Celebrating outstanding achievement at the 2020 National Arts and Disability Awards

Emily Crockford, Gaelle Mellis and Abbie Madden have been named recipients of the 2020 National Arts and Disability Awards, presented by the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts Access Australia.

On the International Day of People with Disability, the national awards recognise artists who have made an outstanding contribution to the artistic and cultural life of the nation.

Emily Crockford receives the 2020 Australia Council National Arts and Disability Award for an Emerging Artist, capping off an extraordinary year of achievement that includes being a finalist in the 2020 Archibald Prize. Emily is an artist with Studio A and her large-scale public artworks can be seen across Sydney.

Two South Australian-based recipients also received awards:

Gaelle Mellis receives the 2020 Australia Council National Arts and Disability Award for an Established Artist, recognising her outstanding and sustained contribution to arts and culture for more than 30 years. Her extensive career spans theatre, dance, circus, opera, disability arts, visual arts, installation, digital engagement and more.

Abbie Madden, recipient of the 2020 Access Australia’s National Leadership Award is recognised for her leadership as a dancer, performer and choreographer, and founder and artistic director of Blindful, an inclusive dance and circus company.

This is the second consecutive year of the National Arts and Disability Awards. Previous recipients include Dion Beasley, Janice Florence and Madeleine Little.

Australia Council CEO Adrian Collette AM congratulated the recipients.

“Today we are thrilled to celebrate three outstanding artists and arts leaders, and acknowledge their contribution to the cultural life of our nation.”

“Our research continues to show that Australians with disability are strongly engaged as creators and audiences of arts and culture. Participation in arts and culture is a human right. An arts and cultural sector that celebrates and reflects all Australians will drive many positive outcomes, including a more inclusive, cohesive and just nation and great art.”

Arts Access Australia CEO Matthew Hall said:

“The National Arts and Disability Awards recognise and celebrate the talents of Australian d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers, and the vibrant and critically important contribution we make to the fabric of Australian culture.

Arts Access Australia is delighted and honoured to present this year’s National Leadership Award. The Award emphasises the importance of disability-leadership in long-term change making. It provides $10,000 and other support to the recipient to develop leadership skills to realise their leadership ambitions”.

An event celebrating the achievements of these three outstanding artists took place online on 3 December 2020.

The recording of this event is available on-demand, so you can join in celebration of the award recipients, including performances by leading Deaf poet Walter Kadiki and the Liz Martin Trio.