Arts OutWest is an independent incorporated association, under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009.
Arts OutWest has two levels of governance: the Committee of Management (to be known as The Board) and the Advisory Council.
The Advisory Committee’s job is to help set strategic policy and to advise about the priorities which the organisation should be pursuing. They also monitor the progress of Arts OutWest in delivering this policy. Each of our contributing local councils has a nominated member on the Advisory Council, along with CSU.
The Board’s job is to manage the organisation including financial management and to ensure that the organisation is compliant and functioning well. The Board appoints and manages the Executive Director who is in turn responsible for managing the staff. We have an appointed skills-based board.
BOARD
Chair – Margot Jolly, heritage consultant (Forbes)
Treasurer – Maz Rees, HR and legal specialist (Forbes)
Secretary – Christine Weston, community leader (Cumnock)
Chair Advisory Council – Heather Blackley, President Lachlan Arts Council (Lachlan)
Fran Charge, Chair of Oberon Arts Council and member of Oberon Business and Tourism Association (Oberon)
Madi Young, artist and director of The Corner Store Gallery Orange (Orange)
Jonathan Llewellyn, Manager Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre
Rachelle Robb
Laura Traeger
ADVISORY COMMMITTEE
Chair – Heather Blackley, President Lachlan Arts Council (Lachlan)
Vice Chair – Scott Maunder, Director Community and Culture Services Orange City Council (Orange)
Bathurst Region – Cr Marg Hogan
Blayney – Bradley Bradley, visual artist and gallery owner
Cabonne – Cr Libby Oldham
Charles Sturt University – Michelle Hession
Cowra – Cr Sharon D’Elboux
Forbes – Cr Michelle Herbert
Lithgow – Cr Mayor Maree Statham
Mid-Western Region – Cr Sam Paine
Oberon – Fran Charge, Chair of Oberon Arts Council and member of Oberon Business and Tourism Association
Parkes – Cr Bill Jayet
Weddin – Claire McCann, Art & Tourism Officer Weddin Shire Council
Margot is a country woman who loves working to improve her community, even a little bit. Involved in Landcare and local festivals, Margot brings over 20 years of experience working in the museum industry to her role as a board member.
Margot has worked with the Sydney Living Museums, the Museum of Australian Democracy and a lot of volunteer managed museum throughout NSW. Primarily working with issues of collection management, Margot has worked as a curator and researcher. Margot’s experience of festivals comes from involvement with the Kalari-Lachlan River Arts Festival in Forbes, from its first event in 2011 until the present.
Since returning to the country after living in Sydney Margot has completed a Conservation and Land Management Certificate III and become involved with her local Landcare group, Central West Lachlan Landcare, holding the position of Chair for 5 years.
Margot is excited to be involved in arts and culture in Parkes with the newly formed Parkes shire Arts Advisory Council helping the cultural community to work with local government to achieved better outcomes for creativity and learning in the region.
Fran is a committed, enthusiastic and ethical professional with over 30+ years of experience in roles across the Education, Arts, Health and Tourism Sectors. With strong team leadership, communication and negotiation skills, Fran has the ability to demonstrate empathy and resilience. Her many skills include the developing and implementing new initiatives within community groups and work places, while successfully delivering numerous arts projects.
An appointed member of the Board of Arts OutWest and previous Chair Fran has been closely involved in Arts OutWest for many years. Achievements include planning and developing the process of moving the Board structure to the newly formed skills-based Board of Governance.
Fran has been involved with Oberon Arts Council over the past 30 years, overseeing the completion of seven large Public Art Projects in the town of Oberon, involving the whole community. These projects helped to break down isolation, gave young people a purpose and an ongoing ownership of projects.
Fran is currently working with Arts OutWests’ Arts and Health Coordinator on a very successful Arts and Health Program with the Oberon MPS. Her ability to think laterally and creatively is a great asset to Arts OutWest.
Maz is a ridgy-didge Forbes born and bred local living back in Forbes after moving away to study at Wollongong University and graduating in 2008 with a Creative Arts and Law double degree. Maz has gone on to obtain post-graduate degrees in Legal Practice and Mining Engineering. Maz also studied AMEB Electronic Organ and Music Theory growing up, allowing her to pump out many tunes of all genres on several instruments, even on a pipe organ.
Maz’s working life journey has included practicing in law, working in human resources/recruitment, executive assistance, health safety and environmental compliance, and major project planning. Maz’s current day job involves applying her creatively geared brain to bring an out of the box element in planning major capital project works schedules, while wearing hi-vis and hanging out with engineers.
