FACEF Names International Juries for 2026 Resonance Grants

The French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation has announced the international juries for its 2026 Resonance Grants for Visual Arts and Performing Arts.

Dedicated to strengthening cultural ties between Australia and France, the Resonance Grants support meaningful creative exchanges between artists, institutions and cultural leaders from both countries. This year marks the second edition of the Visual Arts grants and the inaugural year of the Performing Arts grants, with applications opening later this month.

The grants will be awarded by two distinguished international juries comprising some of the most respected leaders in the visual and performing arts sectors across Australia and France.

VISUAL ARTS JURY

Chaired by Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Visual Arts jury includes:

• Bénédicte Alliot – General Director, Cité internationale des arts
• Daria de Beauvais – Senior Curator and Head of International Relations, Palais de Tokyo
• Suzanne Cotter – Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA)
• Emmanuel Kasarhérou – President, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Kimberley Moulton – Senior Curator Exhibitions, RISING Festival; Emeritus Curator, Museums Victoria
• Georges Petitjean – Curator, Fondation Opale / Collection Bérengère Primat

PERFORMING ARTS JURY

Chaired by Didier Deschamps, Artistic Director of Festival de La Danse de Cannes, former Director of the Théâtre National de Chaillot, the Performing Arts jury includes:

• John Harvey – Writer, Director, Producer and Creative Director, Brown Cabs
• Karine Mauris – International Cultural Entrepreneur, Creative Executive, Former Cultural Attachée
• Kris Nelson – Director, Sydney Festival
• Caroline Guiela Nguyen – Director, Théâtre national de Strasbourg (TNS)
• Elise Peyronnet – Artistic Director, Now or Never Festival
• Marion Potts – Theatre Director, Dramaturg, and Arts Leader

Appointed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to support the development of FACEF as part of the bilateral roadmap between France and Australia, Cybèle Panagiotou has spent the past two years shaping a long-term cultural vision focused on artistic dialogue, mobility, and trust between the two countries. About the Resonance Grants program, she said: 'Bringing together experts from these two regions of the world for the first time to explore cultural and artistic exchange initiatives reflects FACEF's vision of fostering collaboration, strengthening institutions, and supporting artists in pursuing their international ambitions.'

In 2026, FACEF awarded five projects through the inaugural Visual Arts grant program, sharing a total of AUD $60,000.

Applications for the 2026 Resonance Grants open on 17 August 2026 and close on 25 September 2026 at 12:00pm CEST / 8:00pm AEST.

Full details will be available at https://www.facef.org/en/resonance-grants