Art can be a powerful way to inspire change
Don Dunstan was not only Premier of South Australia during the 1970s, but was also a trained actor and a champion of the Arts throughout his life.
Don was a driving force behind the establishment of the SA Film Corporation, Jam Factory, and Adelaide Festival Centre, with the Dunstan Playhouse later named in honour of his role in shaping the state’s cultural landscape.
The Arts bring us together, and help to create and celebrate our diversity. When we offer access to art in all its forms, we improve the quality of life for everyone in our community. Through the Arts we have a chance to see the world from a new perspective, and at its best, art can inspire us to take action for a fairer world.
That is why we established the Art for Good Fund that supports:
- the OUR MOB Don Dunstan Foundation Emerging Artist Prize
- the SALA Don Dunstan Foundation Award
We recognise that those most likely to benefit from the Arts are often the least able to access it – we hope you consider donating to our Art for Good Fund to continue and extend our work in this area.
Make a DonationOur Mob Emerging Artist Prize
The Foundation recognises our many talented South Australian Aboriginal artists and the power of their stories. The Emerging Artist prize provides a launch pad for up-and-coming SA Aboriginal Artists to develop an arts career and for their artworks and stories to gain exposure to a national audience.
The prize aims to recognise perseverance by Aboriginal artists and to promote pride and understanding for Aboriginal culture in our communities.
The $5000 Emerging Artist Prize paired with a professional development opportunity through Country Arts SA will be judged from outstanding work submitted to the OUR MOB exhibition. The prize is awarded to the emerging artist on merit of work submitted and considered by judges to exhibit a desire for furthering their artistic career.
Learn More
The South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival Award
This award is for artists whose work explores social justice themes which align with the objectives and priorities of the Don Dunstan Foundation including:
- Homelessness
- Mental health
- Migration (including cultural and ethnic diversity)
- The purpose economy (i.e. economic equality)
- Aboriginal economic empowerment and reconciliation
- Human rights
- Don Dunstan.
The prize is $1,000 cash to support the artist’s work.
Learn More
democracy needs engagement
Don Dunstan’s record in improving South Australia’s democratic institutions is well-known.
Biographer Angela Woollacott argues that his reforms to electoral laws were particularly significant: “By 1977, after decades of malapportionment, he presided over arguably the most democratic State in Australia, with an independent electoral commission overseeing fair boundaries, and a reformed Upper House.”
In addition, he believed in engaging closely with constituents, literally wearing out his shoe-leather to connect with those he sought to serve.
Don’s desire to build a society where all citizens have equal opportunity to participate in and influence government decision-making is evident in his speech as part of the Whitlam lecture series in 1998.
Today, the Foundation’s approach is to support decision-makers in South Australia to engage with the entire community and to develop evidence-based policies for the benefit of everyone.
We are committed to including the expertise of people with lived experience in our public events and our policy-making forums.