At heart Maz and is an avid enthusiast or all things arts, culture, science and the earth. Maz is passionate about education and development of arts and culture within her community, assisting arts and culture organisations with governance, compliance, business strategy and funding by volunteering in a number of local Forbes and regional not-for-profit groups.
When Maz isn’t behind her laptop she will be rummaging around her various veggie patch gardens with her husband, 2 young children and 2 labradors or on family adventures exploring the central west bushwalking scene and anything cool out in nature.
Christine Weston is originally from Parkes and now resides on a cattle, sheep and cropping farm in Cumnock managing 5 Airbnb farmstays. She was awarded NSW Woman of the Year (2020) for her outstanding community contribution to regional tourism, arts and housing initiatives.
Christine is the co-founder for the “Animals on Bikes” 120km paddock art trail from Molong to Dubbo Zoo. She completed a BA DipEd (Fine Arts) from Sydney University and has taught Art at a primary and secondary level. Christine has completed various Visual Arts and Leadership courses, and is presently studying a Masters in Healthcare Leadership.
She is an innovative thinker with high emotional intelligence and 20 years expertise in business/product development and marketing strategy for both domestic and international direct response companies. She has travelled to over 60 countries for business, always ensuring a local Art gallery visit was on her travel agenda.
Christine is on the Regional Development Central West board, CWA and Cabonne Council Tourism Advisory committee. She is passionate about regional growth and creative endeavours promoting our well-being and unique country lifestyle.
Madeline is a practising artist living and working in Orange, NSW. Madeline completed a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Newcastle in 2009. She has since worked as the artist in residence at an educational institution from 2010 – 2014.
Madeline is the owner and Director of The Corner Store Gallery in East Orange which opened in 2014. Through the gallery she hopes to share her love of all types of art and design. Madeline also teaches regular workshops covering a range of materials and mediums ranging from watercolour techniques, crochet and weaving through to jewellery-making.
Madeline spends most of her spare time with her son, family and friends in the beautiful regional city of Orange NSW. She is a huge advocate for regional talent and creativity. Madeline is the founder of The Journey Person, a collective of local artisans and designers based in Central West NSW. Her hands are always busy creating, whether it be art, crochet beanies, brass jewellery or fresh floral wreaths.
Jonathan has been the Manager of Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre since January 2023. Prior to this he was the Manager of Cowra Civic Centre for just over 3 years. During this time, he transformed Cowra Civic Centre from a hall for hire model to a professionally run performing arts venue including an entrepreneurial program of live events and cinema screenings. He was successful in multiple grants for significant upgrades to the centre including lighting, sound, audio visual and cinema equipment, new carpets, automatic front doors, hearing loops, and new retractable seating in both spaces making the venue fit for touring shows and bringing cinema back to Cowra after a gap of almost 15 years. Annual attendances grew from less than 2000 to more than 21,000. He is enormously proud of this success story and the positive impact the change has had for the cultural lives of the community of Cowra.
Previous experience includes roles in front of house, technical, producing, and marketing. Prior to managing Cowra Civic Centre, Jonathan was the Marketing & Communications Manager at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta; Marketing Manager for Penrith Performing & Visual Arts at Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Marketing Manager of Education for Musica Viva Australia; as well as directing and producing independent theatre and arts events in Sydney, Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
His training and professional development is ongoing completing the Multicultural Arts Professional Development at RMIT School of Business Management, Lean Six Sigma Foundations, plus various leadership programs and workshops in Arts Law, Copyright and IP. University training includes Events and Production Management at Victorian College of the Arts (University of Melbourne) and Theatre Nepean (now Western Sydney University).
He contributes to the national conversation about the arts though participation at national conferences, various network meetings, and as a committee member of NAPACA (NSW ACT Performing Arts Centres Association) and the co-coordinator of the Marketing and Box Office sub-committee.
Laura is passionate about the Arts and the essential role they play in supporting communities to thrive. She brings 30 years of experience in roles that celebrate & support artistic practice across the media, government and community services. Laura has worked in the music industry, at the ABC as a journalist and content producer and as a media & cultural adviser to the Australian High Commission in London. She is an innovative thinker who brings perspicacity and empathy to her work. Laura cares deeply about the enrichment that access to the arts offers individuals and communities and works hard to enable and support that access. She is currently working on a photographic project which encourages people living with a disability to document their lives and the world around them.
Rachelle’s bio coming soon.