Moderator
JO THOMAS
Jo Thomas (2012) is CEO and Creative Director of Metro Arts, Queensland’s preeminent multidisciplinary arts hub. Over the past three years, Jo has guided Metro Arts through a period of once-in-a-generation change redesigning the organisation’s business model and creating the Metro Arts Future Fund (MAFF) to sustain art and artists into the future. For this work Jo was awarded the 2020 Queensland Telstra Business Woman of the Year; as well as being the state winner of the For Purpose and Social Enterprise category.
Jo’s previous experience is in programming, producing and performance, working on projects for Brisbane Festival, Brisbane’s contemporary circus company CIRCA, Queensland Music Festival and Bleach* Festival to name a few. Jo has also worked in film, television and theatre and toured locally and nationally with her works and was a 2012 recipient of the prestigious Churchill Fellowship. She holds a Masters Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) from NIDA.
Guest Speakers
CHRISTINA WATERSON BDesSt BArch GradCertProjMgt CF
SUBJECT: ALTERED SPACE
Christina Waterson (2010) undertook to study the origins of patterns and their relation to 3Dimensional spaces and objects and her Fellowship saw her travel to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Turkey and the UK.
Christina began her career in design and architecture, defining and creating spaces to meet the specific requirements of each brief and project, focusing on the nuts and bolts of design, planning and materials.
Over the years Christina’s interest shifted more toward those who inhabit the space – she wanted to create a reference point for people to connect with the places around them. Christine’s practice transitioned into making large-scale public sculptures that aimed to bring the qualities of the natural world into architectural spaces, and soften and humanise the built environment.
More recently her work has detached itself entirely from the structure around it and instead sits in the quiet, internal space of a gallery, less representational and more personal and psychological; no longer large-scale public works but small-scale ‘private’ works.
GERRY CUMMINS
SUBJECT: SAVING AUSTRALIA’S HISTORICAL STAINED GLASS
Gerry Cummins (2002) is a stained glass artist and conservator. Following a three year traineeship, Gerry established his own studio and from 1994-2000 worked on a private commission to create the “Peace” and “Creation” windows in St Monica’s Cathedral, Cairns. In Gerry’s words….”Enough! Yet another beautiful and historic window irredeemably ruined by yet another silver tongued “restorer”. This must stop! In 2002, with a squillion “thank you’s” to the Churchill Fellowship, it was off for three months to visit the best stained glass restoration studios in USA, UK and France to confirm that my studio was using the best International practices and procedures, and then to assist Australian custodians preserve the fidelity and longevity of our nationally and internationally important, beautiful and priceless stained glass collection. And so, some 100 significant restoration projects later……..”
DANIEL TOBIN
SUBJECT:
Daniel Tobin (2018) studied a Bachelor of Art (Visual Arts) at the Queensland University of Technology. While studying, Daniel worked for a small Brisbane-based art production company which delivered the semi-permanent, site-wide Human Factor program for Expo 88 in Brisbane. A year after finishing art college, Daniel studied design at the National Institute of Dramatic Art graduating in 1993, the same year he co-founded Urban Art Projects with brother Matthew Tobin.
After graduating from NIDA, Daniel worked in a range of theatre productions including Sydney Theatre Company’s Poor Superman, Simpatico, Darling Oscar, Solitary Animals and Nick Enright’s Blackrock; Opera Australia’s La Boheme & A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Baz Luhrman & Catherine Martin; Sydney 2000 Olympics Cultural Program with Rhoda Roberts, Stephen Page (Bangarra Dance Company) and artist Fiona Foley.
