26 Stories
Thank you to all the donors that made my story possible. Your donations can no longer be counted in dollars and cents; instead they will now be counted in stories of new experiences and opportunities
For Michelle Lim, ceramic artist, the support she has received through the generosity of donors equates to much more than money.
In 2010 Michelle Lim was awarded the Sir Geoffrey Yeend Honours Scholarship to support her during the honours year of a Bachelor of Design Arts in Ceramics at the ANU School of Art. As part of her study Lim created a work called '26 Stories' which was inspired by her home town, Singapore.
The work contains 26 ceramic dining sets that are designed for compact living and can also be taken apart to build a miniature city. It reflects Singapore's towering landscape as well as tackling deeper issues such as marginalisation, racism and nostalgia. It also pays tribute to the Samsui women whose skills and hard work literally laid Singapore's foundations.
Lim reflects that her scholarship did a lot more than just lighten the load of her university fees: "The scholarship has given me pride and confidence, knowing that the work I have put in has not only been recognised but rewarded by one of the top universities and the academics that supported the decision."
Lim also received the 2009 ANU School of Art Travelling Scholarship in Ceramics. She put this towards a visit to China, where she observed and worked with the country's most reputable bone china factory and attended the Annual International Ceramic Arts Symposium. The trip connected her with some of the world's best ceramic artists and helped influence '26 Stories'.
"Without the scholarship, I would not have seen the amazing respect and honour that China has for the art of ceramics. To see police escorts for ceramic artists was such a novel thing. But what I learnt during that trip is that China has an unmoveable faith in the arts and ceramics, which I never would have known if not for the trip."
The next part of Lim's story is yet to be written - she plans to return to Singapore, begin her PhD and open her own studio. "I will use the same energy and fire that ANU has instilled in me to pursue my dream of reviving the ceramics and craft scene by opening my own studio practice. My hope is to then expand it so that one day I can invite the great artists I have met overseas in China and Australia to Singapore."
