CREATIVE INGREDIENT - Key Persons
Amber Herrmann Place Activation, Policy Development & Project Management Consultancy With extensive local government experience in community development and place activation, Amber's passion is in revitalising & creating the story and identity of place - and developing policies for culturally positive outcomes. MORE ABOUT AMBER
Over 15 years' experience is local government community engagement explains why Brenda is so adept at getting the best out of people, She also has refined skills in project management, events, training and communitations.
Charlotte is an experienced project manager in the areas of public art, place-making, performance, festivals and events. Also a curator of public programs, visual arts and exhibitions.
Job Titles:
- ABORIGINAL CULTURAL CONSULTANT & TRAINER
- Artist
Cherie Johnson is a Gamilaroi and Weilwun woman who resides in Newcastle, NSW and participates as an active member of the Awabakal Community. Her grandmother, Rachal Darcy, was born on the Beemunnal Mission in Warre n, NSW.
Cherie is a PHd candidate researching the effects of urban Aboriginal Women coming to culture and the importance in the contemporary context. She is also a highly regarded lecturer in Aboriginal culture and education and is currently a casual lecturer at the University of Newcastle.
Cherie was awarded a Diploma in Teaching from the University of Newcastle in 2006 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Sydney in 2001. She has also studied dance through the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA). Cherie is also a keynote speaker at conferences and forums across Australia. She is also currently completing a number of major public artworks in Newcastle and recently exhibited her photographic and woven artworks in Perth, Sydney and Newcastle.
Cherie is a qualified visual artist and teacher with a passion for education and thearts. Cherie has combined these two passions by developing arts and educational resources for use in schools and other learning environments such as universities and community organisations. Through her business, Speaking in Colour, Cherie delivers insightful workshops and educational seminars about Australi an Aboriginal cultures. The primary focus of Speaking in Colour is to embed Aboriginal cultural perspectives into the classroom through the delivery of well researched and structured arts activities and cultural education lessons.
I am passionate about reviving and celebrating local Aboriginal cultures through initiatives such as weaving native reeds and barks, recreating traditional possum skin cloaks and mapping cultural symbols from the region. My workshops are really popular with participants because they learn about contemporary Aboriginal culture in a fun way that relates to their own environment. We talk about locals things and relate them to places they all know and visit.
In 2011, Cherie along with the rest of the Aboriginal reference group at the Lake Maquarie art gallery was awarded the Local Government and Shires Association of NSW Cultural Award for Aboriginal Cultural Development for her project Wrapped in a Possum Skin Cloak: by the Lake. Cherie was one of two Aboriginal education consultants on this project.
In that year Cherie was also recognised at the Planning Institute of Australia Awards for her highly successful public engagement and community planning work in the Hunter region in her role as community consultant and artist.
Newcastle-base Cherie Johnson is a Gamilaroi and Weilwun woman who participates as an active member of the Awabakal Community. She owns and operates Aboriginal cultural consultancy, Speaking in Colour…
Job Titles:
- PROJECT MANAGER & SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATOR
Christopher Saunders is a motivator and a social change initiator. He was creative producer for fifteen years with arts and social justice organisation Big hART and was General Manager of Renew Newcastle for five years. Renew Newcastle enabled creative enterprises to flourish and bring life back to a desolate cityscape as well as inform urban development decision-making.
Christopher's ‘hands on' collaborative approach has helped deliver some extraordinary benefits for whole communities. These include the restoration of an arthouse cinema in Newcastle; international recognition for the Northcott public housing estate in Sydney; and collaborative business opportunities for numerous creative industries.
Christopher Saunders is an enabler and a social change initiator. He was creative producer for fifteen years with Big hART and has been General Manager of Renew Newcastle for six years, enabling creative enterprises and communities to flourish…
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- EVENTS CURATOR & LIVE MUSIC PROJECT MANAGER
Jess is a dedicated event coordinator with over 10 years experience in event delivery, with particular strengths in event curation and operation logisitics for outdoor events. The diverse nature of the events Jess has worked on has given her a broad range of skill sets and the ability to quickly adapt and anticipate most logistical requirements.
