About Us

Metro Arts exists to ensure new art is created today, tomorrow and beyond. We champion all contemporary art forms (visual and performance) and the creation of thought provoking and exhilarating art. 

For over 40 years we have been the incubator and launchpad for some of Australia’s finest new artists. We support artists every step of the way – from the early development of ideas through to presenting and touring work. We program diverse works across visual and performing arts – including music, cabaret, comedy, dance, theatre and more… 

Ever forwarding Australia’s vibrant arts industry, Metro Arts provides much needed space (physically and figuratively) for Australian artists to grow, create, develop, experience and carve out a sustainable and viable arts practice.

BUILDING A LEGACY FOR AUSTRALIAN CULTURE AND STORYTELLING

We know that when artists are properly supported, they have the resources to create powerful work that expands and shifts hearts and minds. Investing in artists enables them to create, perform and present works that forge a new way forward.

Metro Arts believes in the capacity of arts and culture to connect and strengthen communities, to stimulate creative thinking and conversation. We advocate for the social and health benefits of the arts and its intrinsic value to our society. We acknowledge and honour the story-telling and art-making at the heart of First Nations’ cultures, and the enrichment it gives to the lives of all Australians.

ART IS WHERE WE LIVE

Every day within our galleries, theatre, workshops and studio spaces, there are artists taking risks, experimenting, developing and creating.

Today our head office is in West End, Brisbane, equipped with state-of-the-art galleries, artist studios and theatre facilities  – all located down the old Peters Ice-cream Factory Lane, within the thriving West Village precinct.

Our sister-workshop facility at Norman Park provides vital space for visual artists to create, build and experiment.

CELEBRATING ALL VOICES AND STORIES 

At Metro Arts, you’ll always be surprised, bewildered, entertained and amazed. The stories you see here – you won’t see anywhere else.

OUR BOARD

Dr Fiona Hawthorne

Chair
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Fiona started her career as a registered nurse in Brisbane. She has taught bioethics, clinical communication and preparation for professional practice in schools of nursing and medicine at various universities for a number of years, as well as working as a perinatal counsellor supporting families whose baby was likely to die shortly before, during or after delivery. Fiona completed a PhD in 2006 examining the construction of risk and sources of influence when contemplating pre-natal screening. From her PhD work, Fiona was fortunate enough to be awarded the Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to undertake an extensive study tour of the UK and USA investigating how a perinatal palliative care service may be developed for Australia. Fiona has worked as the Clinical Ethicist for a large metropolitan Australian hospital and in the healthcare context in Queensland, primarily in the area of adverse events and clinical incident management.

Currently, Fiona is the General Manager of Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only children’s hospice.

In 2018, based upon her work with Hummingbird House, Fiona was awarded an opportunity to participate in the Global Leadership Practices Program in India. This program, offered by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia, and Yellow Edge – Performance Architects, is designed to expose globally minded leaders to what’s going on behind the scenes in China, the USA and India. She is also a member of the Churchill Fellows’ Association of Queensland. Outside of work, Fiona sings loudly in her car and is trying to convince her husband and two children to worship her as a living goddess.

Paul Bowker

Paul Bowker

Treasurer
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Paul is a lawyer and CFO with an extensive background in corporate governance, equity markets and complex commercial transactions.

Alongside his current role as co-founder and Managing Director of Brick Lane Brewing, one of Australia’s largest independent breweries, Paul has held executive level roles in ASX listed companies, regulatory bodies and worked as a lawyer internationally for major law firms.

Paul has a passion for music and the arts and through his current executive role supports a number of music and arts initiatives across Australia. Paul is also involved and a supporter of the hospitality and events sector and as a side interest is currently completing a Diploma in Wine.

Dr Mellissa Naidoo

Director
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Mellissa is a non-executive director with a keen interest in health and the arts and more than 20 years’ experience as a doctor in leadership and executive management roles across the health and insurance industries.  Values and purpose-driven, Mellissa is committed to working towards improved health outcomes and equity.  She has a passion for the arts and its role in individual and community health and wellbeing and, as a thought leader in her field, her background, commercial and industry experience, stakeholder engagement and specialist skills in governance and risk management, brings a unique combination of skills and diverse perspective to the board.

In addition to her role with Metro Arts, she sits on the University of Queensland Senate and is a board member with Multicultural Australia and the North West Hospital and Health Service.

