Ronald Woolf Memorial Trust Endowment

The Art History Programme and Adam Art Gallery Te Pataka Toi at Victoria University of Wellington jointly administer the Ronald Woolf Memorial Trust Endowment—a generous gift of the Woolf family, presented to Victoria University of Wellington in 2015 in recognition of the contribution to photography by the late Ronald Woolf.

This Endowment provides funds for projects that support young photographers, students studying the history and practice of photography, and emerging curators of photography.

Funds are allocated on an annual or biennial basis towards exhibitions, symposia and publications that further the Endowment’s educational and creative aims. The Endowment is managed by the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation.

Projects funded to date:

2021

Contributions towards anthology of key texts on New Zealand photography;Tina Barton, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery

2021

Contributions towards funding emerging photographers to take photographs for an illustrated book; Lachlan Taylor, author

2018

Contribution towards Still looking: Peter McLeavey and the last photograph, edited by Geoffrey Batchen, Adam Art Gallery exhibition catalogue accompanying the exhibition of the same title, curated by Batchen and his 2017 Art History Honours class.

2017

Contribution towards Apparitions: the photograph and its image, edited by Geoffrey Batchen, Adam Art Gallery exhibition catalogue accompanying the exhibition of the same title, curated by Batchen and his 2017 Art History Honours class.

Application for funding

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington warmly welcomes applications from emerging photographers, curators, writers, researchers, students and graduates of Photography, Fine Arts, and Art History (or related disciplines), for grants between $1,000 and $10,000, for projects that advance the purposes of the Ronald Woolf Memorial Trust Endowment.

The purposes of the Endowment are to foster and better understand photography as a medium, art form, technology, and critical tool for thinking about how and why we seek to represent the world.

Relevant projects might include (but are not restricted to) research towards, production costs for, costs associated with exhibitions, publications, and symposia that engage with photography and advance knowledge and understanding of the medium. Grants for a dedicated course of study or to attend relevant conferences or events will also be considered. Applications for equipment and technical supplies will not be considered.

Applications for funding from New Zealand-based individuals or NZ citizens are welcome.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is the last Friday in November each year, with decisions made in December.

Applications are assessed by an advisory group currently consisting of Associate Professor Susan Ballard (Art History), Associate Professor Christina Barton (Director, Adam Art Gallery), Shaun Waugh (artist and lecturer in Photography, Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, Massey University), Deborah Hart (representing the Woolf family) and is chaired Rosalene Fogel (VUW Foundation).

For 2023 the Trust will be funding Summer Research Scholarships. Proposals will open again in mid-2024.

For more information on the fund contact: Tina Barton tina.barton@vuw.ac.nz, or for assisting with the application process contact development-office@vuw.ac.nz