Create NSW has announced the 10 practitioners chosen to lead the 2018 Western Sydney Arts, Screen and Culture Roundtable following the expression of interest (EOI) process launched in February this year.
Create NSW Acting Executive Director Tarek Barakat said the line-up combines remarkable experience, a strong mix of arts and screen practice and inclusion across a diverse range of expertise and backgrounds from the Western Sydney region.
“We were extremely impressed by the calibre of applications for the roundtable and excited to announce the members who will join us for 2018 to ensure that the needs of the region are reflected in future arts policies and direction from the agency,” said Mr Barakat.
The ten new members of the 2018 Western Sydney Arts, Screen and Culture Roundtable are:
Kodie Bedford
Kodie Bedford is a proud Indigenous woman and a cultural consultant for narrative film and documentary, ensuring all stories are culturally appropriate and safe. Kodie is an independent screenwriter with nine years’ experience and an expertise in Aboriginal arts, screen and culture. Kodie has a passion for telling stories from an Indigenous perspective and Indigenous people taking ownership of their stories.
Jenny Bisset
Jenny Bisset is the Director of Blacktown Arts, and Manager for Arts and Cultural Development at Blacktown City Council. She has over 17 years of expertise in the arts with extensive experience in arts and cultural policy of Government and experience working with Aboriginal arts and culture, collections and cultural heritage, community arts, cultural development and multi-artform.
Paul Brinkman
Paul Brinkman is the Director of the Blue Mountain Cultural Centre, Theatre and Community Hub and has a 25-year career in the arts with specialised expertise in collections and cultural heritage, community arts and cultural development, design, digital arts, multi-artform, music, service organisations, theatre and visual arts.
Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell is the Executive Director of Westwords, with over 33 years’ experience in the arts. He has expertise in dance, literature, music, service organisation and youth arts. Michael has a passion for providing arts workers the opportunities and pathways that are truly valuable to their practice and emphasises that it can only be done in a coordinated and integrated manner that is specifically relevant to the circumstances of Western Sydney.
Rosie Dennis
Rosie Dennis is the CEO/Artistic Director of artist-led organisation Urban Theatre Projects, with expertise in community arts and cultural development, dance, digital arts and multi-artform. Rosie was Cultural Champion for the Deloitte Australia Shaping Future Cities Report and can provide in-depth conversations in relation to cultural infrastructure in Western Sydney and connection to groups across community and other government departments including FACS (ADHC) and WSCF.
Guido Gonzalez
Guido Gonzalez is a Cultural Leader and Filmmaker with experience in Aboriginal arts and culture, community arts and cultural development, digital arts, film, literature, multi-artform, screen, service organisations, theatre, visual arts and youth arts.
John Hunter
John Hunter is an academic lecturer at the Macquarie University for the Fellowship for Indigenous Research. He has expertise in community development, Indigenous studies and Australian history and a passion for community development and capacity building, environmental management and teaching in culture, arts and history.
Richard Petkovic
Richard Petkovic is the Artistic Director of Cultural Arts Collective and Sydney Sacred Music Festival and has expertise in developing innovative projects in community arts and cultural development, multi-artform and music.
Karen Therese Corbett
Karen Therese Corbett is the Artistic Director of Powerhouse Youth Theatre and has a career that spans 20 years in the arts with expertise in community arts and cultural development, multi-artform, theatre and youth arts. Karen’s passion is creating diversity, in-depth engagement, significant understanding and experiences in best practice models and the complexities when working across multicultural communities, partners, cultural institutions and education providers within Western Sydney.
Sarah-Vyne Vassallo
Sarah-Vyne Vassallo is the Artistic Director of Murmuration Arts and Entertainment and has worked in the arts sector for over 20 years. She has expertise in community arts and cultural development, dance, multi-artform, screen and theatre, and has a passion for professionalisation of the arts and disability in Australia, advocating and facilitating the rightful place of an artist with a disability.
“One of the first things the roundtable will discuss will be the outcomes of our recent Arts 2025 Summit as we seek to identify strategic opportunities for Western Sydney artists, arts organisations, audiences and businesses for the policy framework,” said Mr Barakat. “We look forward to hearing from our esteemed panel during the rest of the year.”
Members will convene with Create NSW three times from June – December 2018 and are appointed until 31 December 2018. For more information, visit: www.create.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: Jump First, Ask Later produced by PYT Fairfield and Force Majeure – photo by Alex Wisser