Regional Arts Services - Arts Funding - Arts Funding Queensland

Rod has extensive experience as an arts manager and consultant and specialises in designing and delivering engagement, consultation and regional development processes in a collaborative and diplomatic manner. His background has meant that he has become a skilled arts manager, researcher, communicator, corporate writer and facilitator/trainer. Rod has worked as Executive Officer / Regional Arts Development Officer with Outback Arts Incorporated, managing this regional community cultural development organisation in western New South Wales and engaging in high level and local strategic and policy matters. Rod has also been a grants assessor for both the NSW Ministry for the Arts and Arts Queensland. One of his strengths is his ability to quickly build and maintain professional relationships and to visualise, facilitate and implement collaborative processes and structures. In his time as an educator, manager and consultant, Rod has initiated, developed and managed a vast array of projects both on a volunteer and professional level. As such, Rod has developed an extensive network at a local, state and national level. Rod’s strength is his grounding in the community which underpins a clear and comprehensive knowledge of how community wishes translate into strategic and policy decisions. Rod’s commitment to arts and cultural development at a local level was recognised with his award of the Bundaberg City Council Australia Day Cultural Award on 26 January 2007.

Upon graduation, Sylvia Langford worked in art centre and theatre company management in the UK and Australia. In 1992 she joined the Northern Territory Public Sector and was subsequently appointed as inaugural Chief Executive, Department of Arts and Museums, with responsibility for arts and community cultural development, arts funding, and for the Territory’s cultural institutions, including the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the Alice Springs Cultural Precinct (incorporating the Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment). In 2001 Sylvia was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive to the larger Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs (when Library Services was added to her many responsibilities) and, most recently, served as Deputy CE, then acting CE, Department of Local Government, Housing and Sport. A member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Sylvia has considerable experience as a Board member of arts organisations and currently delivers Board Development Master Classes on behalf of consultants Positive Solutions and the Australian Business Arts Foundation. She has served on and chaired various Ministerial Council Officials Standing Committees, including those for the Cultural Ministers Council and Local Government and Planning Ministers’ Council. For five years Sylvia was a member of the Australian Government National Performing Arts Touring and cultural funding program Committee - Playing Australia, Festivals Australia – as well as the Contemporary Music Touring Program. In addition to her effective leadership and management skills, Sylvia has considerable experience in policy development, business planning and organisational development, with a proven ability to successfully consult and negotiate across sectors and at all levels. Sylvia retired from the Northern Territory Public Sector in 2007 and relocated to Childers in Queensland, where she is working as an independent Creative Industries and Cultural Sector Consultant.

Judy has lectured at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Arts Research Methodology and worked in Physical Theatre with the Academy. Judy managed the Regional Arts Development Fund for Arts Queensland for 5 years, visiting all regional councils, rewriting the procedure manual, training local committees and organising the first two state conferences. As a community artist she has been active in the fields of cultural development, festivals and events. For her work with Indigenous and culturally diverse communities in the Bundaberg region she was awarded Cultural Worker of the Year by the Queensland Community Arts Network (QCAN) in 2006. Residing in Woodgate Beach, she works for Local Government and community groups as a community consultant, facilitator, cultural policy advisor, grant writer and project manager. Judy has worked with s2m organisations and regional arts organisations on business planning and strategic development. She has served as a Forum Member for the Wide Bay Burnett Ministerial Regional Community Forum and a cultural representative on the Blueprint for the Bush Executive Partners Group. Judy serves her community locally as Vice President of the Woodgate Beach Tourism Association, as a committee member on the Residents Association and as a First Responder. Her experience gives her a broad knowledge of regional planning and funding issues and a significant network of contacts, particularly throughout the cultural sector.

Shelley is currently Creative Project Manager and Proprietor of Inter-Artz, which operates in project development and management for the arts, tourism and heritage sectors specialising in interpretation, curating, policy and planning and community cultural development activities. Shelley was Manager of the Bundaberg Arts Centre (now Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery) for six years and was instrumental in developing cultural development services and a cultural plan for the Bundaberg Region. She has project management experience in museums and community arts contexts. Shelley is currently volunteering as a reviewer for the Museum and Gallery Services Queensland's Museum Standards Program and is listed as a public art curator on the state government register. Art in public spaces and place making have been a particular area of interest with project design and management, artist liaison and local government negotiation familiar territory.  Shelley understands Government’s strategic priorities, their application in the arts and museum sectors and the key strategic and policy issues facing the sectors on a local, regional, state and national level. Shelley has managed everything from large scale tourism projects to small budget community arts initiatives and has demonstrated strong organisational skills and an ability to negotiate the sensitivities of complex matters.