Caption: Dancers from Tara Gower’s contemporary Indigenous dance project, ‘Burrb Wanggarraju Nurlu.’

Credit: Tara Gower.

Communities

How the Artist Fund is helping a Broome dancer build her community’s dreams.

When Broome-based dancer and Yawuru woman Tara Gower pulled her car to the side of a Pilbara highway to answer a video call, she thought she was just having a quick chat to the team at Minderoo about her Artist Fund project.

Tara had spent 15 years with Sydney-based Bangarra Dance Theatre and had moved back home to Broome to pass on her skills and inspire local First Nations youth – a decision that inspired her to apply for and win a $25,000 Artist Fund grant to grow her practise.

But halfway through the chat, with road trains revving past, Minderoo’s Co-Founder Nicola Forrest told Tara she’d won the 2023 Artist Fund Award – a $50,000 prize given to one artist from each year’s cohort by the judging panel.

A collage of three images of young Indigenous dancers. In the left image, a young man supports a young woman in an impressive upside down lift. In the background are other dancers lying on the floor, and the backdrop is a projection of a close of up hands doing traditional Indigenous weaving. In the middle, a young woman jumping almost into full splits is behind another yound woman in a star shape. The backdrop is a projection of blue and white abstract artwork. TO the right, a young woman in traditional white facepaint performs a traditional dance outside at sunset, with a large group of primary aged children watching on.

Credit: boyfrombeyond.

“Oh my gosh!” Tara said, lighting up with joy. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it, thank you!”

Building an Indigenous dance studio in Broome

With her Artist Fund grant, Tara was working with youth from the local Broome community to collaborate with elders to tell their stories through movement in a First Nations dance project called Burrb Wanggarraju Nurlu.

She had been teaching her dancers wherever she could – setting up and packing down a heavy dance tarkett floor for each lesson.

Now, thanks to the boost provided by her Artist Fund Award prize, Tara is working to set up her own creative space and deepen the artistic and cultural work she is doing in her community.

She recently shared her progress toward building the first Indigenous dance studio in Broome.

“The focus will be towards disengaged youth collaborating with professional artists and local emerging artists,” Tara said.

“The studio will be a safe space for local kids to flourish creatively and learn how to look after their body through physical awareness, strength and stretching to promote wellness.”

Tara Gower teaching dance to a group of Indigenous children wearing brightly coloured t-shirts. They are all kneeling on one knee and stretching their opposite hands over their heads.

Credit: Elaine Rabbitt.

When artists thrive, our community thrives

Arts, culture, and creativity are central to our 2030 Strategy because we know they are vital to building vibrant and connected communities. The WA Artist Fund is about helping to develop artists and creative projects that enrich our communities.

We prioritise WA mid-career artists in this program, because while there are often funding opportunities for emerging artists, those a little further on in their careers regularly face cross-roads moment, where they need question whether to commit to a professional creative career or leave the industry.

This is why the Artist Fund was created to create opportunities for mid-career artists in Western Australia like Tara Gower develop new work, explore new techniques and push their professional practice to a new level.

“Since winning the Award and the exposure that goes alongside such a prestigious opportunity I have received many opportunities,” Tara said.

“For a mid-career artist, such as myself, this recognition has given my career a boost with new job opportunities as a choreographer statewide. The most significant opportunity I have received is being asked to create a dance work for the WA Ballet.”

Credit: Tara Gower.

Minderoo Foundation Artist Fund

Are you a West Australian artist ready to make waves in your career? This is your opportunity to create bold, boundary-pushing work that will not only shape your artistic journey but inspire and connect communities across the state.

EOIs have now closed.

For any questions, please contact arts@minderoo.org