A Kent Town artist has just been awarded South Australia's most prestigious arts fellowship  

After more than a decade as a practising artist, Dave Court has a good idea of what it takes to turn creativity into a lasting body of work.

In addition to a multidisciplinary practice that includes painting, sculpture, digital arts and multimedia installations, he is also the creative director of Kent Town's Washdog Studio. 

Located in the same building as fab Workshop and Studio, Washdog is a short walk from art gallery, Mezzanine 55, and Central Studios and sits in the centre of Kent Town's thriving creative village. 

So it's no surprise that it's more than simply a workspace. 

“Washdog is a space for people to collaborate and make things together,” Dave explains. 

“It's a place to connect, and to snowball everyone's skills and practices to make something better than the sum of its parts.” 

It's a riposte to the idea of the solitary artist creating works of genius in isolation. 

“I just think that idea is a myth,” Dave says. 

“Even if you're an artist in a room making stuff by yourself, you're drawing on something to make it, and that has to come from somewhere. 

So either on a creative level, or on admin and logistical support levels, everything is collaborative and relies on a network of people.” 

One of the major organisations that helps South Australian artists to make those connections is the non-profit Guildhouse. 

“They provide a lot of opportunities and different kinds of support for artists, which is super valuable because it's really hard to do that stuff on your own,” Dave says. 

That shared emphasis on collaboration made it even sweeter when Dave was recently announced as the recipient of the 2026 Guildhouse Fellowship. 

The prestigious award includes financial support and the opportunity to exhibit at the Art Gallery of South Australia. 

“It's a huge opportunity, and something that is rare for artists in SA,” he enthuses. 

"It feels like a big step to be recognised in this way, so this is a real affirmation for me. 

"I can't think of any other opportunity on this scale and with this much freedom, so it's super exciting. 

"I'm keen to dive into it and explore what this will allow me to do, and make.” 

The opportunity to work with two of the state's most prominent arts organisations represents an important career step. 

For 60 years, Guildhouse has been the main advocacy body for visual artists in South Australia, helping generations of artists and designers turn their creativity into sustainable careers. 

The organisation will celebrate that rich legacy with a retrospective exhibition presented in partnership with the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters in November. 

In the meantime, Court will be using the Guildhouse Fellowship to develop his next body of work. 

“I have a loose idea of what might happen, and it will be building on the work that I've been doing for the last few years,” he says. 

“But the idea over the next year and a half is to spend time experimenting and working with people and trying to figure out what's possible.” 

Guildhouse's 60^th anniversary retrospective exhibition will feature up to 30 artists at The Gallery in St Peters in November, visit their website for more details: Guildhouse