Australia Council Appointments
The Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, today announced appointments to two of the Australia Council's Boards-the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board and the Visual Arts/Craft Board.
Ms Karen Mills has been appointed to the Visual Arts/Craft Board, and Mr Ray Kelly has been re-appointed to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board.
'I would like to welcome Ms Mills to the Australia Council's Visual Arts/Craft Board. Ms Mills is a talented visual artist from the Northern Territory who has exhibited her work at the NT Centre for Contemporary Art, the Darwin Fringe Festival and the Raintree Aboriginal Art Gallery.'
Ms Mills is currently the Manager of Palya Art in Darwin-which provides arts management services for the cultural tourism sector and the Aboriginal fine arts business-and last year oversaw the 2002 Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award for the Northern Territory Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs.
'I am also pleased that Mr Kelly has agreed to be re-appointed to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board. He has made a valuable contribution to the work of the Australia Council and I look forward to continuing to work with him,' Senator Kemp said.
Mr Kelly is the Chief Executive Officer for the Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Cooperative and is a dancer, musician, storyteller, actor and playwright. Mr Kelly has received the Newcastle Playwright's Award and has had his work preformed at the Adelaide Festival. Mr Kelly has been a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board since November 2000 and has been the Deputy Chair of the Board since August 2002.
The Australia Council is the Australian Government's principal arts funding and advisory body. It encourages the creativity and development of Australian artists and aims to increase access by all Australians to arts and cultural activities.
CANBERRA
15 October 2003<
Media contact: Richard Wise, 02 6277 7350 or 0438 204 554
