Musician, composer and sound engineer Jesse Austin-Stewart is among the seven artists named as recipients of the Arts Foundation Springboard 2022 programme. 

The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Springboard programme aims to kickstart arts careers with $15,000 of funding and mentorship from a senior artist from the Arts Foundation whānau.

A regular NZM contributor, from Rockquest-entrant days until his university music studies became too demanding, Jesse’s award discipline is noted as sound art.  

“Jesse Austin-Stewart is a sound artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa. He is an early-career emerging artist and is currently completing his PhD focusing on accessibility in spatial audio, looking particularly at barriers of finance, education, and disability and hearing. As an active sound artist, Jesse has written works for contemporary dance and film, created performance artworks and made installations, among other works which have been exhibited in New Zealand and abroad. As a producer and audio engineer, he has recorded work for short films, orchestra, solo artists and bands, small ensembles, opera, and various other configurations.”