Full Circle International Residency Award

The Full Circle International Residency Award aims to support mid-career Australian artists through a unique residency, research, and exhibition opportunity. The new initiative, presented through a partnership between Orange Regional Gallery, Australia, and Messums | ORG in the UK, is made possible thanks to generous support from Rowena Danziger in memory of Ken Coles. Each year, one mid-career artist working in Australia will be selected to participate in a fully funded six week residency in the UK based across two locations: Messums East at The Old Post Office in Lowestoft, a refurbished new arts complex on the most easterly point of the UK, and Messums West, a leading gallery and arts centre in Wiltshire, set inside a restored thirteenth-century tithe barn. The Award includes an exhibition at Orange Regional Gallery the following year. The Award supports artists who engage with the landscape and/or environment to evolve their creative practice. Valued at AUD $33,000, this International Residency Award includes international flights, travel, accommodation, studio space, art materials and living expenses, and an exhibition, providing a rare opportunity for creative growth, research, connection and exploration. The Award will support the artist to document and present their research whilst in Residence. Upon returning to Australia, the artist will present a solo exhibition the following year at Orange Regional Gallery, receiving curatorial support, artist fee, and a publication to present and document the work produced during the residency The Old Post Office, Lowestoft which once shared and brought information from around the into the town has been brought back to life as a 1,700 sqm centre providing exhibition spaces, research facilities, and creative studios that support interdisciplinary engagement across the arts and sciences. It is also home to the studio of sculptor Laurence Edwards. The residency places significant emphasis on community engagement and social outreach, drawing on the town’s rich historical and cultural heritage. Participants are offered opportunities to explore local sites that provide access to research material and insights into the region’s cultural history – an area that has inspired artists and makers from early Bronze Age craftsmanship to 18th-century painting. The centre facilitates connections with local resources for the production of work across a wide range of materials and techniques, enabling residents to integrate contemporary practice with the town’s historical and artistic context.