Mosman Art Gallery and The Balnaves Foundation are proud to announce the launch of The Neil Balnaves Fellowship in honour of the late Neil Balnaves AO; A major initiative providing $80,000 biennially to support the development of a significant piece of research or creative endeavour over a one-year period. Offered in 2025 and again in 2027, each winning project must engage with Mosman's artistic heritage and/or The Balnaves Gift to be selected and will go on to be included in the Mosman Art Gallery program.
Applications open for six weeks from Monday 18 August, with the first Fellowship to be awarded late 2025. The second Fellowship will be awarded in 2027 with application dates to be announced. Open to artists, curators, historians and writers, the Fellowship encourages a range of projects to be submitted including artwork, exhibition, research project or text.
The Neil Balnaves Fellowship offers a unique and critical opportunity for creative practitioners to work closely alongside Mosman Art Gallery. Designed to deepen understanding of Mosman's cultural legacy and contemporary discourse in the visual arts, the Fellowship supports works that are ambitious, thoughtful and resonate with locals.
Mosman Art Gallery Director, Steven Alderton said: "The Neil Balnaves Fellowship is an exciting opportunity to unite artist practitioners with the community of Mosman to celebrate its rich history and heritage.
Neil Balnaves was an extraordinary man, whose ongoing passion and contribution to the arts has greatly benefitted Australians. This Fellowship will continue his legacy, celebrating the suburb he called home for many years."
CEO of The Balnaves Foundation, Hamish Balnaves said: "The Balnaves family and Foundation are proud to support Mosman Art Gallery in this exciting initiative, to showcase the impact of Mosman's artistic culture.
As a long-term resident who greatly admired the area, Neil's personal art collection showcased the natural beauty of Mosman. These works were later donated to the Gallery for the public to enjoy and this Fellowship builds on that gift by connecting it to Mosman's heritage. It's a tribute to my father's passion for visual arts and his contributions to make art accessible to all."
Honouring the legacy of Neil Balnaves AO and his longstanding commitment to Mosman's place in Australian art history, The Neil Balnaves Fellowship continues the fruitful partnership between the Gallery, the Balnaves family and The Balnaves Foundation. Together they have fostered a rich legacy of collections, commissions, research, education and public engagement.
