Arts Northern Rivers staff
Lois Randall - CEO and Regional Arts Development Officer - Currently on extended leave until November 2008
Joan Kelly - Regional Museums Development Officer
Frances Belle Parker - Indigenous Arts Development Officer
Melia Naughton - Part-time Administrative Officer, Monday and Tuesday
Wendy Rolls - Part-time Administrative Officer, Wednesday to Friday
Lois
Randall 
CEO and RADO (Regional Arts Development Officer)
Email: lois@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Lois Randall is the founding CEO and Regional Arts
Development
Officer for Arts Northern Rivers. A local to the region who grew up near
Lismore, Lois has extensive arts management, policy, fundraising and cultural
production skills, as well as 20 years experience in the film and television
industry in Sydney. Lois has co-ordinated a number of community video projects
with young people, Indigenous and NESB women and worked in various capacities
on a wide variety of film and video productions for SBS, Metro Screen,
and the ABC. She has worked as a lecturer in media topics for AFTRS, UTS,
Southern Cross University and TAFE and developed media based policy for
a range of government departments. She has previously worked as the Executive
Director of the Australian Screen Directors Association and Manager of
Metro Television Ltd, and was the Manager of the Australian DocuMart at
the Australian International Documentary Conference in 2003.
Melitta
Firth
Visual Arts Network Coordinator
Email:melitta@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Melitta Firth has been appointed to the position
of Acting CEO and Regional Arts Development Officer for Arts Northern
Rivers while Lois Randall is on extended leave. For the last three years
Melitta has been working with Arts Northern Rivers as Coordinator
of the Northern Rivers Visual Arts Network, managing a major regional
project supporting professional artists in the region. She recently
curated Chrysalis: The Emergence of Northern Rivers Artists. Melitta
has a strong professional and academic background the visual arts. Her
previous roles have included Exhibitions Coordinator at Lismore Regional
Gallery and Assistant Gallery Manager at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Sydney.
During that time she completed a curatorial internship at the Solomon
R. Guggenheim Museum in New York where she assisted in the organisation
of the Hugo Boss Prize - a $50,000 biannual international art prize and
a major Minimalism Retrospective. As well as experience working at a
national and international level with artists, galleries, sponsors and
collectors, Melitta worked as a graphic designer for four years and holds
a B.A. degree in art history and theory from University of NSW. This
year Melitta was also awarded an Asialink Arts Management Residency in
Indonesia.
Julie Clark
Communications and Arts Development Officer
Email:julie@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Julie Clark brings to the role 20 years of experience
in the arts and creative industries, in both the community and commercial
sectors, including the past 10 years specialising in marketing
and communications. Originally from Adelaide, she has lived and worked
overseas in the USA and Europe, including six years as an Arts Development
Officer for a local government authority in England, where she established
a series of successful initiatives including exhibition programs, artists
in residence, a rural touring network and cross-sector community arts
programs. Prior
to taking up the role at Arts Northern Rivers she was employed in the
film and music industries, most recently as a Producer/Marketing Communications
Manager for a music production company. She has an MA in Journalism and
dreams of travelling the world reporting on its many literary and performance
based festivals.
Joan
Kelly
Regional Museums Development Officer
Email:joan@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Prior to joining Arts Northern Rivers Joan Kelly spent two years managing the Norfolk Island Museum collection as well as acting as the museum's Director. She also spent time as the Curator for the Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton (QLD). Joan's role as Museums Development Officer involves extensive consultation with museums in the region as well as developing museum best practice with the sector. A Community Heritage Grant will enable Joan to offer training workshops in Signficance Asssesment, Conservation and Grant Funding Applications for collection management as well as undertaking signaficance assessments on a number of collections in the Northern Rivers.
Frances
Belle Parker
Indigenous Arts Development Officer
Email:frances@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Frances Belle Parker comes to the role with a strong background in the visual arts. In 2000, prior to formally studying art, Frances won the prestigious Blake Prize for Religious Art. Not only was Frances the youngest winner of this prize, she was the first Indigenous winner in the prize’s 55 year history. After completing a degree at UNSW, Frances moved back to Maclean to be back on her homeland and to be closer to her family. Frances was recently awarded the ABC North Coast’s inaugural ArtsNest Award, which was established to recognise and encourage artists in the Northern Rivers region.
Melia Naughton
Administrative Officer Monday and Tuesday
Email:info@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Melia has a sound understanding of Performing Arts and Music after completing her Bachelor of Dramatic Art at the Victorian College of the Arts and an Associate of Music (A.Mus.A in piano). She has worked as a theatre actor in Melbourne with a particular bent in new works before touring the country with the Bell Shakespeare Company - Actors at Work team. A prolific songwriter and performer, Melia created Scarlett Affection, an award-winning acoustic act with her sister and they have gathered a loyal following both locally and internationally with their sparkling folk pop songs and their theatrical performances.
Wendy Rolls
Administrative Officer Wednesday to Friday
Email:info@artsnorthernrivers.com.au
Wendy Rolls has lived in the Northern Rivers for twenty-four
years and been a practicing visual artist for twenty. An associate diploma
in Art (Ceramics) from Lismore TAFE and a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours
from Southern Cross University testifies to Wendy's commitment to her art.
A prize-winning sculptor, with work at Thursday Plantation Sculpture Park,
Wendy is currently expanding her arts practice by producing digital images
of her unique collages. To round out her extensive experience in public relations,
marketing and administration, Wendy recently undertook a Small Business Management
course.
t: 02 6628 8120 | e:
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