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.
We welcome project proposals across a broad variety of creative formats including:
- Music composition
- Written works such as poetry and prose
- Performance and theatrical work
- Film, animation and video
- Visual art, including painting, graphic art and photography
There is a small grant attached to the Residency of up to $10,000 to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work. The Residency may culminate in an event which will showcase the work in November 2025.
Applications for the 2025 Residency closed on Friday, 28 March at 5pm.
More information on the program and eligibility is available below.
The 2025 Veteran Artist in Residence Program is supported by the Veterans Benevolent Fund.
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.
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 $10,000 attached to the Residency to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work.
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 will 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 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 2025.
How to apply
Submit your expression of interest to the program through the online application form. 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, which provide details on eligibility, residency requirements and project scope.
Applications closed on Friday 28 March 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 Artists
Domenic Bartolo
Veteran and artist Domenic Bartolo served as the Anzac Memorial’s Veteran Artist in Residence in 2024.
Domenic Bartolo served in the Army Reserve (infantry) from 1994-97. Currently Domenic is a graphic designer and has worked in the advertising industry for the past 20 years. He also has a Diploma in Fine Arts. In recent years, in his spare time, Domenic has managed to merge his passion for history and the military with art – creating a number of works for the Royal Australian Navy, The Royal Australian Airforce, The Naval Association of Australia and the AMDA Foundation.
As part of his Residency, Domenic created a number of hand-drawn illustrations and an exhibition that shares the stories behind local war memorials including the Anzac Memorial.
You can shop Domenic's prints on our Online Shop.
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.