A celebrated Aboriginal ceramicist and the director of Melbourne University's Asialink arts program have been honoured at an Australian Council of the Arts ceremony in Sydney this morning.
Celebrated ceramicist Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher was awarded the $40,000 Visual Arts Emeritus Award for her career as an indigenous artist, teacher and community leader.
A Thanaquith elder of the Weipa region, Fletcher holds solo exhibitions across the world and is one of the highest decorated Indigenous artists in Australia.
Asialink's arts program director Alison Carroll was awarded the $10,000 Visual Arts Emeritus Medal for her outstanding contribution to the development of the Australian cultural sector.
Carroll was honoured in recognition of her creation of the arts program at the University of Melbourne which aims to develop and cultivate creative opportunities between Australia and Asia.
The Visual Arts Emeritus Awards are among Australia's most prestigious individual arts awards.
Australia Council chief executive officer Kathy Keele said the awards recognised the contributions and immense impact of the two women who have devoted their careers to Australian visual arts.
"Both Thancoupie and Ms Carroll have had an immense impact on the Australian arts community that, as a result, has echoed throughout the world," Ms Keele said.
"Thancoupie is a pioneer of Indigenous art.
"Her art has been an important vehicle to communicate her Indigenous culture to people from all walks of life.
"(While) Ms Carroll's incredible work over the past 20 years has bridged a gap between Asian and Australian visual arts communities with outstanding results."
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