Ian McDougall, Chair of leading Australian dance company Lucy Guerin Inc (LGI), has announced that Chloe Munro AO, the former LGI Chair who passed away in June 2021, has made a bequest of two million dollars – the largest ever for Australian contemporary dance – to the company, with specific obligations to its usage.
LGI will receive an amount of $500,000 for the development and presentation of new works and general operations. Ten mid-career artists will each receive fellowships of $100,000, and 10 independent artists will each receive fellowships of $50,000 for their professional and personal development. Munro was familiar with all of these artists through their work with LGI and as part of the Melbourne dance community.
McDougall said, “These fellowships will provide transformative and extraordinary support to the independent dance community. Chloe’s passion for contemporary dance and deep understanding of the hardships faced by independent artists surviving on intermittent work made her want to help. Chloe was generous throughout her lifetime. She wanted to support in a practical way, the art form that she loved.”
Munro was the inaugural chair of the federal government’s Clean Energy Regulator, and a visionary pioneer of a clean energy future. She was a distinguished leader in both the public and private sectors, with particular expertise in energy, climate change, infrastructure and natural resources, as well as an Independent chair, non-executive director, coach, mentor and trusted adviser. She served on LGI board of directors from May 2009 to June 2019, including her time as Chair from March 2013 onwards, during which time the company achieved significant growth.
LGI Artistic Director Lucy Guerin AO said, “Chloe Munro led the organisation with a down-to-earth and positive wisdom. Chloe believed in art as a meaningful and motivating aspect of society, and she drew strength and inspiration from her engagement with artists and from attending performances. In my roles as choreographer and Artistic Director of the company, she gave me courage and support. She was a wonderful mentor and left a vivid imprint on our organisation.”
Guerin added, “Chloe discussed the purpose of the fellowships and the recipients with LGI before she died, and the company will execute these directions according to her wishes. She was deeply sympathetic to artists, especially to independent dancers and choreographers who have struggled so much over the last few years. We intend to celebrate Chloe’s extraordinary generosity and her legacy, and will name our main studio at WXYZ Studios in North Melbourne in her honour.”
The recipients of the mid-career fellowships are: Alice Will Caroline, Alisdair Macindoe, Benjamin Hancock, Jo Lloyd, Joel Bray Dance, Lilian Steiner, Luke George, Melanie Lane, Rebecca Jensen and Stephanie Lake Company.
The recipients of the independent artist fellowships are: Amber McCartney, Geoffrey Watson, Harrison Hall, Jenni Large, Kyall Shanks, Lee Serle, Ngioka Bunda-Heath, Sarah Aiken, Siobhan McKenna and Tra Mi Dinh.
Led by Guerin, LGI is an Australian dance company renowned for the skill and originality of its small group of performers and dedicated to challenging and extending the art of contemporary dance. LGI realises this through the creation of new dance works which regularly tour nationally and internationally, and by supporting the work of emerging and established artists through its wide-ranging studio programs. In 2023, the Melbourne-based company will celebrate its 21st birthday.
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