Principal sponsor announces new media prize for Telstra Art Award

The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) and Principal Sponsor Telstra have announced the inaugural Telstra New Media Award to commence in the 27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award with the theme of 'connections'.

Acting Director of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Darlene Lion, said that new media is an emerging category, and incorporating it into the Telstra Art Award aimed to recognise and celebrate the increasing number of Indigenous artists using new media as part of their art practice.

"New media works can range from conceptual to virtual art and could be in the form of installation or mixed media presentation, as long as the work involves a new media component in the creation and presentation of the piece and relates to the 'connections' theme", Ms Lion said. "Telstra has generously provided an additional $3,000 prize money for this new category".

Artists working in new media use new and emerging technologies to create works that explore new modes of artistic expression; this may include using virtual and immersive environments, audio technology and interactive technologies.

Telstra Group Managing Director, Strategic Marketing, Kate McKenzie, said the theme of 'connections' had a natural fit with Telstra's business of keeping more people connected via innovative technology, and its commitment to connecting some of Australia's finest Indigenous artists with the nation.

"There are an increasing number of Indigenous artists embracing technology as a form of artistic expression, so we are very proud to expand the Awards and create new opportunities and exposure for the Indigenous art community".

"2010 marks the 19th year Telstra has been the principal sponsor of this Award and during this time we have helped bring the talents of some incredible artists to light. By continuing to evolve the Awards we are opening up relevant avenues for new and emerging Indigenous artists", she continued.

The Telstra Art Award will continue to award the $40,000 Telstra Award and $4,000 to other categories, including the Telstra General Painting Award, the Telstra Bark Painting Award, the Telstra Work on Paper Award and the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award (also sponsored by Telstra), in addition to the New Media Award ($3,000).

Last year's $40,000 Telstra Award winner Danie Mellor has had his winning entry, From Rite to Ritual, acquired by the National Gallery of Australia.

In 2010 the Telstra Art Award will celebrate its 27th year and is the longest running art award dedicated to the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. It is considered the premier national event in the Australian Indigenous arts calendar.

The 27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award exhibition opens, and award presentations will be made, on Friday, 13th August, 2010.

As part of the sponsorship, captain of the Australian Netball Diamonds, Sharelle McMahon, will act as the brand ambassador for DealsDirect.com.au, featuring in marketing campaigns throughout the two year deal. Her first appearance will be in the DealsDirect.com.au Mother's Day catalogue, which will be distributed to 2.3 million Australians this April.

Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer said that netball's predominantly female audience provided a natural fit for DealsDirect.com.au, with research showing a significant skew towards females when it comes to shopping online. She said that a major strength of the new partnership was its ability to reach netball members and supporters right across Australia, including regional areas where DealsDirect.com.au also delivers.

"Netball is the leading women's sport in Australia and DealsDirect.com.au is the leading online department store in Australia."

"The partnership with DealsDirect.com.au will be a fantastic support to us as we continue to engage with all our fans - not just netball's grassroots participants, but also women in the broader community, right across Australia."

"We are delighted to partner with DealsDirect.com.au and believe our members will benefit from learning more about this 100% Australian owned and operated, Online Department Store and will be excited to discover the huge range of products on offer at bargain prices."

Co-founder and Managing Director of DealsDirect.com.au, Paul Greenberg, said: "Following five successful years of growing the business, we are excited to announce the first sponsorship in our history. We are proud to be Australia's number one online department store supporting our nation's most popular sport, and we are confident our sponsorship with Netball Australia will far exceed expectations".

"Partnering with Netball Australia provides us with a fantastic opportunity to reach potential customers in both metropolitan and regional areas across Australia. Our customer research tells us that women aged 30 to 50 years of age are our key demographic and this is why DealsDirect.com.au and Netball Australia have a natural synergy. We look forward to working closely with key netball players who will help us communicate our key messages to the broader community via our marketing activity moving forward".

Netball Australia supports more than 330,000 registered players, 564 affiliated associations and 5,000 clubs across the country. DealsDirect.com.au has over 900,000 customers, 1.5 million unique browsers every month, and stocks more than 7,500 branded and non-branded heavily discounted products across twenty-four categories.

The 2010 ANZ Championship season kicks off on 20th March. Umpires at all games on both sides of the Tasman will be easily identified in their DealsDirect.com.au-branded uniforms. BP> 

Source: PR Web