In June 2019, Create NSW invited Expressions of Interest from arts and cultural leaders to join Create NSW Artform Advisory Boards.

The purpose of the Artform Advisory Boards is to assess applications made to the Arts and Cultural Funding Program to provide recommendations and advise the Minister on strategic directions for the sector.

The announcement follows changes to the Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program in June this year which included the convening of Boards to prepare funding recommendations.

72 Board Members have been confirmed to join the following Board Chairs:

• Aboriginal Arts & Culture Board – Wesley Enoch
• Classical Music Board – Naseema Sparks AM
• Contemporary Music Board – Ben Marshall
• Dance & Physical Theatre Board – Karen Moses
• Literature Board – Jennifer Byrne
• Multi-arts & Festivals Board – Ross Harley
• Museums & History Board – Kim McKay AO
• Opera, Musical Theatre & Chorus Board – Rory Jeffes
• Theatre Board – Noel Staunton
• Visual Arts Board – Simon Mordant AM

The first round of assessments by the Boards will take place throughout October 2019.

Aboriginal Arts & Culture Board

Chair: Wesley Enoch – Artistic Director Sydney Festival. Playwright and Director of some of Australia’s most iconic Indigenous theatre productions. Previous roles include Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company, Kooemba Jdarra (Brisbane), Ilibijerri (Melbourne), Resident Director for Sydney Theatre Company, Associate Artistic Director of Belvoir, a Trustee of the Sydney Opera House and a director of the Indigenous Section of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.

Members:

• Rhoda Roberts – Head of First Nations Programming, Sydney Opera House. A Bundjalung woman from northern NSW, Rhoda is a producer, actor and director who works as a consultant, speaker and performer in theatre, film, television and radio. Founder and former Artistic Director of the Festival of Dreaming.
• Sharni Jones – Manager, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Collection, Australian Museum. Background in contemporary Australian visual arts, has 23 years of professional practice engagement working with major cultural institutions and government agencies.
• Brook Andrew – Interdisciplinary artist and Artistic Director of the 22^nd Biennale of Sydney. Associate Professor, Monash University and past research fellow at Smithsonian Institute Artist Research Fellowship with Federal Government Australian Research Council project.
• Alison Murphy-Oates – Managing Director, Moogahlin Performing Arts since 2014. Worked in Strategy and Policy for Arts NSW with over ten years’ experience in arts administration and producing in the independent small-to-medium theatre sector.
• Jamie-Lea Trindall – Executive Director at Outback Arts in Regional NSW as an arts and cultural leader. Has worked in remote communities for the past ten years with previous experience in fine arts.
• Alison Williams – Creative Director, Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Recognised as one of the leading contemporary Indigenous artists on the North Coast of NSW and has provided leadership as a spokesperson for the cultural heritage of Australian Indigenous persons.
• Bee Cruse – Self-employed storyteller and independent artist with previous roles as Documentary producer in Alice Springs and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Solid Ground initiative with Carriageworks.

Museums & History Board

Chair: Kim McKay AO – Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, responsible for strategic planning and management of the nation’s first museum, including a collection of over 21 million natural science and cultural objects. Kim is the co-founder of the Clean Up Australia organisation and the Clean Up The World campaign, a project held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and which operates in over 100 countries. She co-created The Genographic Project for National Geographic which traces humankind’s genetic history over the past 60,000 years and is the author of five books.

Members:

