MAMA Art Foundation
For over 30 years, the MAMA Art Foundation has shared a passion for collecting art, and caring for the city’s art collection. The support the Foundation provides to the Museum enables us to be proactive in the management of our collection, making considered investments.
The Foundation works to extend the cultural impact of the Museum through the strengthening of our permanent collection, and the commissioning of culturally significant new works.
Support the Museum
All donations are received by the MAMA Art Foundation, and are tax deductible.
Foundation Mission
The MAMA Art Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting the Museum as an important cultural resource for the Murray region. The financial support provided by the Foundation advances the status of the Collection and critically, enables the Museum to respond to culture and demonstrate leadership in curation. The Foundation is supported by a Committee of members:
National Photography Prize
Every two years the National Photography Prize offers an opportunity to consider the vital role of photography in contemporary art in Australia. The National Photography Prize brings together artists from across Australia who are developing and challenging photographic language and techniques.
The Prize provides a forum for artists working with photography to present cohesive selections of work, or works in series, offering a depth of critical reflection that recognises the complexities and nuances of the history of the photograph and its contemporary manifestation.
Generously supported by the MAMA Art Foundation, the National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive first prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.
John & Margaret Baker Memorial Fellowship
Since early 2000, the Baker Family has sponsored the John and Margaret Baker Memorial Fellowship.
John and Margaret Baker along with four friends were tragically killed in a plane crash in 1998. Margaret was a talented and imaginative photographer.
The fellowship provides encouragement and financial assistance to an emerging photographer chosen from the finalists in the biennial National Photography Prize.
The $5000 award is not acquisitive, although one or more of the successful artist’s works may be purchased separately. The fellowship is open to all Australian citizens and residents.
Previous winners
Susan Moorhead Memorial Award
Supporting local emerging visual artists, the Susan Moorhead Memorial Award was established by Charles Sturt University Visual Arts Faculty in 2002 in memory of artist Susan Moorhead (1947-1990). The Award is now held in trust by the MAMA Art Foundation.
This award serves to honour Susan Moorhead’s life of commitment to the arts. During her short but distinguished professional life Susan was an art teacher, exhibiting artist, designer, sculptor and master crafts person.
The biennial award assists local artists in the development and realisation of their professional career. The award seeks to promote conceptual intelligence and original thinking, contemporary relevance and professional execution.
Since 2018, the Award became part of MAMA’s Open Call program. The Open Call invites artists from the Murray region to submit exhibition proposals for the coming year. Of the artists selected to present an exhibition, one will be chosen as the recipient of the Susan Moorhead Memorial Award. This artist will receive $2000 cash, in addition to their exhibiting artist fees. Artists are able to nominate themselves for the award during the Open Call application process.