darvidis - Music Video
    • Jemma Cotter: The Fling - Short Film
    • Josh Glanc: Josh Glanc - Vroom Vroom
    • June Lamb: Writing, recording, production, mixing, and mastering of June Jones EP
    • Jungle City projects: Movement Maps
    • Lemony S Puppet Theatre: Lemony S Puppet Theatre Lab
    • Margaret Mayhew: Queers Draw BEEF: Dancing, drawing, and colouring in for LGBTIQA+ people in Merri-bek
    • Moreland City Band: Getting Better
    • New North: New North 2022 Program: Elevating Exploratory Music with Concerts, New Works & Audience Development
    • Norm Warehouse: Norm Warehouse Survival Reboot
    • ON3 Studio: ON3 Artist Development Workshops
    • Outer Urban Projects Ltd: TRANSMISSION
    • Pink Ember Studio: Pink Ember Workshops & Open studio days
    • Prue Stent: Still Almost Blue
    • Roosevelt Street Studios: Surviving COVID-19 hardship
    • Schoolhouse Studios: Schoolhouse Studios Rent Relief
    • Seat at the Table: Race on the Table Vodcast Series
    • Sofie Dieu: Hyper Sensorial Art
    • Vardos ANTFARM: an Anthropomorphosis
    • Zoë Bastin: Waves Are Disturbances

  • The 2020 Flourish recipients were:

    • Alana Holmberg: 'Porch Diaries' (Exhibition)
    • Blakademy - Blak Dot Gallery: 'Around the Fire' (Blakademy Public Program 2020-2021)
    • Bunk Puppets: 'Organisational Funding' - Company diversification and core planning
    • Dylan Martorell: 'Sonaflora Field Guide' (Interactive Experience)
    • Eddie Botha Creations: Fawkner Bowls Club Community Mural
    • Fleur Murphy: Research and development of a new play script, 'The Fence'
    • GalleryGalleryInc: 'Inside Out Projection Window' (Exhibition)
    • Jade Imagine: Recoding of their second album
    • James Ruse: Untitled short film project
    • Jazzlab: Jazzlab Digital Corona Sessions (Pilot program)
    • Joel Ma: Development of 'Joelistics Presents Film School' into a live performance and short film
    • June Lamb: Creation of Video clip for 'Home', the 3rd single off June Jones' upcoming album release
    • Kate Lefoe: Development of an online LGBTIQ community for 'Wicked Women' web series
    • Lemony S Puppet Theatre: Open design process and puppetry workshops
    • Melbourne Minute: Melbourne lo-fi hip hop radio
    • Melbourne Sound School: Sound School - 'Watch and Learn' Program
    • Merlo Art Collective: 'People on the Streets' (Exhibition)
    • Milk Records Pty Ltd: Organisational Funding - Supporting Merri-bek based recording artists at Milk Records
    • Nicola Castle: 'The Alt-Right Addiction' (Film)
    • NOIR Darkroom: Organisational Funding - Supporting Exhibiting Merri-bek Artists at NOIR
    • Norm Warehouse: Organisational Funding - Supporting Merri-bek Artists at NORM Warehouse
    • Pink Ember Studio: Pink Ember Workshops Series
    • Riot Stage: 'Everyone Is Famous' (short film)
    • Roosevelt Street Studios Inc: Organisational Funding - Supporting Merri-bek Artists at Roosevelt Street Studios
    • Simon Aubor: 'Moreland: 23/03/2020 to xx/xx/xxxx' (Photographic project)
    • Stephanie Lake Company: Creation of new work, 'Manifesto' (Dance)
    • TCB Art Inc: 'Mulana - First Nations Residency Programme'
    • The Listies: 'SMELLOVISION!' Filmclips for forthcoming comedy album for children
    • The Wandering Room: 2021 Solo Exhibition Program
    • Varuni Kanagasundaram: 'Messages That Link Us' (Kolam Ritual Drawing)

Making Space Program

The recipients of the 2022 Making Space program have been announced.

