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Money, Money, Money.....
Money is available for Australia-Indonesia cultural exchange projects. The major funding body for projects which address cultural relations between Australia and Indonesia is the Australia Indonesia Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs, Canberra. Applications for cultural grants close 19 October 2001, but final decisions on the grants awarded will not be made until November.
Australia Indonesia Istitute
AII stands for Australia Indonesia Institute, an organisation established under an Order-in-Council in 1989 to promote greater understanding between the peoples of Indonesia and Australia. The AII aims to;
· Increase people-to-people contacts and institutional links
· Broaden and update perceptions of Australia in Indonesia, and
· Increase understanding and improve access for Australians to Indonesia.
The AII comprises a Board of up to thirteen members, and the Secretariat, which is located within the South East Asia Division of the Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The AII office in Canberra is run by the Director Indra McCormick and AII Porject Officer who assist the Board of the Institute in making decisions designed to support the following Mission Statement:
"To develop further relations between Australia and Indonesia by the promotion in Australia of a greater understanding of Indonesia and by the promotion in Indonesia of a greater understanding of Australia, as well as the enlargement over the longer term of the area of contact and exchange between Australia and Indonesia and their respective peoples."
Grant Funding
Guidelines and Conditions applying to Grant Applications and Approvals
General grants are intended to provide seeding funds for innovative proposals relevant to the functions and objectives of the Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII).
Eligibility
Both individuals and organisations may apply for grants. They should have an established record of achievement in the development and management of projects relevant to their proposed area of endeavour, and they should be able to document this. No person can hold more than one Australia-Indonesia Institute grant at any given time.
Competition for grant money is considerable, and the Institute may decide not to award a new grant to an individual or organisation which has received a grant in the past.
Guidelines for Grants
All applications are assessed against the Institute's guidelines for grants. Applicants for grants must therefore comply with these guidelines when submitting their proposals for consideration.
(1) The project should be a substantial new initiative of relevance to the Institute's objective of promoting a growing and deepening relationship between Australia and Indonesia. Such initiatives may promote new areas of contact between Australia and Indonesia or may serve to build on or develop existing contacts.
(2) It should have a clearly defined benefit in terms of the Institute's objectives.
(3) Provision should be made in the application for publicity or promotion of the project.
(4) Projects which involve Indonesian experience of Australia and the relation of that experience to a wide audience in Indonesia are particularly desirable.
(5) When projects supported by the Institute involve an organisation in Indonesia, applicants must demonstrate that sufficient matching funds from the Indonesian counterpart organisation are available to allow for the successful completion of a project. Matching funds may include accommodation and other services provided without charge by host institutions.
(6) Wherever possible, Institute support should constitute seeding funds intended to encourage financial support from others, including corporate sponsors. The Institute may decide to award grants conditional on funding being raised from other sources.
(7) The project should establish prospects for independently funded activity as a result of initial Institute funding.
(8) The applicant should preferably have an established record of achievement.
Closing date: 19 October 2001.
Web site: http://www.dfat.gov.au/aii/index.html
Asialink and the Australia Council have formed a partenership to support creative relationships between communities in Australia and Indonesia. Working with a variety of artists, this program will lead to specific projects being produced and shown in each place. "It is about building on-going infrastructures." says Margaret Seares, Chair of theAustralia Council "so that after people have left here or Indonesia, the physical and cultural impact remains."
Over 60 organisations and arts practitioners from around Australia submitted expressions of interest following the first advertisement; a resoundingly positve indication of the real interest and knowledge many Australian arts practitioners have of Indonesia. From these submissions, four projects were selected to pilot the program.
One Sky from Western Australia, is a muliti-disciplinary group of artists, theatre workers and musicians who combine their skills with the talent and resources of communities. Led by Lockie McDonald, Sue Codee and Dwayne Pippin, One Sky plans to develop regional partnerships through an exchange program across a range of artforms. The partnerships will be developed between communities and artists in the Great Southern Regin of Western Australia and with a specific region area in Indonesia.
Green Turtle Dreaming is a project developed by Susan and Richard Barlow, Clifton and Melanie Humphrey from Victoria. They will be working with Australian and Indonesian artists and musicians, mapping the journey of the green turtle from five locations in Queensland and the Northern Territory through the Indonesian islands of Alor, Flores, Sumba, Sumbawa and Bali. Artists will work with communities mapping the journey of the turtles and recording the myths and music of each location.
The Milingimbi community in the Northern territory is rediscovering ancient links between Yolngu in Northern Australia (Marege) and Macassan communities in Sulawesi. The project will involve artist exchanges in Ujung Pandang and painters, dancers, musicians, story and ceremony men in Milingimbi. There will then be an exhibition on the shared history of the Macassan trade from each perspective. The exploration of these ties could open up new areas of research into pre- European visitors to Australia.
Badai Pasir (Sand Storm) is a project by Deborah Pollard examining differences between two communities whose customs,folk tales, mythologies and livelihoods are bound by the sea. Indonesian and Australian artists will be collaborating to present a site-specific performance installation juxtaposing ancient mythologies against comtemporary cultural and socail attitudes to the sea. Stage one, Badai Pasir, was presented at Baron Beach, Yogyakarta in 1996. Stage two, Sand Storm, will draw directly upon the concepts of the original project, but with Sydney sea-based communities (eg;life savers, fisherman, immigration officials) and will culminate a performance at Bondi Beach.
Contact: Asialink
ACICIS is the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies - and provides an excellent program called the Study Indonesia Program. This program is available not only for University students, but also for members of the greneral public!
ACICIS has three different options available for study programs; The first one is based in Yogyakarta and is a mixture of language and regular curriculum subjects, chosen according to each student's language ability and interest. The other two choices are based in East Java and involve independent field study.
The Study Indonesia Program runs for two semesters each year and students can elect to study for either one or two semesters - Feb to June and/or Sept to Jan.
The program assists with study visas, orientation and has resident directors based in Yogyakarta to assist students.
Applications for ACICIS Study Indonesia Program close on May 1st and October 1st every year. If you would like to apply or need more information go to:
Website: http://www.sshe.murdoch.edu.au/acicis
Contact: ACICIS Secretariat
Asialink
Indonesia Art & Community Projects
Indonesia has vibrant artistic traditions outside the formal locations of theatres and museums while Australia has developed a solid community cultural infrastucture. The Indonesia Art and Community Project proposes to bring the richness of both practices to new dynamic outcomes.
website: www.asialink.unimelb.edu.au
email: arts@asialink.unimelb.edu.auACICIS - Study Indonesia Program
Division of SSHE
Murdoch University WA 6150
Australia
Phone: (61-8) 9360 6254
Fax: (61-8) 9360 6575
Email: acicis@central.murdoch.edu.au