Associate Artists 2024

Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine is delighted to announce Joel Bray and Dan Giovannoni as the first-ever Associate Artists!

Proudly supported by The Ian Potter Foundation, this exciting milestone marks a significant step in the Centre’s mission to cultivate and support artistic development within Victoria.

The Associate Artist program provides Joel and Dan with an opportunity to dedicate time and resources to the development of new work. Both artists will engage in an intensive period of research and creative exploration, benefiting from the world-class facilities and the dynamic environment of Geelong Arts Centre.

In addition to their artistic endeavours, the Associate Artists will contribute to the broader Creative Engine program through workshops, mentorship, and ambassadorship roles, sharing their expertise with emerging artists to help strengthen and elevate the work of other creatives in the region.

The Associate Artist initiative is a key component of the expanded Creative Engine program, which, thanks to the generous support of The Ian Potter Foundation, continues to offer vital resources and opportunities for artists.

Creative Engine underscores Geelong Arts Centre’s commitment to nurturing the creative landscape of the region by providing artists with the tools they need to bring their visions to life.

JOEL BRAY

Naarm-based Joel Bray is a proud Wiradjuri dancer and performance-maker, and Artistic Director of Joel Bray Dance. He performed with European companies and choreographers and with CHUNKY MOVE. Joel’s dance-theatre encounters in unorthodox spaces spring from his Wiradjuri heritage, and use humour to engage audiences in rituals about sex, history, trauma and healing. Joel makes his work in collaboration with Elders, Community and Country.

Joel’s works- Biladurang, Dharawungara, Daddy, Considerable Sexual License, Garabari, Giraru Galing Ganhagirri and Homo Pentecostus - have toured to major arts festivals and galleries in Australia and overseas. Joel has made works for the Malthouse Theatre, Artshouse, CHUNKY MOVE, Sydney Dance Company, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Joel headshot B&W CONTACT@PIPPASAMAYA.COM

DAN GIOVANNONI

Dan Giovannoni is an award-winning playwright whose work spans across theatre for families, young people, and adults. His plays have been staged in diverse settings, from urban theatres to rural barns - captivating audiences with their emotional depth and vivid storytelling. Dan’s notable works include SLAP. BANG. KISS., Loaded (co-written with Christos Tsiolkas), and Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories. He has been honoured with multiple awards, including three Green Room Awards and a Helpmann Award. A graduate of NIDA, Dan currently resides on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne with his family, where he continues to develop new projects for Australian stages and beyond.

Dan Giovannoni