The Graham Smith Peace Trust announced the recipient of its major grant for 2011 of $10,000 at its annual fund raising dinner held at the Italian Club, Carrington Street on Saturday 25 June 2011.
There was a very competitive field of 15 applications submitted, with several projects shortlisted. The winning project is Knowing Home by No Strings Attached, (NSA) Theatre of Disability, towards the creative development of a theatre piece about the place and meaning of ‘home’ in the lives of 16 adult, disabled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) performers.
Peace Trust Funds will support ATSI artists to collaborate with this project, which also involves a partnership with Kura Yerlo & Tandanya. The selection committee was impressed by NSA’s commitment to social justice – Knowing Home will be based on the lives of those most marginalised and disadvantaged – disabled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
This project has a well-considered process and plans to develop an education component. NSA is also highly regarded for the artistic quality and integrity of its work. NSA was previously awarded the inaugural Fringe Peace award in 2011. This was not considered in the process and while also not part of the criteria this project does fit with the Peace Trust’s Reconciliation Action Plan. Overall NSA has demonstrated in the past that it produces high quality work and involves members of the community that are often forgotten by the mainstream. The Peace Trust is proud to use its funds to promote the production of work that meets its objectives of peace, justice and care for the environment through the arts.
Over a 22 year period The Trust has been supporting arts projects that can demonstrate aims compatible with the Peace Trust’s vision of ‘Working for Peace through the Arts’.The Trust has used its funds in the past to support such diverse projects as the plays Skip Miller’s Hit Songs by Brink Productions and Rockin’ the Boat by Vital Statistics and commissioned the Kaurna Reconciliation Sculptures at the front of The Festival Theatre and numerous other projects. In the 2011 Adelaide Fringe, The Peace Trust awarded a prize of $2,000 to Trapped a production by No Strings Attached Theatre of the Disability.
For further information contact John Hewson 0408 174 008