Kim Hughes

Director
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Kim has over 25 years’ executive, Board, and Board advisory experience in the profit-for-purpose, public, private, and government sectors across a range of industries including superannuation, life insurance, funds management, financial planning, and health. In addition to her role on the Board of Metro Arts, she is a Board member of Volunteering Australia, and has extensive Board advisory experience providing trusted advice to the Boards and Sub-Committees of the complex, highly regulated businesses of QSuper, QInsure, QInvest, Suncorp Public Offer Superannuation Fund, Suncorp Staff Plan, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), and Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC). As a Theatre student in a prior life, Kim has always maintained a passion for the arts, and recognises the important role that the arts play in our community.

Kylie Lonergan

Director
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Kylie is a passionate ambassador for the arts with over 20 years of experience in delivering partnerships, stakeholder engagement, philanthropy and sponsorship.

Through a strategic focus within the cultural sector, Kylie has connected the industries broader economic outcomes to ensure the continued development of revenue generation to support and celebrate the significant stories of our region.

In championing the cultural outcomes of our sector, Kylie has ensured that connecting artists and audiences through memorable and transformative experiences remains at the forefront of all stakeholder engagement.

This experience has seen Kylie undertake positions at British Council, Brisbane Festival and QAGOMA where she is currently employed as Head of Business Development and Partnerships.

Trent Wallace

Trent Wallace

Director
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Trent is a First Nations lawyer, lecturer and consultant. Trent’s ultimate goal is to change the face and operation of corporate Australia and the legal profession by embedding key cultural considerations through platforming lived experience as expertise.

In bold pursuit of this goal, Trent has been the first in many of his professional roles, but he ensures he won’t be the last. Writing is his personal creative outlet, as he recognises the pivotal role art, in all its forms, plays to platform societal issues.

Naomi Blacklock

Naomi Blacklock

Director
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Naomi Blacklock is an artist based in Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia whose practice maps the nexus of embodied performance, cultural heritage and gender identity. Working across a range of media, from experimental sound and video installation to performance and sculpture, her work creatively examines the mythologies, archetypes and harmful histories of gender and cultural identity through an intersectional feminist lens.

In 2019 Naomi was awarded her Doctorate of Philosophy from Queensland University of Technology for her thesis Conjuring Alterity: Refiguring the Witch and The Female Scream in Contemporary Art. Her work has been presented at Hobart’s Art Festival, Dark Mofo and in numerous Galleries and Artist-Run Initiatives both locally and nationally. With broad experience in the Visual Arts sector, Naomi is a current Board Member of Metro Arts and has served as the Director of Boxcopy Contemporary Art Space and a Founding Co-Director of Clutch Collective ARI (2016).

Peter O'Sullivan

Peter O’Sullivan

Director
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Peter is an HR leader, business executive and lawyer with specialist skills in organisational culture, strategy, learning and leadership development. He is Chief People Officer at BDO and has served in a range of Board and Committee roles in both commercial and purpose-driven organisations. He has also been a member of BDO’s Global People Committee for over 10 years, providing an international outlook and lens to his work.

Committed to social justice, inclusion and wellbeing, Peter believes that engagement with the arts is integral to the development of good citizens, effective communities and a thriving society.

Metro Arts Board

Tara Hastings

Director
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Natano Fa’anana

Director
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MEET THE TEAM

Genevieve Trace

Executive Director
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Genevieve has been a staple feature of Metro Arts for the past 10 years, having worked with the organisation as an artist, producer, and on staff making coffees, selling tickets, in general administration and most recently in Partnerships and Development.  She is a QUT graduate with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama), and Master of Creative Industries (Arts Management and Creative Production).  Genevieve is driven to create meaningful relationships between the corporate, government and arts sectors, and continues to hone her legal and arts administration skills to this effect. She is inspired by the social egalitarianism offered by community driven contemporary art and enjoys working with Metro Arts artists to achieve this on a daily basis.

In a former life, Genevieve was a multidisciplinary contemporary performance maker. Her arts industry experience includes stage management, producing, curatorial management, directing for performance, lighting design, costume design, performing and facilitating performance workshops/lectures.

Shani Gould

Operations Manager
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Starting at Metro Arts in 2016 as an intern, Shani has since held a variety of roles across marketing, producing and ticketing. In her current capacity, she manages Metro Arts’ daily operations across venue, administration, ticketing, and our internship and volunteer programs.

Shani has a Bachelor of Entertainment Industries from QUT (2016) and a Certificate III in Visual Communication (Photo Imaging) from the Design College Australia (2013).

Sofie Ham

Head of Marketing & Development
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Sofie joined the Metro Arts team in 2022 and manages marketing, communications and strategic partnership development for the organisation.

Prior to this, Sofie worked in Australia and internationally across broadcasting, festivals, conferences and major events – (and even political campaigns) – working with the IAS, NYCPride, APAM, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts  (AACTA), ABC, RMIT University, the Australian Government, and more. 

