31 January 2024
Helpmann Academy and JamFactory are proud of our long-term partnership and the evolving opportunities we provide to emerging artists in South Australia.
In 2024 we are thrilled to offer two scholarships valued at $2,500 each to support emerging artists undertaking JamFactory’s Foundation Year Associate Program in ceramics, glass, furniture or jewellery/metal.
We are thrilled to announce that multidisciplinary artist Wee Shiang Tay and ceramicist, Belinda Guerin are the recipients JamFactory x Helpmann Academy Scholarship.
Wee Shiang is a young emerging artist from Malaysia and is currently based in Adelaide. After graduating from Dasein Academy of Arts in Kuala Lumpur, she went on to pursue a Bachelor of Contemporary Art at the University of South Australia. Wee Shiang is a multidisciplinary artist who discovered a passion for ceramics whilst studying at university. Her artistic inspirations rise from the observations of her environment, such as conversations with people and her love of animals and nature. She hopes to create textural and sculptural ceramic works that draw from the knowledge gained in her current ceramic practice and multidisciplinary background.
“… Receiving this scholarship has not only been a financial relief, but it has also given me the confidence and encouragement as I begin my Foundation year at JamFactory.”
Wee Shiang Tay
Belinda Guerin is an emerging ceramicist living and working on Kaurna country. In 2023, she completed a Bachelor of Contemporary Art at the University of South Australia. Throughout her studies, she worked under the instruction of Jo Crawford, focusing on slab building and sgraffito techniques. Belinda is inspired by ancient forms of storytelling, exploring ways of expressing modern folk tales reflecting the human experience. Her prior interest in illustration allowed her to focus on creating intricate surfaces combined with sculptural elements. In 2024, she hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the medium, pushing the boundaries whilst seeking more sustainable processes.
“I am so grateful to have received this support from Helpmann; it’s really allowed me to progress into the next stage of my artistic career with confidence. I’m so excited for what 2024 will bring and the things I will create. It feels amazing to be entering the industry knowing this institution has faith in my practice and what I can achieve.”
Belinda Guerin
The Foundation Program is designed to accelerate development of the professional and entrepreneurial skills required to establish and maintain a successful and sustainable creative career. It also provides a platform for network building and peer to peer learning within a dynamic creative hub that attracts leading art, craft and design industry figures from across Australia and around the world.
Applications for JamFactory’s highly acclaimed Associate Program closes on 30 September each year.
Images: (1) Wee Shiang Tay, Where Home Is (2023), photo by Tunku Radin and (2) Belinda Guerin, Modern Perils (2023), photo by Bente Andermahr