2021 Creative Partnerships Award Recipients Announced

Creative Partnerships Australia announce the seven remarkable 2021 Creative Partnerships Awards recipients who generously provide support to enhance arts and culture across Australia.
The Awards recognise passionate Australians who are dedicated and invested allies helping create an impact within Australia's vibrant and adaptable arts sector.

The 2021 Creative Partnerships Awards recipients are:

• Philanthropy Leadership Award - John Wylie AM and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie
• Business Leadership Award - Scott Hutchinson
• Emerging Philanthropy Leadership Award - Nick and Sophie Dunstone
• Arts Leadership Award - Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the Awards honour recipients who have given leadership in the provision of philanthropic support to the arts.

"The arts of course receive substantial funding from government - over $1 billion of Commonwealth funding in 2021-22. But there is much outstanding work that cannot be funded within the available government resources - which is why it is so important that philanthropic support for the arts continues to grow in Australia.

"These Creative Partnership Awards are very important - to honour those who have provided support, and to show the way and in turn inspire others.

"The net result of all of this activity is that more Australians are able to enjoy the enriching and stimulating benefits of seeing a production, visiting an exhibition or enjoying a performance."

Creative Partnerships Australia CEO Fiona Menzies said the Awards recipients are committed to make the arts accessible for Australians, "The recipients of this year's Awards all embody a genuine love of arts and culture, and a desire for them to be ambitious and to be shared as widely as possible."

"While we were all managing the various challenges thrown at us by the pandemic, supporters of the arts continued to stick by the sector that they value and enjoy, to ensure that the artists, creatives, crews and companies they love could and would be there when restrictions were eased."

John Wylie AM and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie have been active arts donors over a long period of time. They lead by example and often encourage other philanthropic support for the arts. They provided significant contributions towards the redevelopment of State Library Victoria and helped establish the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature with the University of Melbourne.

Scott Hutchinson has played a key role in the preservation of live music in Brisbane, in particular through the construction of the $43 million Fortitude Music Hall.

Nick and Sophie Dunstone established the Light Cultural Foundation in Adelaide, to provide artists and creatives an opportunity to harness immersive technologies that connect with audiences in new andmeaningful ways, linking hospitality and cultural experiences.

Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt created the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, which used philanthropic funds as seed funding to establish a platform that has generated over $1.6 million income for Australian musicians and arts workers since the beginning of the pandemic