2021 Creative Partnerships Award winners. Clockwise from left: John Wylie AM and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, Nick and Sophie Dunstone, Scott Hutchinson and Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt.

The Australian arts and culture sector has been hit hard by the pandemic, with live performances cancelled up and down the country and a workforce that often slipped through the JobKeeper cracks.

It is therefore uplifting to learn of individuals leading the way in the sector, raising money for innovative projects that range from helping the arts industry survive the pandemic, to establishing venues and technologies that will cement our country’s place on the arts and culture map for years to come.

The Creative Partnership Awards recognise passionate Australians who are dedicated and invested allies to Australia’s vibrant and adaptable arts sector. The last 18 months could not have been a harder time to create impact in the sector, but create it they did.

The 2021 Creative Partnerships Awards recipients are:

• Philanthropy Leadership Award – John Wylie AM and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie
• Business Leadership Award – Scott Hutchinson
• Emerging Philanthropy Leadership Award – Nick and Sophie Dunstone
• Arts Leadership Award – Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt

John Wylie AM and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie have been active arts donors over several years. They lead by example and often encourage other philanthropic support for the arts. They provided significant contributions towards the redevelopment of State Library Victoria and helped establish the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature with the University of Melbourne.

Scott Hutchinson has played a key role in the preservation of live music in Brisbane, in particular through the construction of the $43 million Fortitude Music Hall.

Nick and Sophie Dunstone established the Light Cultural Foundation in Adelaide, to provide artists and creatives with an opportunity to harness immersive technologies that connect with audiences in new and meaningful ways, linking hospitality and cultural experiences.

Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt created the Australian Digital Concert Hall, which used philanthropic funds as seed funding to establish a platform that has generated over $1.6 million income for Australian musicians and arts workers since the beginning of the pandemic.

Creative Partnerships Australia CEO, Fiona Menzies, said the award recipients are committed to making the arts accessible for all Australians, “The recipients of this year’s awards all embody a genuine love of arts and culture, and a desire for them to be ambitious and to be shared as widely as possible.

“While we were all managing the various challenges thrown at us by the pandemic, supporters of the arts continued to stick by the sector that they value and enjoy, to ensure that the artists, creatives, crews and companies they love could and would be there when restrictions were eased.”