The Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence program offers contemporary veterans with established creative practices the opportunity to engage with the Memorial and the broader community through an artwork or project.
The guest veteran artist (or group) will have a unique chance to explore the Memorial's architecture, history and artefacts as part of a creative project that reflects on and interprets Australian military experience, the Anzac Memorial and/or memorialisation.
There is a small grant of $5,000 attached to the Residency to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work.
Applications close on Friday 27 October 2023 at 5pm.
Program background
In 1934, the Memorial building was erected for the use, benefit, rest or recreation of sailors, soldiers and nurses returned from the Great War. Keeping with this spirit, the Memorial today runs several programs for the benefit of current veterans while connecting them to the history of Australia’s servicemen and servicewomen.
Launched in 2019, the Veteran Artist in Residence Program is one such program for the benefit of current veterans while also recognising the strong historic connection between art and military experience.
The use of art to depict and record Australia’s involvement in war and its impact has resulted in a vast collection of trench art, paintings, music and poetry. Art has also been an important tool in the rehabilitation and recovery of veterans that have been affected through their military career, particularly during active service.
In 2022, the program was awarded the Museums and Galleries NSW IMAGinE Award for Innovation and Resilience with a budget between $10,001 and $100,000.
Who is eligible?
The program is open to creative practitioners who have served in the Australian Defence Force and preference may be given to applicants from New South Wales. Applicants must be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia.
There are no educational pre-requisites. However, applicants should have considerable experience as a maker/creator and be able to demonstrate a capacity to communicate their artwork to a general audience, including children, if there is an exhibition element.
The applicant must be able to spend at least a portion of the program in residence on-site at the Anzac Memorial, located in Sydney prior to 30 June 2024.
How to apply
Submit your expression of interest to the program through the online application form (link below). The online application will require you to submit:
- A summary of your interest in the residency, as well as expected outcomes
- A project proposal that sets out what project/s you would undertake during the residency
- A brief budget outline setting out any material and other costs
- A proposal for how the project would engage with the veteran community and broader public
- Samples of your previous work, referees and a CV
Before starting your application, we recommend you read the frequently asked questions below, which provide details on eligibility, residency requirements and project scope.
Applications close on 27 October 2023 at 5pm.
Frequently asked questions
All applicants should consult our frequently asked questions page for information on the residency terms, eligibility and application process.
Previous Veteran Artist in Residence
Cory Rinaldi
In 2020-21, veteran and artist Cory Rinaldi served as the Anzac Memorial’s debut Veteran Artist in Residence.
Cory joined the Army Reserves in 1996 and Australian Army in 1999. His almost 20-year military career saw him deployed to Butterworth, Malaysia, twice to East Timor, and to Basra, Iraq. After a diagnosis of chronic post traumatic stress (PTS) in 2013 and a medical discharge in 2015, Cory turned to his long-held passion for painting as a form of rehabilitation.
Cory’s residency culminated with an exhibition in 2022, A Soldier's Healing, featuring 18 paintings he produced during his time at the Memorial.