_Crown Resorts takes innovative approach to sourcing art
To line up with opening doors in Sydney, Crown Resorts designed the Crown Sydney Artist Initiative, which discovered and commissioned some of Australia’s finest artistic talent by inviting early career and emerging photographers to submit original works in five categories.
Image: Winners and finalists on display in the Crown Residences at One Barangaroo marketing suite
The Crown Sydney Artist Initiative received more than 3,000 entries and winners received cash prizes for an approximate total of $60,000. Winners and finalists will have their work showcased within the Crown Sydney Hotel Resort, Sydney’s first six-star hotel when it opens in February 2021, featured on the Crown Sydney Artist Initiative website, social media and published in the Art of Crown hardbound book, which will be featured in all Crown Resorts properties.
Image: Photographer and Judge Lynton Crabb
Overall winner Yan Kurniawan is a Sydney-based IT/Cloud Engineer. He is from Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia and moved to Sydney in 2014. Yan started developing his passion for landscape photography while he was working in Jakarta, the busiest city in Indonesia. Upon his big move, he fell in love with Australia’s diverse and breathtaking landscapes which gave him the opportunity to continue pursuing his passion for landscape photography. From the sparkling seas, rocky beaches, rugged outback terrain, dense tropical rainforests, snowy mountains, to the untamed wilderness and barren desert plains, Australia has offered Yan an endless exploration for landscape photography moments.
Image: Winner Yan Kurniawan with Todd Nisbet, Crown Sydney Artist Initiative Judge
Crown Resorts and the Packer Family Foundation have a long standing history of philanthropy and supporting the arts in Australia through various initiatives. Both organisations support arts education as a tool to improve academic achievement and offer new pathways to learning and teaching. In financial year 2019, $9.2m was allocated through 81 grants to arts organisations across Australia. The Arts Education Initiative open grants program will be allocating a further $19.2m worth of grants over three years (financial years 2020-2022) to over 60 recipient programs, in addition to supporting arts and cultural institutions across Australia.
Image: Winners and finalists on display in the Crown Residences at One Barangaroo marketing suite
The Crown Sydney Art Initiative Exhibition of the winning competition work will run from 20th November to 4th December 2019. The photos will be on display to the public in the AON building in the level 6 foyer starting 21st November.