Carclew is an Australian youth arts centre based in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It was founded in 1971 as the South Australian Performing Arts Centre, with its name changed on several occasions to variations of Carclew Youth Performing Arts Centre, until it was renamed to simply Carclew in 2013. Its name is derived from the historic mansion

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

in which it is based, also known as

Carclew Carclew House, one of Britain's lost houses, was a large Palladian country house near Mylor in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was situated at approximately three miles north of Falmouth. Carclew House was for some generations owne ...

. Marjorie Fitz-Gerald, an arts philanthropist who was instrumental in the establishment of Carclew, is patron of Carclew.

History

In 1971 Premier

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

created the South Australian Performing Arts Centre for Young People, which was incorporated in 1972. Based at the historic home known as Carclew in North Adelaide, the centre was renamed the Carclew Youth Arts Centre in 1976. Its mandate was changed in 1982 to focus on performing arts, and the name was changed to the Carclew Youth Performing Arts Centre. From late 1988, the mandate was widened to include a broader range of the arts, and to include people up to 26 years old and the name changed back to Carclew Youth Arts Centre to reflect this in March 1991. In 2009 the name again changed, this time to Carclew Youth Arts, and finally to Carclew in 2013. Carclew is unique in South Australia as a multi-art-form centre for young people. It runs programs, workshops, projects and funding opportunities, including scholarships, project grants and mentoring opportunities. It also provides connections with schools and other arts organisations. In February 2019, a new program by Creative Consultants was launched through Carclew, to help young artists to earn a stable income over the course of their careers. Also in 2019, the

City of Adelaide The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defi ...

is collaborating with Carclew to deliver the "Emerging Curator Program", a six-month engagement in which three aspiring curators are supported in their professional development.

Governance

History

The centre was managed by the Youth Performing Arts Council from 1980, which was established specifically to manage Carclew. After a need for an organisation with a broader focus to manage youth arts policy and programs, the South Australian Youth Arts Board was created and took over in November 1988, at which time the centre's focus was also expanded. Reporting to the Minister for the Arts, Carclew's funding was the responsibility of

Arts South Australia Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early ...

until 2018, when the position of Arts Minister was abolished and it was moved, along with the

History of South Australia The history of South Australia includes the history of the Australian state of South Australia since Federation in 1901, and the area's preceding Indigenous and British colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians of various nations or tribes h ...

Patch Theatre Company Patch Theatre Company, formerly New Patch Theatre, is an Australian theatre company specialising in children's theatre, based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1972 by Morna Jones, the company is now funded by the federal government thro ...

and Windmill Theatre Company, to the Department of Education. In July 2019, the state budget slashed funding to the History Trust, Carclew and Windmill, as part of "operational efficiency" cuts. In October 2024, a new four-year strategic plan was published, under CEO Mimi Crowe. At the same time, Megan Antcliff was announced as new chair, after former chair Rachel Healy had resigned after being appointed CEO of the

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it includes the Lyric Thea ...

Today

, Megan Antcliff is chair of the board and Mimi Crowe is CEO of Carclew. Marjorie Fitz-Gerald, an arts philanthropist who was instrumental in the establishment of Carclew, is patron.

Awards and scholarships

From 2002 or earlier until 2016, in some years Carclew has offered awards and scholarships to young creatives, including: * Colin Thiele Scholarship for Creative Writing (after

Colin Thiele Colin Milton Thiele (; 16 November 1920 – 4 September 2006) was an Australian author and educator. He was renowned for his award-winning children's fiction, most notably the novels '' Storm Boy'', ''Blue Fin'', the '' Sun on the Stubble'' ser ...

) * Carclew Film and New Media Scholarship, previously BHP Billiton Scholarship for Film and New Media * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts (after

Ruby Litchfield Dame Ruby Beatrice Litchfield Order of the British Empire (DBE), DBE ( Skinner; 5 September 1912 – 14 August 2001) was an Australian theatre director, board member and community worker. Early life and education Litchfield was born Ruby Be ...

) * Ruth Tuck Scholarship for Visual Arts (after

Ruth Tuck Ruth Edith Tuck (22 July 1914 – 10 October 2008) was a modernist painter of South Australia, noted for joint exhibitions with her husband Mervyn Ashmore Smith (11 December 1904 – 18 March 1994), and her influence as a teacher of painting. ...

) The Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts was established by the state government in 1993. the above awards are no longer offered, but there are various other fellowships, awards and grants offered. In 2015, and continuing , Carclew offered the Independent Arts Foundation Franz Kempf Printmaker Award (after

Franz Kempf Franz Moishe Kempf (20 June 1926 – 8 February 2020) was an Australian artist who worked in Australia and Europe. He was a lecturer in printmaking at the University of Adelaide. Early life and education Kempf was born in Melbourne on 20 June ...

Past winners

1993: *Inaugural Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts – Stephen Noonan 2002: *Colin Thiele Scholarship –

Finegan Kruckemeyer Finegan Kruckemeyer (born 1981) is an Australian playwright. Early life Kruckemeyer was born in 1981 in Cork, Ireland, of a German father and Irish mother. The family moved to Adelaide, South Australia when Finegan was eight years old, and h ...

and Samantha Schulz 2005: * Colin Thiele Creative Writing Scholarship – Jason Fischer * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts – Daniel Daw, dancer 2009: *Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts – Matthew Sheens 2011: * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts – Jody Fisher, classical guitarist 2012: * Colin Thiele Creative Writing Scholarship – Phillip Kavanagh * Inaugural BHP Billiton Scholarship for Film and New Media – Michael Richards, animation * Ruth Tuck Scholarship for Visual Arts – Amy Joy Watson * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts - Robert MacFarlane 2013: * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts –

Quentin Angus Quentin Bryan Angus is an Australian jazz guitarist. Career Quentin Bryan Angus is from country South Australia. He holds a PhD, a Master of Music degree, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Elder Conservatorium at the University of Adelaid ...

, jazz guitarist 2014: * Colin Thiele Creative Writing Scholarship –

Matt Vesely Matthew Vesely is an Australian filmmaker, best known for his 2022 feature film ''Monolith''. His other work includes the web series ''Wastelander Panda'' (2013) and the short films ''My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling'' (2015) and ''System ...

, filmmaker (''

Monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

'') 2015: * Colin Thiele Creative Writing Scholarship – Sarah Gates 2016: * Colin Thiele Creative Writing Scholarship – Georgina Chadderton * Carclew Film and New Media Scholarship – Debra Liang * Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts – Tilda Cobham-Hervey * Ruth Tuck Scholarship for Visual Arts – Julia McInerney

References

External links

* {{authority control Drama schools in Australia Arts in South Australia Arts organisations based in Australia 1971 establishments in Australia