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:

2023

Summer Research Scholarship: Margo Montes de Oca on environmental photography in Aotearoa. Supervised by Professor Susan Ballard Art History.

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 February each year, with decisions made in March.

Applications are assessed by an advisory group consisting of representatives from the Art History Programme, Te Pataka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts Massey University, the Woolf Family and is chaired by a representative from Te Herenga Waka – The Victoria University of Wellington Foundation.

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