After beginning her career in music venue management, Jess has since worked on the delivery of countless events in the public and private sector, including 300 pax dinner events, medium sized outdoor music and arts events, food and wine events, community cultural celebrations and public events for up to 80,000 people.
Jess has a solid background in event project management, event logistics, volunteer management, sponsorship, accreditation, and with her Bachelor of Communication - event marketing and promotions. Her passion is event programming and curation, with focus on fostering community collaboration within events and utilisation of space.
Jess is a musician herself and currently manages her own outdoor venue and works on the delivery of 4 flagship events per year including The Gum Ball, Dashville Skyline, PigSty in July and Thrashville.
Jess has a wide-scope of experience organising spectacular events that draw thousands, to small gatherings with soul. She has curated for live music, chocolate & coffee expos, kids fun fests, steamtrain heritage & beyond.
Job Titles:
- SCULPTOR & PUBLIC ART PRACTITIONER
John Turier is one of Newcastle's most successful artists, having a diverse career that spans 30 years. Underpinning the majority of Turier's work is an accessible poetic narrative. His works span an intriguing combination of figurative, minimal, mechanical and abstract form. Turier is also a practicing songwriter and musician
John has been teaching at Newcastle Art School since the early 90's. His extensive experience in teaching allows him an easy transition to consulting and engaging with community groups for public art projects. He has run 5 student-based public art projects involving private and government patronage through Newcastle Art School. He has been teaching Certificate 2 and 3 in Aboriginal studies at Newcastle Art School and has run workshops for a variety of different schools and other community groups for the last two decades.
Lotte Hilder started her arts and creative industries career in photography and film, working on productions such as Spike Jonez feature film ‘Where the Wild Things Are'. In 2003, after relocating to Melbourne for 13 years and working on grass-roots community arts projects she has been producing, curating and managing arts and cultural initiatives for various government, arts, cultural and community organisations.
Lotte has also collaborated with diverse communities and artists on significant cultural initiatives, including working on Festivals such as ‘Yirramboi' - First Nations Arts Festival, Centre of Contemporary photography community projects, the Asia TOPA triennial Festival in Melbourne and Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney and Perth.
Job Titles:
- CEO, PROJECT STRATEGIST & DESIGNER
- Project Consultant & Creative Designer
Megan is known as a connector. She also has over 30 years' experience in arts project management (including public art and Aboriginal cultural development) and 10 years in enterprise/marketing training and consultancy.
Megan Hills is strategic, creative and a connector of other talent targeted to meeting identified project outcomes. She has strong background in four key areas:
marketing & business training
creative & cultural enterprise mentorship
design & illustration
arts administration
Megan has extensive experience liaising with business project managers, government bodies, event coordinators, and media. Known for both her linear (logic) and lateral (creative) thinking, she also has nous for directing talent in others.
EXPERIENCE
Megan has extensive experience liaising with business project managers, government bodies, event coordinators, and media.
With 15+ years in marketing and business development training; 10+ in arts administration; five years in arts publishing, and a Masters Degree in Museum Studies, Megan has an extensive skill-set that works effectively across sectors.
Over the past four years she has been working intimately with a number of Aboriginal cultural entrepreneurs as an enterprise mentor.
Megan Hills is strategic, creative and a connector of other talent targeted to meeting identified project outcomes.
Culminating over 20 years of creative project experience, in 2017 Megan launched Hunter-based consultancy The Creative Ingredient, bridging business and government with creative talent (for projects underpinned by genuine community engagement, where possible). Clients include: Lake Macquarie City Council, Scentre Group/Westfield Kotara; Miromaa Aboriginal Language & Technology Centre; Speaking in Colour; Rainbow Arts & Culture Foundation.
Prior to The Creative Ingredient, Megan worked in Darwin 2013-2016 with a focus on Aboriginal cultural enterprise management and enterprise mentoring. She also managed a series of public art projects.
Megan has operated her own successful enterprise development and marketing consultancy (with clients including: Noosa Regional Gallery, Artisan - Qld Craft & Design Centre and the Queensland Government) and has worked in and managed private art galleries in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and regional Victoria, and New York.
