Supporting Women and the Arts: Embracing the Role of Patron

Truthfully, I’m still getting comfortable with calling myself a patron. Since I stepped into the philanthropic space about 3 years ago, it has been an iterative process and something I’m still in the process of learning a lot about.

Through my short time as a philanthropist, however, two clear threads are emerging: women and girls, and the arts. 

Putting my money where my mouth is

In my first year of structured giving, I combined the six-city, international tour of my play THE CULTURE with a donation to a women’s shelter or domestic violence charity in each city. The play explores themes of domestic violence and coercive control, so it felt fitting to give back to the sector who are working so hard in this space. We encouraged our audience members to make their own contributions, and in total we raised $14.6k for DV support in Australian and New Zealand.

Sharing the experience of giving

In my second year, I invited members of my family to choose a charity for a small $2k donation on behalf of my foundation. Our contributions covered a range of organisations and needs, and it was something special to share the giving process with those close to me.

Supporting female creatives

This year, I’ve taken a slightly different approach. In recent months, I’ve been showing up online more. I’ve been telling my stories on social media, and writing pieces like this – and an intersection emerged: I had been supporting women, and I had been supporting art, but this year I committed to supporting female artists.

This deeper cohesion included; joining Sydney Film Festival’s Women’s Giving Collective - a fund designed to support and foreground female filmmakers; joining The Salon - a part of Sydney Writer’s Festival which highlights and supports a debut female writer; and attending, reviewing and support female led works as a patron of The Sydney Festival.

So I’m learning to be brave

I’m growing into a new set of labels this year. Content Creator. Blogger. Novellist. Mum of Two. Patron. Philanthropist. These join a stack of existing hats that I already wear with pride. Playwright. Children’s Book Author. Wife. Mother. Sister. Friend. Daughter. And as a female creative myself, I will continue to champion the incredible work the women around me are making.

So if you’ve seen something wonderful, if you’re creating something yourself, or if you know some women who deserve a shout out, or deserve support – let me know!