A lifetime’s impact delivers an award for emerging artists with a disability
Applications are now open for this year’s Dawn Slade-Faull Award, which awards $5000 to an emerging artist with a disability.
For over 35 years, the Dawn Slade-Faull Award has aimed to empower South Australian emerging artists with disability.
The biennial award is named for one of our state’s pioneering ceramic artists, who later became a disability advocate.
Born and raised in Adelaide, Dawn Slade-Faull began her career as a potter in 1960, at a time when Australia was undergoing a revival in studio ceramics – moving from functional to the decorative – yet there were few Australian women ceramicists.
By every account, she was an outstanding glaze artist and an excellent teacher, and from 1967-74 she was director of the Slade School of Pottery and the Benwerrin Potters.
“It became a bit of a centre for artists,” said her son, Chris Faull, who is a filmmaker.
The school’s place within the ceramics, wider artistic and oftentimes avant-garde community is captured by Faull in a discussion between Slade-Faull’s niece, Kath Lovell, and one of her first apprentices, Steve Wigg.
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Wigg spoke about her experimenting with firings and her willingness to share these learnings with other ceramic artists: “I think in craft at that time, there was a lot of secrecy – ‘this is my recipe’, ‘this is my secret technique’ – none of that was Dawn, it was all open.”
Dawn Slade-Faull was well known for her glaze artistry
As well, Slade-Faull was a great advocate and change agent for people with a disability, in later life holding posts with posts with The Australian Red Cross, The Independent Living Centre and The Intellectual Disability Services Council.
“Working in The Red Cross gave her a lot of firsthand exposure to people of different abilities and physical incapacities [who] were doing art, and I think she thought ‘well, this is something that I can [relate to and work] with’,” Lovell said.
Because of her own rheumatoid arthritis, Slade-Faull had given up pottery prior to undertaking this advocacy work.
At The Australian Red Cross, she set up the creative activities department with 21 full-time and 21 part-time instructors teaching painting, drawing, crafts and more to disabled and frail elderly persons.
Following Slade-Faull’s death in 1987, her brother Dr John Slade AM and his colleagues initiated the Dawn Slade-Faull Award, initially funding it through the sale of her artwork.
Today, Chris Faull is chair of the trustees.
“I only got involved about 15 years ago when I moved back to Adelaide,” said Faull.
“The then trustees were getting on, some in their 80s and 90s.”
Faull brought onboard a new generation to continue their good work with the award.
“Ever since then, it’s sort of grown and grown, and we’ve got some really skilled, energised people working with us now,” he said.
“Disability in art can often be overlooked but it has an immensely positive impact on the community as well as the artists themselves.
“Being able to assist emerging artists with disability to take the next step in their careers, we hope can inspire others to pursue their passions and generate greater awareness of their talents.”
The biennial award grants $5000 to an artist to encourage them to realise their potential in their chosen medium.
Past winners include Steph Fuller (2024), Yankunytjatjara artist Linda Puna (2017), Chelle Destefano (2014) and award-winning contemporary artist Richard Maurovic.
Aside from the financial impact, Faull hopes the award will bring the recipients greater acknowledgement of their artistic work, whatever the medium.
Entries close midnight on Friday, 4 July 2025, with the winner announced in late July.
Enter via the website.
