New Executive Director for Art Gallery Society of New South Wales
The Art Gallery Society of New South Wales has announced the appointment of Yvette Pratt as Executive Director. Pratt previously served as the Society’s Chief Operating Officer for two years.
Art Gallery Society President, Sue Jackson, said, ‘Yvette comes to the role with a proven track record of furthering our vision to be the leading arts museum membership organisation. Our members look forward to the passion, joy and commitment to service that Yvette brings to her new leadership role and to the arts!’
Pratt is also President of the Australian Federation of Friends of Museums. She previously held the position of Head of Education and Engagement Centre at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Public Programs Manager at the National Gallery of Victoria, among other public engagement roles. Recognised as a skilled leader, she comes to the role with a background in company direction, education, engagement and information technology.
Pratt said of her appointment: ‘With the expansion of the campus through the opening of Naala Badu and the dynamism of the Art Gallery’s program, there are so many opportunities to delight our members, grow our membership and support the Art Gallery. I am excited about the current and future programming plans for our passionate community of members.’
Canberra Writers Festival appoints new CEO
Canberra Writers Festival (CWF) has appointed Travis Green as Chief Executive Officer to shape the long-term future of the Festival.
Green, who takes up his new role on 3 June, brings significant festival and cultural events experience to the position, and will shape the Festival’s management and operations as CEO.
CWF Chair Jane O’Dwyer said, ‘Travis brings a wonderful combination of festival and cultural event management, and strategic nous and vision. He will play a lead role in ensuring the Festival is long a loved and special feature of the life of our national capital.
‘He and our dynamic Artistic Director Beejay Silcox will be an extraordinary leadership team, and the Board is confident that Canberrans will be delighted with our new Spring Festival, literary events throughout the year and emerging links with fellow Canberra cultural events and celebrations,’ said O’Dwyer.
Green said of his new role: ‘Joining the Canberra Writers Festival to work alongside Artistic Director Beejay Silcox and the CWF Board is an exciting opportunity. Contributing to this beloved literary Festival is a great honour and I can’t wait to get involved and deliver an engaging Writers Festival to the Canberra audience.’
This year’s Canberra Writers Festival takes place from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 October 2024, making Canberra the only Australian capital city to host a writers’ festival in the last quarter of the year and ensuring that CWF – and its community – is poised for the freshest new releases, and able to capitalise on the late-year flood of new publications. Full program details will be revealed later this year.
New CEO joins CIAF
Following an extensive national search, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) has announced Dennis Stokes’ appointment as Chief Executive Officer.
Stokes hails from Darwin and belongs to the Wardaman, Luritja and Warramunga peoples of the Northern Territory and the Wagadagam people of the Torres Strait. His extensive career includes pivotal roles, such as CEO of Mimi Aboriginal Art & Craft, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute and First Nations Media Australia.
With a distinguished career spanning two decades in the arts and media sector, Stokes brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to empowering First Nations voices and self-determination in the arts.
‘I am deeply honoured to join CIAF as CEO. I aim to work with our diverse communities, stakeholders, sponsors and philanthropists across Queensland and the nation to advance a shared vision of empowering First Nations voices and achieving self-determination in the arts sector,’ Stokes said.
CIAF Chair, Dr Bianca Beetson, welcomed Stokes and thanked outgoing general manager Darrell Harris for his management since 2020.
‘I would like to thank Darrell Harris for his leadership, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when CIAF needed to pivot almost overnight to a digital-only event,’ she said.
‘We are thrilled to have Dennis join us as CEO to lead CIAF into its next evolution. His knowledge and understanding of Indigenous arts and culture organisations and his strategic leadership will help propel CIAF into a new era of innovation and impact.’
Stokes commenced his appointment with CIAF in May.
CIAF 2024 runs from 25-28 July in Cairns, Queensland.
Chair appointed to the National Cultural Heritage Committee
The Albanese Labor Government has announced the appointment of Professor Martin Gibbs as the Chair of the National Cultural Heritage Committee for a three-year term.
The National Cultural Heritage Committee is responsible for advising the Government on important matters regarding Australia’s cultural heritage. It plays a critical role in the protection of Australian and foreign cultural heritage by providing advice on the export of items of cultural significance. The Committee also assesses funding applications from the National Cultural Heritage Committee.
Gibbs has worked in the university and academic sectors for 30 years. He is a Professor of Australian Archaeology at the University of New England and has previously held academic positions at the University of Sydney, James Cook University and the University of Western Australia.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said Gibbs’ expertise and professional experience made him an ideal candidate for the role of Chair.
‘Cultural heritage is incredibly important, whether we’re talking about Australian items being held overseas, or items we have here,’ Burke said.
‘The National Cultural Heritage Committee plays an invaluable role in making sure those items are returned to where they belong.
‘Martin’s extensive knowledge in this field will be integral to that work,’ he concluded.
AYO announces new Chair
Professor Scott Harrison has been appointed as the Australian Youth Orchestra’s (AYO) new Chair, succeeding Ben Rimmer, who had held the role since 2017.
Harrison is currently Assistant Vice Chancellor (Cultural Curation and Community Partnerships) and Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education and Law) at Griffith University, Australia. Prior to this, he served as Director of Queensland Conservatorium from 2013 to 2019. Harrison has been on the Board of AYO since 2022. A former opera singer, he is widely known for his research in music pedagogy, music and health and employability in the arts.