Sofie’s specialty lies in the realms of digital strategy and brand development. Her expertise spans diverse industries and leadership roles that encompass strategic marketing and partnership activation, business development, HR and resource management.

With a background in Journalism, Sofie is continually inspired by the incredible stories and creative work of artists. She is passionate about audience development – in making art more accessible to the wider public, helping arts venues cement their status as an invaluable space we can all go to connect with the world around us.

 

Danielle Carney

Senior Producer
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Danielle joined Metro Arts in early 2021 as Lead Producer for Performance. Prior to this, she has worked across Brisbane as an Independent Director and Producer of theatre, Events and Festivals. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama, a Diploma of Event Management, and five years of experience in the finance industry working as a team leader. With a passion for people management, creating immersive experiences and audience development, Danielle is committed to creating teams and work environments that facilitate meaningful collaboration.

Annelize Mulder | Metro Arts

Annelize Mulder

Curator - Visual Arts
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Annelize joined Metro Arts in 2023, bringing over two decades of experience in the arts to the role as Curator. She previously served as the MAVA Pathfinders Producer at Metro Arts and held the role of Senior Governance Officer at QAGOMA. Annelize also completed her PhD in Fine Art at Griffith University in 2022.

With a background as an exhibiting artist, academic researcher, educator, program coordinator, and writer, Annelize is passionate about fostering arts communities and providing artists with the supportive environments to expand their artistic practices.

An artist herself, Annelize’s journey with Metro Arts commenced in 2018 when she was selected as an Artist in Residence. This transformative experience marked the beginning of her enduring connection with our organisation, instilling in her a profound appreciation for the value of nurturing spaces where artists can experiment and cultivate their creative efforts.

Bianca Bality

Venue and Events Coordinator
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Bianca recently joined the Metro Arts team in 2022 as Venue Hire and Events Coordinator. In this new role she will be assisting and facilitating hire for artists and general community alike, through providing support in bringing their ideas, celebrations and functions into Metro Arts’ unique and eclectic spaces. Prior to this, Bianca has been a familiar face around the local theatre industry, as a Front of House all-rounder, theatre maker, performer and playwright. She is also a co-founder, producer and core creative for independent theatre collective, The Naughty Corner.

Bianca holds a Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary and Applied Theatre from Griffith University, and is particularly passionate about the creation and production of new and evocative performance works within the independent sector.

Nathaniel Knight

Nathaniel Knight

Technical Coordinator
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Nathaniel joined the Metro Arts team in 2022 as a casual technician, stepping up to Technical Coordinator in 2023.

Managing the technical operations and aspects of Metro Arts Nathaniel has been involved with the performing arts since 2006 starting out as a performer.

Gaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts (Technical Production) in 2021, and his Certificate III in Live Production Services and Certificate II in Creative Industries in 2018 Nathaniel has since been guided towards the light behind the curtains and doors.

Since 2021 Nathaniel has been a part of numerous productions and venues. Although his background is in lighting and theatre he has worked in every production role from flashy cabaret to corporate events and Senior Vision Operator to Sound Designer.

Cola Hardman

Cola Hardman

Marketing Coordinator
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Cola started her Metro Arts journey as an intern in 2023, soon after this she joined the marketing team as Marketing Coordinator. In her career prior Cola worked as a professional make-up artist for 8 years, and holds a Diploma of Specialist Make-up. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Communications at QUT and graduated in 2021. Post graduating Cola dabbled in different industries, but eventually pursued her dream of working in the arts.

Jenna Muir

Development Coordinator
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Jenna is a recent addition at Metro Arts, joining the team in 2023 in the capacity of Development Coordinator. In this role, she enjoys working collaboratively across departments to deliver creative fundraising strategy and build meaningful relationships to bolster the future of arts practice in Meanjin-Brisbane.

Since 2018, Jenna has provided curatorial and development support to local and international arts organisations including Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art and the University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane; Melbourne Art Library and Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Jenna brings fundraising, sponsorship, grant writing and event skills to the team, as well as a passion for sustainability and accessibility in the arts.

Chris Howlett

Chris Howlett

Workshop Manager
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Chris recently joined the Metro Arts team in 2023 to manage our Norman Park Artist Workshop. He has been a practicing artist since the mid-1990’s and holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Masters and Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. His works have been exhibited in Russia, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, the USA and throughout Australia. As a practitioner interested in the complexities of studio production his diverse background in contemporary art draws from machinima, interactive game mods, site-specific sculpture, sound art, AI, performance, sculpture and painting. Chris is a graduate of CalArts and Queensland University of Technology.

chrishowlett.com.au

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