'Making Space' offers a residency at one of our partner venues. These venues include Blak Dot Gallery, BRUDI (Brunswick Design and Innovation Centre), Brunswick Library, Brunswick Town Hall (Seat at the Table), Coburg Library, Siteworks and Schoolhouse Studios.

Each residency includes the use of a space for 1 to 5 months duration and a small stipend for the resident of $1,000 to support the development of a creative project or idea.

Making Space is proudly delivered by Merri-bek City Council along with Creative Victoria, RMIT and the Brunswick Design District (BBD). You can find out more about these organisations at:

Program objectives

The objectives of the 'Making Space' residency program is to:

  • support a diverse range of creative individuals and collectives
  • support and connect a network of creative venues
  • develop multi-sector partnerships focused on strengthening two of Victoria’s key creative neighbourhoods, Brunswick and Coburg
    • Eugene Shenton (Visual Arts - Painting) - Blakademy
    • Sharn Geary (Jewellery) - Blakademy
    • Lily Fish (Exhibition of cancelled shows) - BRUDI
    • Lucy Beattie Hughes (Wallpaper) - BRUDI
    • Olivia Floate (Ceramics) - BRUDI
    • Angela Costi (Writing - Poetry) - Brunswick Library
    • Stephanie Dix (Writing for young people) - Brunswick Library
    • Sharni Louise Hodge (Writing- magazine) - Seat at the Table
    • Angeline Armstrong (Writing - Screenplay) - Brunswick Town Hall
    • Anne Moffat (Visual Arts) - Brunswick Town Hall
      Isobel D'Cruz Barnes (Music - Research) - Brunswick Town Hall
    • Jess Dandelion Mitchell (Immersive Installation) - Coburg Library
    • Vivian Qiu (Jewellery) - Coburg Library
    • Eileen Braybrook (Textiles) - Schoolhouse
    • Emma Riches (Live Performance - Dance) - Schoolhouse
    • Evie (Evangeline) Clark (Visual Arts - Painting) - Schoolhouse
    • Georgia Ruby Polichroniadis (Social engagement project) - Schoolhouse
    • Michelle Dong (Textiles - Living Garment) - Schoolhouse
      Veisinia Tonga (Writing) - Schoolhouse
    • Amy Evans (Public Artwork) - Siteworks
    • Belle Hansen (Live Performance) - Siteworks
    • Betty Musgrove (Textiles) - Siteworks
    • Chantelle Mitchell (Writing) - Siteworks
    • Clare Rankine (Writing) - Siteworks
    • Deb K Williams (Ceramics) - Siteworks
    • Elena Gonzalez (Visual Arts) - Siteworks
    • Emerald MacGill (Visual Arts) - Siteworks
    • Emilie Walsh (Workshop series) - Siteworks
    • Emily Simek (Visual Arts) - Siteworks
    • Emma Hall (Writing - Novel) - Siteworks
    • Eric Butler (Writing - Poetry) - Siteworks
    • Faith Hunter (Writing - Nonfiction) - Siteworks
    • Fiz Eustance (Visual Arts) - Siteworks
    • Harry Dowling (Live Performance) - Siteworks
    • Hugo Williams (Live Performance) - Siteworks
    • Janine Barrand (Research) - Siteworks
    • Jessie DiBlasi (Visual Arts - Photography) - Siteworks
    • Kasey Gambling (Audiovisual - guided walk) - Siteworks
    • Kelly Yoon (Mapping Merri-bek) - Siteworks
    • Kitty Owens (Writing - Historical) - Siteworks
    • Melanie Read (Textiles - Sustainable) - Siteworks
    • MJ Flamiano (Community Workshops) - Siteworks
    • Sandra Tobias (Architecture) - Siteworks
    • Stephanie Rose Wood (Workshop - Photography) - Siteworks
    • Sunanda Sachatrakul (Performance) - Siteworks
    • Tamara Leacock (Textiles) - Siteworks
    • Valentina Palonen (Ceramics) - Siteworks