Arts Minister Peter Garrett has announced the 36 inaugural participants in JUMP; Australia’s largest mentoring program for young and emerging artists.

Mr Garrett said the new national mentoring program will provide important opportunities for talented young artists across Australia.

“The artists selected to be part of the first round of JUMP mentorships all show terrific potential, which will be well fostered over the course of the relationship with their chosen mentor”, he said.

The first JUMP participants include budding theatre writer and director, Samara Hersch, who will gain invaluable experience working with performers with a disability through her mentor, Bruce Gladwin, Artistic Director of Back to Back Theatre in Geelong, and a renowned creator of adventurous theatre works.

Matt Cornell, a young dancer, choreographer and digital composer, will realise his ambition to create work for the Darwin Festival through his collaboration with acclaimed hip-hop master, Antony Hamilton.

Through JUMP, young and emerging artists partner with industry leaders to gain knowledge and networks that will help them build sustainable careers. JUMP’s first round attracted over 160 applications from all states and territories. Artists selected come from metropolitan and regional areas across Australia.

Those selected to participate in JUMP also cross all artforms; from Indigenous arts to theatre, music, visual arts, dance and literature, to those working in interdisciplinary and hybrid art. JUMP applications are open to artists, aged 18-30 and in the first five years of their career, across all Australia Council funded artforms.

The second round of JUMP applications for mentorships in 2011, open on 30 August 2010. JUMP is one of six pathways developed for the next generation of Australian artists through the Australian Governments $6.6 million Opportunities for Young and Emerging Artists funding program, managed by the Australia Council for the Arts.

JUMP is managed nationally by Youth Arts Queensland (YAQ). State delivery partners, Carclew Youth Arts in South Australia and Propel Youth Arts WA, are working with YAQ to deliver quality mentorship experiences that respond to the local needs of young and emerging artists.

The full list of selected applicants and their mentors is available at www.jumpmentoring.com.au creative.gov.au/jump