Fuelling Stella's fire and passion for art
I took a Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship degree because it improves my prospects of working with Indigenous communities and also with art centres in the future
Stella Wadeson is studying a Bachelor of Design and a Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship at The Australian National University (ANU). She was in the middle of the outback when she learned about her ANU Visual Arts Endowment Scholarship.
This award aims to encourage and support students showing exceptional promise in the fields of Design and Visual Arts. Stella was visiting Indigenous communities to learn about Indigenous art when she received the news.
"I had limited reception and I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the email," she says. "One of my passions is understanding the diverse history of Australia which begins with our First Australians."
"I took a Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship degree because it improves my prospects of working with Indigenous communities and also with art centres in the future," she says. "Receiving the scholarship has confirmed I was in the right place doing the right thing for my studies and future."
Stella feels the scholarship gives her flexibility in planning her future studies and helps her chart her career.
"This kind of money is something I do not take for granted and I intend to use it to the fullest. I plan to split and utilise the scholarship money in two ways."
She wants to use a part of the scholarship towards the Art of the European Courts study tour in 2020. It would help her experience and learn about the classical beauty of renaissance art in the heart of France and Italy. With the remaining funds, she intends to take up an internship in a remote Indigenous community art centre.
"I am committed to learning through the traditional study pathways which perfectly complement a broader learning approach, such as the internship. I personally believe being thrown in the deep end and being asked to think beyond what you know, is how we find our fire and passion in life."
Stella strongly believes these experiences, supported by the ANU Visual Arts Endowment Scholarship, will help her channel her passion and lay a strong foundation for a career in the arts.
