Youth Arts Queensland Chief Executive Officer Julie Woodward has announced the successful applicants for Starburst Regional Mentoring Program 2010.

The 22 young artists and artsworkers from regional Queensland have been accepted to develop a creative project with guidance from a mentor between July and November this year.

“Starburst provides a unique career development opportunity for young Queensland creatives in the regions,” said Woodward.

“Through Starburst, they get the boost they need to create art in their local community with an industry professional or organisation by their side. This still doesn’t happen often enough and we are very excited to see what they will produce in the next few months.”

The successful applicants are aged 15 to 30 and practice a variety of artforms including music, visual arts, film, photography, as well as arts event management. Through Starburst, they can find out about careers in the arts and creative industries, plan and organise a creative project and take their creative work to the next level.

Grants of up to $2000 each are available to the successful applicants to assist them along the way. They are given the opportunity to connect with creative people and organisations that can support them and network with other artists in their local area.

“I have had so much feedback from my community from being a part of Starburst…people and businesses have come to me about performing at events they are holding,” said David Goodman from Blackall.

Another successful applicant, Rebecca Edwards of Cairns, used her Starburst funding to curate the Showcase exhibition featuring young, emerging and established Queensland artists at Cell Art Space.

Other Starburst Regional Mentoring Program 2010 participants include:

Aaron Ashley, Townsville; Adrian Harris, Pioneer Valley; Angeline Ignatius, Townsville; Arunya Olive, Mackay; Bonnie Simpson, Mackay; Brett Walsh, Cairns; Bronte Roper, Townsville; Cassie Baan, Toowoomba/Mt Tamborine; Claire Rawlins, Longreach; Coen Wilson, Longreach; Craig Wright, Sandstone Point; David Goodman, Blackall; ‘Giggidy Gigs’, Caboolture region; ‘The Honey Month’, Redcliffe; Jordan Grant, Townsville; Matthew Jeston, Mackay; Natasha Wills, Townsville; Rebecca Edwards, Cairns; Rosalind Harris, Townsville; Sterling AhSan, Deception Bay; Tamara Poole, Kingaroy; and Tim Yarham, Mt Isa.

Over the next four months, the 2010 Starburst Regional Mentoring Program participants will work with their professional mentor to share ideas, industry experience and build networks.

Starburst is an initiative of arts culture + me, the Queensland Government’s Children and Young People in the Arts Action Plan 2008/11, and artbeat, the Queensland Government’s Regional Arts and Culture Strategy 2010-2014.

Starburst is funded by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and managed by Youth Arts Queensland in collaboration with regional partners Crossroad Arts, Human Ventures, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and La Luna Youth Arts.

For more information on Starburst Regional Mentoring Program visit www.yaq.org.au/starburst