Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Rhyan Clapham  

Rapper and drummer Rhyan Clapham - a participant of the inaugural AMPlify Indigenous Composer Initiative - and interdisciplinary artist Cat Jones have each been awarded $30,000 Create NSW Arts Fellowships, announced this week by the NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin.

Rhyan Clapham is the winner of the 2017 Peter Sculthorpe Music Fellowship for an emerging composer. Originally from Murrawarri and Ngemba country in Brewarrina NSW, Rhyan has completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of NSW, and an Indigenous Studies Honours (focusing on Aboriginal hip hop music) in 2015. His music has featured in various events such as Kevin Hunt's 'Our Music' concert at the Sydney Conservatorium, at Yabun NCIE, UNSW corporate and academic events, Koori Radio events and at NAIDOC. His work Pitara Yaan Muruwariki (2017) for cello, clarinet, vibraphone and flute was premiered by Ensemble Offspring in August as part of the final concert of the AMPlify ICI program.

Cat Jones was Awarded the Create NSW Performing Arts/Music Fellowship for a mid-career/established artist. Artist, writer, researcher, performer and curator, Cat's projects manifest across live, site-specific, media and olfactive art. She has a special interest in audience psychology and a focus on immersive and socially engaged artworks. Her work investigates cultural identity, gender, inter-species relationships, botanic and medical politics and climate futures. Jones has been active as artistic director and CEO of PACT centre for emerging artists in Sydney and co-director and inaugural chairperson of Electrofringe. She has a Bachelor of Arts - Drama from Queensland University of Technology and has done extensive professional development across experimental performance, writing, art and science.

> Read more about the 2017 Create NSW Fellows (Arts Review 6 December)