Apply now for the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships

Entries are now open for the Marten Bequest travelling scholarships.

This year, the scholarships are worth a total of $600,000 – the biggest sum offered since the Bequest was first offered in 1975.

Twelve scholarships are on offer altogether across six categories – Music (Instrumental Music and Singing), Dance (Ballet), Visual Arts (Sculpture and Painting), Theatre (Acting), Literature (Poetry and Prose) and Architecture – each receiving $50,000 to explore and develop their artistic gifts domestically or internationally.

The charitable trust was established from the estate of John Chisholm Marten (1908-1966), a performing artist, author and philanthropist who strongly advocated for greater financial opportunities for young emerging Australian artists to study their craft. He was born in Kent, England and moved to Australia at a young age, residing in Sydney for his adult life. He was involved in many different art forms, trained in Spanish dancing and served in the merchant navy during the war. John also co-authored The Bali Ballet Murders with Cornelius Conyn which was published in Australia, London and also translated into Dutch and published in the Netherlands. (This novel can be found at the Mitchell Library A823/C768/IAI)  A strong advocate for the artistic capabilities of young Australians, he understood the costs involved in study and training programs. In light of this, Marten established his Bequest.

Travelling scholarships from the Marten Bequest offer talented young artists the chance to explore, study and develop their artistic gifts through travelling either overseas or interstate. Applications close on Monday April 10.

Go to http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/about/the-marten-bequest/