Media Release

James Rogers (NSW), Marcus Tatton (TAS) and Alessandra Rossi (WA) are the recipients of the prestigious Helen Lempriere Scholarships for 2011.

Perpetual, in conjunction with Sculpture by the Sea are delighted to award each of the three Australian sculptors with a scholarship of $30,000 to further their artistic development.

The scholarships are awarded as part of the Helen Lempriere Bequest, a charitable trust managed by Perpetual, with the purpose of providing scholarships for the applied arts and crafts. The bequest was designed to advance individual artists‟ careers by enabling them to travel and study.

Andrew Thomas, Perpetual General Manager Philanthropy said, “As trustee of the Helen Lempriere Bequest, Perpetual is pleased to play an important role in ensuring Helen Lempriere‟s legacy supports Australian artists, and we‟re delighted that it will provide $30,000 each to these three deserving sculptors. Their artistic development is a fitting legacy for Helen Lempriere, herself an accomplished artist and sculptor.”

The three recipients are each at varying stages of their careers, and will all use their scholarship funds in different ways to advance their artist development.

James Rogers (NSW) is a senior sculptor who has exhibited in over 80 solo and group exhibitions since the start of his career over 30 years ago. James taught Sculpture at the National Art School for over twenty years and has completed numerous commissions throughout New South Wales, particularly in his home town of Walcha. James has been a frequent exhibitor at Sculpture by the Sea since its very first year in 1997 and this year will become a member of the Decade Club for artists who have exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi at least ten times.

James is represented by Watters Gallery, where he will show a solo exhibition of new sculpture in September this year. He intends to use his scholarship to make essential updates to his studio, establish a website and travel overseas to tour sculpture parks in Europe, including England, Denmark and Holland.

Marcus Tatton (TAS) is a mid-career sculptor who lives in Tasmania. He has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions for over 15 years and has completed a number of public and private commissions across Australia. Marcus is a sculptor who works in public spaces who draws inspiration from the Tasmanian landscape.

Marcus has exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea at both Bondi and Cottesloe and his work will be exhibited next month in Denmark during Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus 2011 which opens on 2 June, 2011. Marcus currently works out of a rented studio over 15km from his home in Allens Rivulet, and plans to use the Helen Lempriere Scholarship to develop his own at-home studio. He will use the remainder of the funds to develop his website and travel to Europe to visit major museums and sculpture parks, including the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

Alessandra Rossi (WA) is an emerging sculptor based in Fremantle, Western Australia where until 2010 she had mainly worked as a painter, including 5 solo exhibitions and over 35 group exhibitions. Alessandra recently turned her attention to sculpture exhibiting a major outdoor piece for the first time at Bondi in 2010. She intends to use the Helen Lempriere Scholarship funds to take up a one-month residency at the School of Visual Arts in New York to study „Reconfiguring Site: New Approaches to Public Art and Architecture‟. She will also travel to Europe to explore sculpture including attending documenta XIII in Kassel, Germany, a major exhibition of modern and contemporary art which is staged every 5 years.

All artists who applied to exhibit at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2011 were considered for the scholarships, with the recipients chosen by Dr. Michael Hill, Coordinator of Art History and Theory at the National Art School, from a short list prepared by the curatorial panel for the 2011 Bondi exhibition which includes Dr. Hill; Jenefer Duncan, Curator of Australian Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Western Australia; Geoffrey Edwards, Director of the Geelong Gallery and former Senior Curator of Sculpture at the National Gallery of Victoria; and David Handley, Founding Director of Sculpture by the Sea.

"James Rogers and Marcus Tatton have dedicated their lives to sculpture and are highly regarded for their intelligent and formally satisfying work,” said Dr Michael Hill. “Marcus' ambitious constructions in split wood have resulted in some of the major sculptural moments to have occurred in Australia over the last few years. James Rogers is a well-known leader in the field of metal construction (and abstract painting as well), and has achieved among the more lyrical bodies of work in the history of Australian. In contrast, Alessandra Rossi, who is relatively new to sculpture, uses a wide range of media and has a natural talent for being playful and serious at the same time."

“The three scholarship recipients, each at different stages of their careers, were delighted by the news and quickly knew how they would like to use the scholarship funds. Thanks to the Helen Lempriere Bequest 6 sculptors in two years have benefited from the $30,000 scholarships to significantly advance their careers and it is wonderful to help facilitate this,” said David Handley, Founding Director of Sculpture by the Sea.

All three Helen Lempriere Scholarship recipients will exhibit in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2011, the world's largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, from October 27-November 13. Transforming Sydney‟s Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk each spring, the exhibition is enjoyed by over 500,000 visitors during its three week run.
 

Images Left to Right: Marcus Tatton, environment, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2011. Photo Viviane Dalles | James Rogers, big bather, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2010. Photo Matthew Stanton | Alessandra Rossi, fisherman tears, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2011. Photo Karen Castle.

 

Background to the Helen Lempriere Bequest
The bequest was created through the will of the Late Keith Wood, husband of the late Australian artist, Helen Lempriere. The bequest began in 1996. Perpetual was appointed as, and continues to be, the sole trustee of the bequest. The terms of the bequest include managing the trust in perpetuity, and distributing net income in perpetuity via the provision of scholarships for students of applied arts and crafts.

The bequest is a fitting legacy for Helen Lempriere and her belief in supporting Australian artists. As a charitable trust operating in perpetuity, the bequest is able to do this through annual scholarships funded by income it receives from its endowment with Perpetual.

The bequest has a standing arrangement with the NSW Ministry of the Arts (ArtsNSW) to contribute $25,000 pa to the $60,000 Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship, a competitive scholarship managed by ArtsNSW. The competition and the annual prize-giving ceremony take place each August at Artspace in Sydney.

Up until 2008 the bequest also supported the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Awards at Werribee Park. In December 2009 Perpetual identified Sculpture by the Sea Inc. as the most appropriate partner to help Perpetual with the selection and administration of the Helen Lempriere Scholarships, three $30,000 scholarships for Australian sculptors.

About Perpetual Philanthropy
Perpetual is one of the largest managers of private charitable foundations in Australia. Perpetual is trustee to more than 450 charitable trusts which support cultural, medical, social, environmental, religious and educational causes.


For further information, please contact:

Zannah Marchand
National Publicity Manager – Sculpture by the Sea
NIXCO
Tel: 02 9211 6650
Email: zannah@nixco.com.au

Claire Crethar
Marketing Coordinator – Philanthropy
Perpetual
Tel: 02 9229 3450
Email: claire.crethar@perpetual.com.au