• Dr Brian Lindsay – Chair of the Board of the NSW State Archives and Records Authority (SARA).
• Peter Watts AM – Former Museum Director at Historic Houses Trust of NSW (now Sydney Living Museums) with participation in the Steering Committee for the redevelopment of Walsh Bay and the redevelopment of HMAS Platypus for the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Additionally, Chair of Trustees, Museum in Victoria.
• Clothilde Bullen – Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Exhibitions and Collections. Previously, Curator of Indigenous Art, Art Gallery of Western Australia and an Alumni member, British Council Accelerate Scholarship for Indigenous Leadership in the Arts.
• Michael Rolfe – CEO of Museums and Galleries of NSW. Previous roles as inaugural Director, Hazlehurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, Director, Mosman Art Gallery and Director of Tamworth City Gallery.
• Christine Yeats – President at the Royal Australian Historical Society and former Treasurer, Australian Society of Archivists. Held roles as NSW State Liaison Officer and Chair of the Assessment Sub-committee UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee and has expertise in archival research, archives management, record management and historical research.
• Julie Baird – Director, Newcastle Museum, with recent roles as Deputy Director, Newcastle Museum, Curator at the National Motor Museum and Senior Curator, History Trust of South Australia.
• Madeleine Scully – Community Services Manager, Wagga Wagga City Council, with previous roles as Regional Museum Officer and Museum Manager at the Museums of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga.

Visual Arts Board

Chair: Simon Mordant AM – Chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art, a director of MOMA PS1 in New York, a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome, a member of the International Council of the MOMA, the Executive Committee of the Tate International Council, the Wharton Executive Board for Asia and the NSW Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. Executive Co-Chairman at Luminis Partners with experience as a director of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Australian Commissioner for the Venice Biennale, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Deputy President of the Takeovers Panel 2000-2010. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Members:

• Maud Page – Deputy Director and Director of Collections at Art Gallery of New South Wales with a career spanning two decades including roles as Deputy Director at Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and Senior Curator of Pacific Art.
• Emily McDaniel – Independent curator, writer and educator from the Kalari Clan of the Wiradjuri nation in central New South Wales. Her practice centres on truth telling, storytelling and resurfacing histories through the work of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
• Steven Alderton – Director and CEO at National Art School. Accomplished and entrepreneurial Senior Executive with 25 years’ experience in visual arts and education.
• Brigette Uren – Program Director at Arts in Health Infrastructure with two decades experience delivering outstanding business outcomes for dynamic cultural organisations including three years as director at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
• Michael Dagostino – Director at Campbelltown Arts Centre, Board Member at Sydney Writers’ Festival, Accessible Arts, FBi Radio. Member of Sydney Culture Network and NSW State Government Arts and Cultural advisory Committee with over 21 years’ experience in the contemporary arts sector.
• Susi Muddiman OAM – Gallery Director, Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre and Board Member ant Museums & Galleries of NSW. Highly regarded leader of the gallery and museum sector in Australia, with a strong interest in and commitment to enhancing gallery performance and presenting.
• Richard Perram OAM – Served as Director of Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) for 14 years. During this time he developed BRAG into one of the leading regional contemporary art museums in NSW.
• Lauretta Morton – Director of Newcastle Art Gallery with over 35 years’ experience in the visual arts and creative industries sectors in both private and government organisations in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Multi-arts & Festivals Board

Chair: Ross Harley – Dean of UNSW Art & Design and UNSW Chair of Arts and Culture, Professor Harley is an award-winning artist, writer and educator whose career crosses the bounds of traditional and creative arts research. His video and sound work has been presented at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, New York MoMA, Ars Electronica in Austria, the Biennale of Sydney, and at the Sydney Opera House.

Members:

