Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence Program 2025

The Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence program offers contemporary veterans with established creative practices the opportunity to engage with the Anzac Memorial and the broader community through an artwork or project.

The guest veteran artist (or group) will have a unique chance to explore the Anzac Memorial's architecture, history and artefacts as part of a creative project that reflects on and interprets Australian military experience, the Anzac Memorial and/or memorialisation.

There is a small grant attached to the Residency of up to $10,000 to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work. The Residency may culminate in an event which will showcase the work in November 2025.

The program recognises the skills associated with artistic practices such as collaboration, self-discipline, innovation, and creative thinking as well as the positive impact art has on health and wellbeing and connectivity. It allows a veteran artist through their chosen medium to share their experiences and stories with the community and supports the Memorial’s intent as an active space for veterans and their families.

To support the artwork being created the Memorial will seek to provide a space for creating the work, access to the Memorial’s collection and staff expertise.

The intent of the program is to:

1. Support and promote veterans who wish to pursue the arts, either personally and/or professionally.
2. Create opportunities for experienced emerging contemporary service personnel and veteran artists to engage with the Anzac Memorial, its architecture, history and collection to provide new and creative perspectives on Australian military service and/or memorialisation. 
3. Allow veterans a place to reflect on service and sacrifice, and to ensure that contemporary military experience is interpreted for today’s audiences.
4. Encourage engagement with visitors to the Memorial, providing a platform for dialogue with veterans.
5. Encourage visitation by providing an opportunity for the public to view an evolution of artwork.
6. Raise the profile of the Memorial as an active space for veterans, aligning with the original intent for the building.

1. Applicants must have served in the Australian Defence Force. Preference will be given to applicants from New South Wales.
2. Applicants must be the practitioner(s) presenting the artwork or project.
3. Applicants must be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia.
4. Applicants must be able to spend at least a portion of the program in residence at the Anzac Memorial located in Sydney and start the residency prior to 30 October 2025.
5. Applicants should have considerable experience as a maker/creator (able to work within their chosen discipline independently and safely).
6. Group applications (groups are at least two people) must be submitted with the details of two key group members involved in the project. The grant will be awarded to the two applicants nominated on the form.
7. Successful applicants will need to provide a Working with Children Check number or indicate a commitment to obtaining one prior to the commencement of the placement.
8. Late or incomplete applications will not be assessed.
9. Grants are not retrospective. Funds are only provided for projects taking place from May 2025. That is taken to mean that new work will be created as a result of the Residency.

1. Dates for the Residency will be mutually agreed upon.
2. There will be a formal contract with the Anzac Memorial for the duration of the Residency.
3. The Residency will conclude with a showcase held at the Memorial in November 2025.
4. To support the artwork being created the Memorial will seek to provide a space for creating the work, access to the collection and staff expertise. The Memorial has limited space, material and resource capacity. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the Memorial to discuss their spatial and material requirements before submitting. 
5. The Artist retains copyright and title in all work created during the Residency. It will also be noted that the Memorial is not a collecting institution and therefore artworks will be documented digitally for the Memorial's archives but works will not be accessioned in the collection.
6. The Veteran Artist in Residence is required to deliver at least one community engagement program, such as an exhibition, performance, workshop or lecture.
7. Successful recipients must be able to start the Residency prior to 30 October 2025.
8. The recipient will be required to participate in video and media interviews, photography, and social media content as mutually agreed upon between the Memorial and Artist.
9. At the conclusion of the Residency, recipients agree to complete a brief about their project and an evaluation of the program. The report will assist with ongoing evaluation of the program and is due one month following the completion of the Residency program. 

If you have questions or require further information, please contact Belinda Mitrovich, Operations Manager, Anzac Memorial manager@anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au or 02 8262 2900.