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 Council’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 – Fran Charge, Chair of Oberon Arts Council and member of Oberon Business and Tourism Association (Oberon)
Treasurer – Amanda Spalding, Principal Amanda Spalding Consulting (Orange)
Secretary – Margot Jolly, heritage consultant (Forbes)
Chair Advisory Council – Heather Blackley, President Lachlan Arts Council (Lachlan)
Adam Deusien, independent theatre maker/ founder Lingua Franca
Madi Young, artist and director of The Corner Store Gallery Orange (Orange)
Maz Rees, HR and legal specialist (Forbes)
Christine Weston, community leader (Cumnock)
Jonathan Llewellyn, Manager Cowra Civic Centre
ADVISORY COUNCIL
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 – Roxanne Gallacher, Creative Learning Programs Coordinator Parkes Shire Council, Secretary Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society, Parkes Shire Arts Advisory Council
Weddin – Claire McCann, Art & Tourism Officer Weddin Shire Council
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 current Chair, Fran is also a member of the AOW Advisory Council as a representative of Oberon Council. 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.
Amanda has been a senior manager in the public sector in England and NSW for over 30 years. Amanda was the General Manager of Hay Shire Council in the Riverina and has been the Deputy General Manager or a Director of Sydney Councils Parramatta, Manly, Rockdale and Fairfield and of North Lincolnshire Council in the UK. Amanda has also been an Executive Director and Chief Information Officer in the NSW Government, and a Director of TAFE NSW.
Amanda is involved in many community groups in Orange and the Central West including being the Chairman and Treasurer of the local community radio station – Orange Community Broadcasters Ltd. – where she is also a volunteer presenter. Amanda is also the Treasurer of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association NSW.
When she isn’t working, you’ll find Amanda reading, crocheting, trying to improve her art skills, and walking her Border Collie. Amanda holds a BA in Economics and Economic and Social History from the University of Sheffield and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
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.
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.
Adam is a director and physical theatre maker with over 15 years’ experience in creating contemporary performance in Bathurst, regional NSW. He is a graduate of Charles Sturt University BA – Communication: Theatre/Media and MA – Directing for the Stage, and in 2018 graduate as part of NIDA’s inaugural cohort of the MFA – Cultural Leadership.
Adam is Artistic Director of Lingua Franca, working extensively with Local Stages, Bathurst’s Performing Arts Development Program, as a director, producer and dramaturg, presenting work in regional Australia, nationally and internationally. He has directed numerous works with the company including Right Behind You, Unsustainable Behaviour and Mighty. As a freelance artist, Adam has adapted and directed Lysistrata, The Bacchae, The Trojan Women and The Fox (CYCLE Productions) as well as working as assistant/rehearsal director for companies Ensemble Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Stalker Theatre and Siren Theatre Co.
In 2016 Adam was awarded the CreateNSW Regional Arts Fellowship, and in 2017 continued this work as Artistic Associate with the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre. In 2018 he was appointed Artistic Director/Director of the Arts Program for Artstate, New South Wales regional arts festival and conference.
In 2019 he was the recipient of a Sandra Bates Director’s Award with Ensemble Theatre, and has undertaken a Regional Research Residency supported by the Australia Council for the Arts with Sydney Festival, examining how city-based festivals can engage with regional artists, audiences and communities.
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.
Jonathan is the Manager of Bathurst Memorial Entertainement Centre, starting January 2023. He was appointed as Manager of Cowra Civic Centre in Central West NSW in December 2019. This recent change has seen him shift focus from work in Western Sydney to regional NSW where he lives. Since commencing he has conducted community and stakeholder engagement for the creation of the business plan transforming 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. With the closure of the venue on and off due to COVID-19 he has already achieved many of the goals and objectives in the business plan including a technical upgrade to the facility to the value of $375,000. This has included significant upgrades to lighting, sound, audio visual and cinema equipment making the venue fit for touring shows and bringing cinema back to Cowra after a gap of almost 15 years. In the time the venue has managed to be open, audiences have responded positively to the entrepreneurial program and attendance numbers have been in excess of 14,000 annually – up from less than 2000. He continues to pursue opportunities to realise the required upgrades to the venue which includes new seating, carpet and accessibility needs.
Previous experience includes roles in front of house, technical, producing, marketing and most recently Marketing & Communications Manager, a leadership role 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 Performing Arts Connections Australia conferences, Australia Council for the Arts Marketing Summits, COVID-19 Impacts on the Arts discussions, in various webinars, and as the co-coordinator of NAPACA (NSW ACT Performing Arts Centres Association) Marketing and Box Office Sub-Committee.