By ANNA USHER

A prestigious new fellowship honouring the late Neil Balnaves AO has been launched by Mosman Art Gallery in partnership with The Balnaves Foundation, offering $80,000 every two years to support artistic innovation connected to Mosman’s rich cultural story.

The Neil Balnaves Fellowship will fund the creation of a major new work – whether visual, written, curatorial or research-based, that engages with Mosman’s artistic heritage or The Balnaves Gift.

The inaugural recipient will be announced in late 2025, with the project to be featured in the Gallery’s official program.

Open to artists, historians, curators and writers across the country, the first round of applications opens on Monday 18 August and runs for six weeks. A second round will be offered in 2027.

Gallery Director Steven Alderton says the initiative will cement Mosman’s place on the national cultural map:

“The Neil Balnaves Fellowship is an exciting opportunity to unite creative practitioners with the community of Mosman to celebrate its rich history and heritage,” he said.

Neil Balnaves AO, who passed away in 2022, was a long-time Mosman resident and one of Australia’s most influential arts philanthropists. His personal art collection – celebrating the beauty of Mosman – was gifted to the Gallery and continues to inspire.

His son, Hamish Balnaves, CEO of The Balnaves Foundation, says the Fellowship honours Neil’s deep connection to the suburb.

“As a long-term resident who greatly admired the area, Neil’s legacy lives on through this Fellowship. It’s a tribute to his passion for the arts and his belief in making creativity accessible to all,” he said.

The initiative builds on an enduring relationship between the Balnaves family and Mosman Art Gallery, a collaboration that has already delivered major commissions, educational programs and public engagement over the years.

For more information and to apply, visit the WEBSITE.

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