‘I am delighted to become Chair of AYO at this time and to be working closely with CEO Kimbali Harding. The recent uplift in ARTS8 funding allows AYO to plan with certainty for the future, and we have some exciting plans to unveil in the coming weeks and months. We are particularly thrilled to be returning to international touring after a hiatus of six years,’ he said.
Harrison also acknowledged the leadership of Ben Rimmer. ‘The AYO is in excellent shape as a result of Ben’s time as chair through some of the most challenging periods for the sector,’ he said.
Kimbali Harding said of the appointment, ‘Professor Harrison’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to young people in the arts and education align perfectly with our mission. He champions the transformative power of classical music and advocates for innovation and inclusivity in program design. I am excited that we will have his leadership to help AYO continue to prepare the next generation of artists for our rapidly changing world.’
New Fiction Editor joins Meanjin
Literary journal Meanjin has announced the appointment of Claire Cao as Fiction Editor.
Cao is a writer and editor living on Darug land. Her fiction, poetry and arts criticism has been published in ArtReview, Voiceworks, The Guardian, Going Down Swinging, Cordite Poetry Review, LIMINAL, Frankie and more. She is Film Editor for The Big Issue Australia and was Kill Your Darlings’ 2022 New Critic. Cao is one of the screenwriters of the feature film Here Out West, and has worked as an assistant programmer at the Sydney Film Festival. She is a former Fiction Editor of Voiceworks, and judged The Big Issue Australia’s 2022 and 2023 Fiction Editions.
‘I’m thrilled to be the next Fiction Editor for Meanjin – particularly as a long-time and regular reader of the journal. Meanjin has always published some of the most exciting, inventive and politically-conscious fiction in Australia, and I’m extremely excited to be part of that process,’ Cao said.
Editor Esther Anatolitis added: ‘I’m so happy to welcome Claire as Fiction Editor. The way Claire articulates what she looks for in superb fiction is truly energising: I admire her focus on work that creates an intimacy, a sense of urgency, a discomfort and an introspection that expands our perspectives. I find myself asking new questions about what fiction makes possible. I very much look forward to the cultural contribution Claire’s selections will make – our readers will be delighted. And finally, from the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank our outgoing Fiction Editor, Tess Smurthwaite, for the dedication and great care she has devoted to the role. Enjoy her final selections in Meanjin 83.2 Winter 2024.”
Claire Cao’s first edition as Fiction Editor will be Meanjin 83.3 Spring 2024.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs appoint Executive Director
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs has appointed Matthew Beale as Executive Director. A seasoned arts professional with over 30 years’ experience working in choral music organisations, Beale joins Sydney Philharmonia Choirs from the UK, where – for the past nine years – he has worked alongside renowned Choral Director Suzi Digby OBE as Chief Executive of the critically acclaimed ORA Singers.
Under Beale’s strategic leadership this newly formed professional choral company swiftly rose to prominence, earning numerous industry awards – including the Opus Klassik for best ensemble, Germany’s highest music prize – within its first five years; initiating ground-breaking new collaborations; commissioning over 60 new choral works and recording 10 critically acclaimed albums, which in turn achieved global radio play.
With a passionate belief in the transformative power of singing and a strong commitment to fostering new and under-supported talent, Beale introduced the ORA Singers’ Young Composers’ Scheme, aimed at underprivileged state school students, and the Graduate Showcase, providing opportunities for composers in the early stage of their professional careers. He is also a former professional operatic tenor, having performed roles at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, Berlin’s Staatsoper and Venice’s Teatro La Fenice.
Beale will work alongside Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Artistic and Music Director, Brett Weymark OAM, and Associate Music Director Elizabeth Scott, to build on the organisation’s long-standing history of excellence, and cement its national and global reputation.
‘We are delighted to appoint such an influential and highly respected figure within the global choral music sector. Matthew’s sound management and leadership background, along with his exemplary understanding of global best practice in arts management, are just what is needed to oversee the organisation’s next phase of growth and extended national profile,’ said Chair Elizabeth Metanios.
Brett Weymark added: ‘I could not be happier to be welcoming Matthew to the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs family, precisely as an exciting new chapter begins. I look forward to working together to meaningfully extend the Choirs’ programs and influence, by engaging more innovatively within our diverse community, and facilitating new world-class opportunities for Australian voices to be heard at the highest level.’
Beale himself said: ‘Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is a world-class organisation with an amazing reputation and history, and one that I have admired for some time, so I am delighted to be joining at this pivotal moment, as the company looks to its future, locally, nationally and internationally.
‘Brett Weymark and Elizabeth Scott bring choral music alive with their energy, experience and dedication, and their passion is echoed not only within their established choirs, but also by the 1000-plus singers who are part of our community programs each year. I’m excited to be working with them all, as well as building on the partnerships that the company already enjoys with some of Australia’s most recognised cultural institutions.
‘I look forward to enhancing the Choirs’ exceptional legacy and ensuring that it truly represents the vibrancy, vitality, variety and vision of modern Australia,’ he concluded.
New Director to join Wollongong Art Gallery
Daniel Mudie Cunningham has been appointed as the new Director of Wollongong Art Gallery following the retirement of outgoing Director, John Monteleone.
‘We’re looking forward to welcoming Daniel to the Gallery from 12 August 2024. He brings with him a wealth of experience as a leading artist, curator, writer and lecturer,’ a Gallery spokesperson announced on Instagram.