• Brendan Wall – Director of Engagement and Development at the Sydney Opera House. Experience includes national and international strategy, communications, advisory, and cultural diplomacy roles such as Director of Creative Enterprise at UNSW Sydney; Director of Strategy and Planning at the Australia Council for the Arts; and Senior Advisor for Arts & Culture to the Victorian Government.
• Chris Tooher AO – Long-term Executive Director of Sydney Festival and former General Manager, Bell Shakespeare Company. Previous roles include production and programming at Sydney Opera House and Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
• Kate Dundas – Mentor and consultant to Board Executives in the arts, with previous roles as the Executive Director, Performing Arts at Sydney Opera House, Deputy Secretary Arts & Culture, NSW Government and Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
• Kerri Glasscock – Director and CEO, Sydney Fringe Festival and co-chair City of Sydney’s Nightlife and Creative Sector Advisory Panel. Previously founder and Director of the Old 505 Theatre in Surry Hills and curator for the small to medium independent theatres and live music venues.
• Peter Wood – Executive Director, Arts Norther Rivers. Has previously held senior roles at Sydney Opera House, Company B Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare and Historic Houses Trust NSW. Additional experience as Marketing and Sponsorship Director, Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
• Mouna Zaylah – Business Coordinator at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Previously Artistic and Cultural Programs Manager at Information & Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.), Parramatta. Additionally held administration roles at Casula Powerhouse and co-founded and co-directed the nationally recognised Arab Film Festival.
• Jeff Khan – Artistic Director and CEO, Performance Space, with previous experience as the Artistic Director for Melbourne’s Next Wave Festival. Former curator in contemporary dance, experimental theatre and music, visual arts and sound.
• Edwina Johnson – Director of Byron Writers Festival with experience across writers’ festivals in Sydney and Paris. Prior experiences includes work for publishing companies, Allen & Unwin, Hachette and HarperCollins. 

Classical Music Board

Chair: Naseema Sparks AM– Chair and Trustee of the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales (Sydney Living Museums) as well as SLM Foundation Director. Former Managing Director of global advertising company M&C Saatchi with a wealth of philanthropic expertise. Serves on a number of boards including ASX-listed, private equity companies, education and arts Boards, including Biennale of Sydney.

Members:

• Casey  Green – Classical Music Producer at the Sydney Opera House. Board member for Ensemble Apex and formerly Orchestra and Operations Manager, Sydney Youth Orchestras.
• Paul Dyer AO – Artistic director and co-founder of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir for almost 30 years. A specialist Keyboardist, including Harpsichord, Fortepiano and Chamber Organ: period instruments of the Baroque and Classical periods.
• David  Francis – Executive Director, Four Winds, delivering the Easter Festival. Managerial and directorial experience with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Arts Council England.
• Professor Matthew  Hindson – Australia Council for the Arts Board Member, with previous Music Board experience. Deputy Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and a Composer of 30 years.
• Caroline Downer – Executive Director at Arts North West Regional Arts Board. Arts and Cultural leader, Gallery Director and previous Manager Orpheus Music and classical music festivals.
• Ryley Gillen – Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Illawarra On Pointe Productions.  Strong classical music experience with Ensembles and Chamber Music and was Principal Trumpet, Sydney Contemporary Orchestra and  NSW Corrective Services Band.
• Mary Jo Capps AM – Recent long-term CEO, Musica Viva Australia. Non-Executive Director Australian Festival of Chamber Music with experience in other executive roles including Deputy Chair AMPAG and Chair of Board of Directors Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers House.

Contemporary Music Board

Chair: Ben Marshall – Head of Contemporary Music at the Sydney Opera House and has curated Vivid LIVE since 2014. Producer, promoter and radio presenter with more than 20 years’ experience in the Australian music scene.

Members:

• John Oddy – Legal Counsel at Australian Recording Industry Association, ARIA. Experiencein Dispute Resolution and Litigation with Marque Lawyers and as a volunteer at Arts Law Centre, Australia and Redfern Legal Centre.
• Emily Collins – Managing Director of MusicNSW. Contemporary music advocate and Chair of the Australian Music Industry Network and panellist on the City of Sydney’s Night Life and Creative Sector advisory panel.
• Lee McIver – General Manger, Synergy & Taikoz, representing two of the most unique and world-renowned percussion ensembles.
• Philip Mortlock – Long-timeCreative Director at ORiGiN Music with a wealth of experience in the contemporary music arena. Previous industry involvement includes Head of Repertoire, Albert Music and Managing Director Warner Music Australia.
• Maria Mitar – Independent singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Cultural Arts collective, working across contemporary and cultural music practices in Western Sydney. Previously worked in sector development, including local and State Government, Music NSW, Live Music Office, regional arts organisations and FBi Radio.
• Paul Scott-Williams – CEO and Artistic Director of Hume Conservatoriumsince 2011. With extensive experience as a performer, arts educator and arts advocate, his history of music education includes degrees from NSW conservatorium, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) and Monash University, Melbourne.
• Michelle Hall – Director of Aboriginal music strategy at Orana Arts. Previously a Client Manager for ATSIA, Theatre and community arts and cultural development at the Australia Council for the Arts. Developed, implemented and evaluated contemporary music initiatives within rural and regional NSW.
• Nikki Brogan – Managing Director at FBi Radio, with prior roles as Copyrighter, Content and Production Manager at the station. Previous experience as Freelance Writer and Native Editor at Pedestrian Television. 

