Escape from Cloud 9 - Sydney exhibition

Jen Lyons-Reid Australia Council CACD Fellowship - exploring narratives and digital workflows

Jen collaborated with Francesca Da Rimini and Carl Kuddell on this cartoon work, as a contribution to the Affliated Text's exhibition 'Selfie: Image Narrative Opiate', curated by Bronia Iwanczak and Lynne Barwick.

Together we developed the concept and text work, and Jennifer produced the graphic art and lettering.

The Selfie exhibition took place between Sep 9th 2015 and Oct 16th 2015, at Cross Art Books, at 33 Rosluyn Street, Kings Cross, Sydney.

Australia Council Fellowship

2-year Australia Council Fellowship for Jen Lyons-Reid 2015 February - SA

Interrogate stories, values and best practice in CACD to identify new narrative and media strategies:

Informed, egalitarian societies rely on individual critical literacy – our ability to understand and meaningfully engage in the ethical, aesthetic and political stories that shape our collective lives. Valuing and exchanging stories is at the heart of CACD practice and I am interested in how we collectively script powerful stories for social change within a rapidly changing media landscape.

 This Fellowship will enable me to interrogate critical literacy strategies across the CACD sector. I will explore the values behind the thinking that drives our sector, via a robust collaborative and creative peer-exchange. It will result in an exploratory, transmedia CACD model, published on The Platform, as an open source Critical Literacy Forum. Currently there is no accessible exchange on how we use narrative in CACD – this Fellowship will break new ground.

From the Australia Council for the Arts website:

Friday 5 December 2014

Australia Council invests in leading artists

Some of Australia’s most accomplished artists working in various art forms have been recognized with prestigious Australia Council Fellowships. The highly sought after fellowships, worth $100,000 over two years, are awarded to outstanding, established artists for creative activity and professional development.  

This year they have been awarded to 12 artists in seven art form areas. Find full list and bios of selected artists here.

Australia Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Grybowski congratulated the recipients of this year’s fellowships and paid tribute to the outstanding body of work each had already produced in their respective art forms.

“Fellowships have always been central to the Council’s grants program and for many artists they are life-changing to their career,” Mr Grybowski said.

“Fellowships are only granted once in an artists’ lifetime to those who can demonstrate outstanding achievement on the national and international stage, so the calibre of these recipients is very impressive. 

“One of the goals in the Council’s new Strategic Plan - Australia is known for its great art and artists - aims to build the capacity of artists to make excellent work and foster experimentation and risk-taking in all art forms.

“Fellowships realise this goal by supporting artists to develop their arts practice, experiment, research and create new ways to present their works and further their artistic ambitions and career.

“They play an important role in providing artists with the time and financial security needed to focus on their work and the freedom to reflect, innovate, experiment and collaborate.”

Fellowship applications are assessed and awarded by peers in the relevant art form areas.

Under the Australia Council’s new grants model, which begins in January, Fellowships will be offered once a year with a June closing date.

Past Fellowship recipients include Gary Lang, Alana Valentine, Archie Roach, Tim Daly, Judith Wright and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.

Jennifer's Fellowship will focus on interrogation of stories, values and best practice in CACD, to identify new narrative and media strategies.