Minela Krupic, ex NCAT student, wins Heartlands Refugee Fine Art Prize

Congratulations to ex NCAT Folio Preparation student Minela Krupic, who has just won the Heartlands Refugee Fine Art Prize for 2012 with an extraordinary artwork KOLEKCIJA (Below). Her artwork is made up of a series of images which highlight the Bosnian refugee's 1997 escape from her war-torn homeland. Minela who after doing the NCAT Folio Preparation course in 2002, went on to study Fine Art painting at RMIT and then Fine Art Printmaking at VCA , is now a regularly exhibiting fine artist. 

Following on from an acclaimed second year, Multicultural Arts Victoria and AMES have again collaborated on the Heartlands Refugee Fine Art Prize 2012. The Prize celebrates the contribution of refugee artists who have arrived in Australia since 1970. This unique Art Prize showcases the creative talent and social contribution of visual artists from a refugee background.

Minela has won $5000 for First Prize (including a solo exhibition and short-term Artist in Residence!). Her winning work was exhibited along with the other short-listed works from 6 - 16 June at fortyfivedownstairs (Flinders Lane, Melbourne), and from 5 - 28 July at Walker Street Gallery in Dandenong.   

Entries in the competition were to reflect and express the theme: "Heartlands; the aspirations, hopes and dreams that refugees bring with them to Australia". Distinguished members of the Australian arts sector formed the panel of judges, who included Jane Clark, Research Curator at the Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania, Elena Taylor, Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, Jill Morgan, Executive Officer at Multicultural Arts Victoria, and Damian Smith, curator and arts writer and Director of Words For Art, Melbourne.

“We’re very excited to have such vibrant and well‐respected experts involved with the prize to help recognise the skills, talents and creativity that refugees bring to Victoria, and the social and cultural contributions they provide to our community,” 

- Adam Baxter - Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager at AMES 

Heartlands is part of the Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Emerge Festival from 1 June – 31 July, across Victoria. Emerge will showcase the contribution emerging and refugee communities are having on contemporary arts and culture www.multiculturalarts.com.au AMES and Multicultural Arts Victoria acknowledge the Sidney Myer Fund for their generous contribution to the Heartlands Refugee Fine Art Prize 2012. Their contribution will ensure that refugee artists will be given opportunities to contribute to the social, economic and cultural fabric of Victoria. The Sidney Myer Fund’s mission is to build a fair, just, creative, sustainable and caring society through initiatives that promote positive changes in Australia.
See the other shortlisted works at Multicultural Arts Victoria facebook page. Thanks for information from Multi Cultural Arts Victoria website press release.