Dance & Physical Theatre Board

Chair: Karen Moses FAICD – Former Chair of Sydney Dance Company with directorships of Charter Hall, Orica, Boral and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Over ten years’ experience as a listed Company Director, over 20 years’ as a Company Director and over 30 years’ experience in the energy industry spanning oil, gas, electricity and coal commodities and upstream production, supply and retail.

Members: 

• Olivia Ansell – Head of Contemporary Performance at the Sydney Opera House, with previous roles as co-executive producer of immersive experience Hidden Sydneyand Executive Producer of Shaun Parker & Company, which toured to Sadler’s Wells in the UK and to Europe.
• Lucinda Dunn OAM – Artistic Director of the Tanya Pearson Academy and Sydney City Ballet, following 23 years (14 as principal dancer) touring nationally and internationally with The Australian Ballet. Previous experience includes the Royal Ballet School, London, Birmingham Royal Ballet Companies.
• Professor Elizabeth More AM MAICD – Shaun Parker and Company Board Member with wide-ranging experience on the boards of Sydney Dance Company and   Prior experience as Chair of Ausdance NSW and Ausdance National following an extensive career in classical ballet.
• Kim Walker – CEO NAISDA Dance College, with two years’ experience on the board of Ausdance NSW. Freelance director and choreographer, with previous roles as principal dancer, Sydney Dance Company and choreographer for the MPACs and long-term Artistic Director, Flying Fruit Fly Circus.
• Colm O’Callaghan – Executive Producer, Force Majeure for over five years with experience as Company Manager & Rough Drafts Producer, Sydney Theatre Company. Sits on the board of Ausdance National and has a wealth of experience working with culturally diverse communities.
• Adam Deusien – Artistic Director at Lingua Franca, Bathurst, with interdisciplinary physical theatre experience of more than 12 years. Former Artistic Associate with Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and 2016 recipient of a Create NSW Regional Arts Fellowship.
• Lee Pemberton – Influential dance artist and choreographer with a career in regional arts leadership spanning over 35 years, working with youth at risk for more than five years as Director of fLiNG Physical Theatre. Mentor to emerging choreographers and in 2016 was a Create NSW Regional Arts Fellow.

Literature Board

Chair: Jennifer Byrne – Acclaimed journalist, television presenter and former book publisher. Former host of the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s (ABC) long running program First Tuesday Book Club. National Arts School Board Member and long-time ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Program.

Members:

• Samantha Hagan – Manager of Literary Awards and Public Programming at the State Library of NSW and inaugural Board Member of the Stella Awards Board.
• Jane McCredie – CEO of Writing NSW Writer, journalist and a former book publisher. Award-winning science and medicine writer and author of Making Girls and Boys: Insidethe science of sex. Co-editor of The Best Australian Science Writing 2013.
• Jesse Blackadder – Freelance writer, journalist and award-winning author of seven novels for adults and children. Emerging screenwriter, public speaker and a creative writing teacher and youth literacy advocate.
• Johanna Featherstone – Poet and Red Room Poetry founder, research associate with The University of Western Sydney and an honorary associate of The University of Sydney’s School of Letters Arts and Media.
• Felicity Castagna – Holds multiple positions as both a writer, community arts worker and academic, with published works produced for ABC Radio National and ABC television and her work and winner of the Prime Minister’s Literature Award (YA) in 2013 for The Incredible Here and Now.
• Michael Campbell – Executive Director of WestWords, with 35 years’ experience as an arts consultant and strategist, editor, writer, events manager, artistic director, CEO, director of theatre and opera, as well as a dancer and choreographer.

