Perth-based writer, director and producer, Lockie McDonald is the recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts 2005 Ros Bower Award for his innovative approach to arts and community cultural development in a career that spans more than 20 years.

As a community cultural development practitioner, Lockie has led and created arts projects with marginalised groups within rural, regional and isolated communities living under significant disadvantage including high security prison inmates, people with disabilities, Indigenous and homeless youth.

‘Lockie has a highly successful track record in creating innovative community based arts practice. He uses his directing, writing and production skills in new ways that have allowed communities to embrace and access the arts,’ said Australia Council Community Partnerships Committee Chair, Timothy O’Loughlin.

‘The leadership he has displayed has been enhanced by the diversity of projects and practice he has employed in his career,’ Mr O’Loughlin said.

Beginning his career in Brisbane in 1985, Mr McDonald directed with performing art companies such the Street Arts Community Theatre, Flying Fruit Circus, Rock and Roll Circus, Bizicus and the Ran Dan Club.

As Artistic Director of Southern Cross Arts in Albany Western Australia, Mr McDonald was influential in extending the company from a theatre/circus driven focus, to one that built on community engagement and artistic challenge, focusing on local themes and issues.

Working with a community of writers in the Albany High Security Prison, Mr McDonald was instrumental in producing the SALT Writers (Silenced Authors, Lavish Tales), a project comprising of workshops led by Lockie and held within the prison education unit which resulted in the writing and development of the play Revelation.

Mr McDonald has worked with Indigenous communities in supporting Noongar Boodja (Noongar Land), a project devised to create an artistic work documenting Noongar Country in Western Australia.

Mr McDonald is currently a Producer, Community, Regional and Projects at the Perth International Arts Festival.

Since the inception of the Ros Bower Award in 1981, the Australia Council has traditionally honoured one outstanding individual. This year, due to the high calibre of this year’s nominations, for the first time, the Australia Council is pleased to be honouring two outstanding recipients. The announcement of the second recipient will be made on 13 December 2005.

The Australia Council’s annual Ros Bower Memorial Award  recognises distinguished effort in fostering and furthering the principles espoused by Rosalie (Ros) Bower, founding director of the Australia Council’s Community.