Having worked in Vienna, for Channel 9 Perth and ABC Darwin,Peter now brings over 22 years of dedicated specialist Broadcast and Television industry experience as a Sound Recordist, Audio Director and SPC News Camera Operator to Newcastle. Peter considers himself as a Part-Creative Part-Geek Hybrid, loves researching and applying new technologies and workflows, and has a keen eye for aesthetics and marketing.
Through his long-term partner and artist Nina Battley (who operates MiiO Store) Peter knows very well the importance of creating original and authentic content that people can relate to and identify themselves with, as much as the difficulties related to this process.
As a small business one-man-band himself, he knows what it means to invest smartly and how to cost-effectively generate audio-, stills- and video content to a metropolitan level of standard, whilst maintaining good industry contacts with leading local boutique production houses as a freelancer. Peter is also CASA registered for commercial Drone operations and values a sustainable and ethical business model.
Having worked in Vienna, for Channel 9 Perth and ABC Darwin, Peter now brings over 22 years of specialist Broadcast & Television industry experience as a sound recordist, audio director and SPC news camera operator.
Shannon Benton is an elder care and disability specialist, a creative thinker and a team builder. Shannon is passionate about the humanities, the arts, literature and spirituality. She is highly skilled at facilitating creative recreational activities for her clients, with a strong focus on meaningful inclusion and accessibility in the community. She is a skilled community builder with a particular talent for developing networks for clients. Shannon has the ability to see ‘the big picture'; can problem solve and forms achievable leisure/recreation/health objectives through excellent interpersonal skills, all infused with empathy and warmth.
Experience:
Shannon has worked predominantly in the healthcare sector, but also in the entertainment/music industry and therefore is known for her involvement in and dedication to the intersection of those two fields. She has experience in:
elder & disability care
seminar/event co-ordination
arts administration
Shannon is an elder care and disability specialist, a creative thinker and team builder. Combining her experience in the healthcare sector with that in the entertainment industry makes Shannon's collaborative skillset unique.
Job Titles:
- URBAN PLANNER & DESIGNER, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Susie brings to the team her professional skills in urban planning, urban design and landscape architecture. She has a wealth of experience in public domain projects, heritage interpretation, town centre activation, commissioning of public art projects and community engagement, that spans 20+ years in the Hunter and Sydn ey.
Susie has a long standing connection with the Honeysuckle master plan work, as well as managing the early art and townscape program in Maryville, Wickham, Islington and Carrington communities for Planning NSW.
As the coordinator of landscape architectural services at NCC and later principal of Placewise Urban Design she has been a consistent advocate for the wellbeing of public parks and streets.
In 1999 she was bold enough to start the Bathers Way coastal walk concept, managed early works in King Edward Park and is gratified to see how Bathers Way has since grown and flourished. Visitors would also appreciate her work for the Convict Lumber Yard heritage project and the revitalisation works in Darby St.
Susie's recent planning for Warners Bay includes development, investment and business aspects of making a vibrant lakeside town centre, as well as the social and cultural qualities of the local public realm. Overall it provides good leadership for anyone wanting to contribute to the future success of the centre.
Susie has a wealth of experience in public domain projects, heritage interpretation, town centre activation, commissioning of public art projects and community engagement, that spans 20+ years in the Hunter and Sydney.
Job Titles:
- PUBLIC ART & DESIGN CONSULTANT
Tom's work spans the spectrum between arts practice, design and consulting. Through all this is a continuous engagement with public art. The result is a balance between design and art.
Tom has facilitated, coordinated and creatively collaborated in a diverse range of successful public art and design projects. Decades of training and skills development with project management, small business and financial management, creative art and design expertise have made this possible.
He utilises technical abilities with architectural documentation and Computer Aided Design (CAD). I combine design documentation abilities with graphic skills using the Adobe suite. My project management and technical design skills are reinforced by traditional arts training, and I have regularly led artistic project workshops with foundations of arts practice such as sketching, photography, modelling, construction and carving.
Tom has extensive experience working with artists on public art projects. This includes consulting with Aboriginal artists and consulting with Aboriginal elders and communities.