 Opera, Musical Theatre & Chorus Board

Chair: Rory Jeffes – Opera Australia CEO with prior experience as Managing Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Additional senior management experience at leading not-for-profit organisations including Outward Bound Trust UK & Australia as well as HRH The Prince of Wales’ Youth Business Trust. Founding CEO of the world’s first “virtual” charity, YouthNet UK, an innovative web-based information resource for young people.

Members:

• John Frost AM – Theatre producer at the Gordon Frost Organisation. Recognised nationally for tours such as Wicked, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, My Fair Lady, The Rocky Horror Show, Dirty Dancingand The Book of Mormon.
• Sarah Gilchrist – Head of Development at Belvoir with over ten years’ experience in Arts Management. Former CEO of Pinchgut Opera with roles at the National Young Writers Festival, Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Australian Youth Orchestra.
• Kate Gaul – Independent Theatre Director with an established repertoire within the small to medium sector. Previously directed and produced for companies such as Pinchgut Opera, Belvoir St Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Griffin Theatre and Melbourne Theatre Company.
• Hannah Mason – Independent artist/singer and currently General Manager of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Prior roles include General Manager with the Artist and Entertainment Group.
• Jack Symonds – Artistic Director of Sydney Chamber Opera and established composer, conductor and accompanist.Continues to premier new works, frequently conducting his own and others’ music.
• Sally Blackwood – Independent producer operatic work locally and internationally and guest director at Opera Australia, Sydney Conservatorium of Music and guest lecturer at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Treasurer, Board of Directors at Arts North West. 

Theatre Board

Chair: Noel Staunton – NIDA Chairman and Executive Producer at the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, with experience as a freelance creative director and producer specialising in large-scale productions and special events. Prior roles include Artistic Director of Brisbane Festival, Opera Technical Director at English National Opera and Technical Director at Opera Australia. He has toured productions extensively throughout Europe and the United States, produced the first Australian Ring Cycle in Adelaide and was previously the CEO of Sydney Dance Company.

Members:

• Fiona Winning – Director of Programming at the Sydney Opera House, with a career spanning independent to commercial performing arts across contemporary performance, theatre, dance and festivals and producing events in theatres, galleries and public spaces, as well as developing a range of festivals, training and residency programs.
• Jono Perry – Director of Technical, Production and Wharf Renewal of the Sydney Theatre Company, with experience in design, construction and technical details of the company’s productions.
• Amy Hardingham – Co-Director for Macbeth, Bell Shakespeare Education Production, with 15 years’ experience as a Director/Theatre maker and in arts leadership roles in the small to medium sector such as Artistic Director/CEO of Newcastle’s Tantrum Youth Arts, Regional Manager at Australian Theatre for Young People, Artistic Director Outback Theatre for Young People and Acting Head of Education at Bell Shakespeare.
• Chris Puplick AM – Interim Chair at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), who has been a member of the Theatre Board of the Australia Council, a member of the Board of NIDA, and has been the Chair of the Griffin Theatre Company and inaugural Chair of the National Film and Sound Archive.
• Joanne Kee – Founder and Executive Producer of the National Theatre of Parramatta, with expertise in creating, commissioning, presenting and touring professional work from Western Sydney.
• Nick Atkins – Director of New Work (Q Theatre in Penrith) and Chair of Theatre Network NSW, with five years’ experience as a Producer & Director of New Work: Q Theatre at The Joan in Penrith and three years’ experience as an Associate Producer & Co-Artistic Director at Crack Theatre Festival in Newcastle.
• Kylie Shead – Creative Producer at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, with a background in Technical Production at NIDA.
• Simon Hinton – Holds multiple positions as both the Artistic Director and CEO of Merrigong Theatre Company, with 14 years’ experience in commissioning, producing, programming and presenting theatre works across NSW.