Professor Wesley Enoch has been appointed to a four-year term as Chair of the Australia Council Board of Creative Australia.
Enoch had served as Deputy Chair since August 2023 and had been the acting Chair since May this year after the former Chair, Robert Morgan, retired.
As a Quandamooka man from Minjerribah, Enoch becomes the first First Nations person to hold the position.
He is an internationally acclaimed playwright and artistic director, responsible for productions such as The 7 Stages of Grieving, Black Medea and The Story of The Miracles at Cookie’s Table. He has also directed productions of The Sapphires, Black Diggers, I am Eora, The Man From Mukinupin, Yibiyung, Parramatta Girls and Black Cockatoo.
Announcing the appointment, Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said Professor Enoch’s appointment would ensure Creative Australia can deliver for the nation’s arts sector.
“Wesley has been instrumental during the transformation of Creative Australia and delivering on Creative Australia’s commitments under the National Cultural Policy – Revive,” the Minister said.
“His wealth of experience as an industry leader and his knowledge of Australia’s creative sector will provide the Board with valuable leadership.”
Enoch has been Professor of Indigenous Practice, Creative Industries at Queensland University of Technology since 2021.
He has worked for and alongside Creative Australia and its predecessor, the Australia Council, since 1993, and also served as Chair of the First Nations Arts and Culture Strategy Panel from 2014 to 2021.
He was also the Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival from 2017 to 2020 and was previously the Artistic Director at Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts and the Ilbijerri Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative.
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