Louise Partos - Executive Officer, Darwin

Louise Partos began as Executive Officer of Artback NT Arts Touring in June 2007. Louise, formerly Manager, Bula'bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation, is very excited about her new position and looks forward to Artback NT touring dynamic exhibitions and performances throughout the country.

Louise has an extensive background in the not for profit arts and culture sector including project management and cross cultural development. She has worked for many years within communities, particularly Aboriginal and within the museum sector. Previous roles have also included Producer, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Centre, Melbourne Museum, Curator and Project Coordinator, Indigenous Cultures Department, Museum Victoria and Art Coordinator Ernabella Arts.

In 2009, Louise Partos won an AbaF Margaret Lawrence Scholarship which enabled her to undertake professional development at Melbourne Business School, Mt. Eliza Campus. The selected course was entitled Strategic Leadership: The Transformational Process, perfect timing as Louise embarks on broadening the scope and delivery of Artback NT.

Angela O'Donnell - Performing Arts Touring Manager, Darwin

Angela joins Artback NT in 2009 as their new performing arts touring manager.  Her background spans education, community cultural development, project management and multimedia and she has experience working and living in remote Aboriginal communities and alongside diverse groups within Australia. Angela has a strong committment to cross cultural understanding and a belief that the arts can be a tool for change as well as a way to explore and express our own unique challenges and joys. She looks forward to seeing more of this country while working alongside the artists and communities of the Northern Territory.

Marg Bowman - Visual Arts Development and Touring, Alice Springs

Marg Bowman commenced as Manager, Visual Arts Touring and Development with Artback NT in July 2010. She was struck by the vibrant and dynamic nature of the local arts scene on her arrival in Alice Springs in March 1996, and has been engaged with it ever since.

For many years she was an active participant in Watch This Space artist-run-initiative, both as a committee member and practising artist. For the past 4½ years she has been gallery manager at Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd — founders of the Western Desert art movement in the early 1970s.

Marg initially came to Alice Springs to work as an editor with IAD (Institute for Aboriginal Development) Press, and worked there in both a full-time and part-time capacity on a range of publications, including Indigenous visual art books, for 9½ years. During that time she also completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at Northern Territory University (NTU —now Charles Darwin University, CDU), which complements the Bachelor of Arts degree she previously completed at University of Melbourne.  Marg looks forward to developing exhibitions that present the vital and engaging work of NT artists to a wider audience and to broadening the visual arts spectrum of artists and audiences in the NT.

Vanessa Hutchins - Music Touring Manager, Darwin

Vanessa Hutchins has been in the entertainment Industry for over 18 years and has a broad range of skills including production and project management, design and creation. Originally from Newcastle, Vanessa gravitated north in the early nineties and has worked Territory wide since. A local fixture at Territory events, from mixing small bands at Browns Mart, to follow spot operator on Angus at the ACDC Mararra gig in 1997, Vanessa has spent lots of energy on staging events. These include Production Manager for the Indigenous Music Award 2007 & 2009 and the National Aboriginal & Islander Art Award for the past four years.
Vanessa has additionally worked outside the Territory as Production Manager for Legs on the Wall, Stalker Stilt Theatre & the Marugeku Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Performing Lines, Yirra Yaakin and Major Australian Festivals. With these companies Vanessa has toured widely, including China, America, UK, Europe, South America, Japan as well as out of reach Australian venues.
 
She returned to Darwin in 2006 to produce and coordinate the 2007 Arafura Games Opening Ceremony. In 2008 she event managed Bjork for the Sydney Festival on the Opera House steps and in 2009, All Tomorrow’s Parties, curated by Nick Cave for the Sydney Festival on Cockatoo Island. Vanessa has toured music throughout the Territory through her position as Artback NT Performing Arts Manager and is uniquely positioned to take up the challenges of the music touring program.

Renita Glencross - Indigenous Traditional Dance Project

Renita Glencross joined Artback NT in 2008 as DanceSite Coordinator and is a cultural community development consultant with extensive experience in remote Indigenous communities throughout the NT, SA and WA.

Renita originally completed an Arts degree in WA before taking on the challenge of a Masters in Community Development, and has also worked internationally as a cross cultural consultant on sustainable livelihood enterprise projects. In Australia she has worked with NPY Women's Council, PY Media and in several remote communities as an Arts Projects Coordinator.

Neridah Stockley - Visual Arts Project Officer, Alice Springs

Neridah Stockley is a practising and exhibiting artist represented in Darwin and Sydney. She trained at the NAtional Art School and has a Batchelor of Fine Arts, Painting major. Neridah has extensive employment experience in Art Centres and Tertiary Education in Central Australia in both remote and urban settings.

 Libby Nuss - Indigenous Traditional Dance Project, Alice Springs

Libby Nuss joins Artback NT in 2010 as Project Officer for the Indigenous Traditional Dance Program. Based in Alice Springs, Libby has previously worked with the Beanie Festival and in Canberra with ABC News and Current Affairs as Production Manager and Parliament House as Event Coordinator.

Libby’s arrival in the Territory was a conscious decision to find something that was creative, challenging, family friendly and which would allow her exposure to some of the cultural issues that exist within this country.  The biggest pre-requisite was that it had to be on a plane that was positive and uplifting.  As Mother Theresa said (in Italian, of course) 'ask me to attend a protest rally and I'm afraid I will be washing my hair that day, ask me to attend a peace rally and I'll be there with bells on'.

Garry Lester - Indigenous Traditional Dance Project, Alice Springs

Garry Lester has over 30 years experience, working throughout Australia and overseas, as a choreographer, performer and teacher. He relishes the challenges and opportunities of working with diverse groups of people ranging from mainstream professional theatre and dance companies, through to a broad range of community groups.  He believes the value of any project can be measured by the passion, enthusiasm, and commitment that each and every person brings to the experience.
 
Garry has a Ph.D in Dance History, Criticism and Analysis after completing an MA in Visual and Fine Arts.  Garry has been Head of Dance at two Australian Universities and has taught at many more.  He has been published widely in Australia and internationally and is also affectionately known by many as Doctor Dance.
 
Garry is a descendent of the Wonnarua people of the Hunter Valley in NSW and has a strong commitment to indigenous issues.  He has recently been working for the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), which is a connection he has maintained since the mid 1970s.

Garry will be working with the Indigenous Traditional Dance Program in 2010 to assist development in men’s traditional dance in the NT as well as the annual showcase event, DanceSite.

Penny Campton - Curator, Darwin

Penny Campton has lived in the Territory since 1984.  She worked at Yulara, before moving to Alice Springs in 1985, where she worked in administration for Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, CAAMA Music, CAAMA Radio and Imparja TV. She moved to Ernabella following the birth of her son in 1988, eventually relocating in Darwin.

Penny is a practising artist, with a degree in Fine Arts. She has worked in schools, as a tutor at FATSIS, CDU, and as Disability Arts Officer for Browns Mart Community Arts.