Abaf Awards Recognise Best Business/Arts Partnerships

Above: AbaF Partnership of the Year - Liz Hawkins, Manager, Development, Adelaide Festival Centre, Stuart Symons, Manager Community and Corporate Responsibility - Public Affairs, Santos and Jane Haley, CEO, AbaF.

The best relationships between the private sector and the arts in Australia have been recognised at the AbaF Awards 2011 – with a partnership between a oil and gas company Santos and the Adelaide Festival Centre named partnership of the year.

The awards from the Australia Business Arts Foundation honour the finest relationships between the private sector and the arts in Australia were presented at an awards ceremony in Perth.

The AbaF Partnership of the Year – the night’s major award – went to a South Australian partnership between Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival and oil and gas company Santos. The partners were recognised for their natural fit partnership and bringing Asian art into mainstream Australia, which AbaF says highlights the important collaboration across borders.

Peter Weiss and Tim Fairfax were both recognised for their outstanding leadership, advocacy, practice and example that has encouraged increased philanthropic giving to Australia’s cultural life and were both awarded the
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Leadership Award for contribution to and support for the arts.
 

Above: Abaf SME Awards winners Gertrude Contemporary and Fabio Ongarato Design.

Sam Walsh was recognised for his leadership and advocacy and was awarded the Richard Pratt Business Arts Leadership Award for fostering increased business investment in and support for the arts.

Mary Vallentine was awarded the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Arts Business Leadership Award for demonstrating vision, commercial acumen and strategic thinking in her engagement with business and by encouraging increased giving to the arts.

Award Winners:

AbaF Partnership of the Year
Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival and Santos – South Australia

AbaF Giving Award
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art – Western Australia

AbaF Partnering Award
Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival and Santos – South Australia

AbaF SME Award
Gertrude Contemporary and Fabio Ongarato Design – Victoria

Arts & Health Foundation Award
Launceston Art Society and Eskleigh Foundation – Tasmania

QantasLink Regional Award
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Powercor Australia – Victoria

Toyota Community Award
The Canning Stock Route Project Alliance and FORM and BHP Billiton Iron Ore and Freehills – Western Australia

Visy Arts & Environment Award
Art Gallery of Western Australia and Water Corporation – Western Australia

Woodside Better Business Award
Festival of Voices and Heather Rose – Tasmania

Australia Council Young & Emerging Artists Award
Information and Cultural Exchange Inc, aMBUSH Gallery and Cockle Bay Wharf, Leonard Joel Auction House
– New South Wales

City of Perth Encouragement Award
Belvoir and Bird Cow Fish – New South Wales

Production Resource Group Award
Australian Chamber Orchestra and Commonwealth Bank of Australia – New South Wales

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Arts Business Leadership Award
Mary Vallentine AO – Victoria

Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Leadership Award
Tim Fairfax AM – Queensland
Peter Weiss AM – New South Wales

Richard Pratt Business Arts Leadership Award
Sam Walsh AO – Western Australia

All the AbaF Award winners announced at the event will be featured in the annual AbaF Gold Book which was
launched at the conclusion of the national AbaF Awards dinner.

The Gold Book 2011 is also available to view and download on the AbaF website.