Lydia Fairhall: 2020 Community Arts And Cultural Development Fellowship

Lydia Fairhall: Community Arts And Cultural Development Fellowship

Lydia Fairhall is a Worimi woman. She is a theatre and film producer, a community arts and cultural development practitioner, a writer, an artistic director, a musician and more.

She has programmed and produced countless shows, for the likes of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Brown Cabs, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Footscray Community Arts Centre and more, as well as taking titles such as JACK CHARLES V. The CROWN to international audiences.

Lydia works with a tenacious spirit and an unwavering commitment to strengthening the First Nations performing arts ecology.

Lydia has a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in sociology and community development, in addition to a Diploma of Contemporary Music. Lydia has a vibrant slate within her current portfolio, including the upcoming release of her debut album, True North with the new collective Lydia Fairhall and The She Oaks. She is a regular writer for Dumbo Feather Magazine, a dual recipient of the 2019 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship and the Australia Council for the Arts Fellowship. Lydia currently works with Small Giants, where her remit includes research and development of next economy business models for the arts, content producing, wisdom keeping, curating gatherings and online spaces, embedding Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of being and story-telling through writing, conversations and music.

She has supported many emerging First Nations practitioners through financing, designing and delivering ILBIJERRI’s inaugural Executive Leadership Program.

Across all of her passions Lydia explores the intersections between new economies, consciousness and creativity, blending her business and creative skills to bring beautiful stories to the world, encompassing a dynamic variety of mediums.

The Community Arts and Cultural Development Fellowship will see her undertake her most ambitious project to date.

Through the fellowship, Lydia will explore, research, design and implement cutting edge, dynamic and sustainable business models for performing arts companies.

Lydia will use this research to develop business models that balance the highest standards of autonomy, cultural integrity, caring for country, public transparency, legal accountability and financial sustainability.

Her commitment to the sector is commendable, and it is a pleasure to recognise her work to date, and her work to come.

Learn more about the Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement.