Midsumma Board of Management
Judy Small, Midsumma Chair - performing at Melbourne Pride 2022
EOI - Midsumma Board Positions
The Midsumma Board is looking for new members.
Midsumma Festival is Victoria’s (and one of Australia’s) premier LGBTQIA+ arts organisation, for and by communities who live with shared experiences around diverse gender and sexuality. Although the primary festival is held in summer each year, Midsumma works year-round to provide artists, social changers and culture-makers with support and tools to create, present and promote their work. Midsumma plays a vital role in the life of the many varied communities with which we regularly engage.
With strategic focuses that include intersectional communities such as Indigenous, disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, diverse families, and seniors, Midsumma Festival engages with broad communities across age ranges and cultural demographics; proudly representing true inclusion and diversity in all its forms. Over the past few years, Midsumma has activated its position as a major nexus for queer arts development. Central to this vision has been the aspiration to become a proactive developmental arts organisation year-round, recognised locally, nationally and internationally as a hub of artistic leadership in queer arts and culture development.
The voluntary Midsumma board provides strategic leadership and governance for the organisation, and there are currently several vacancies.
Representation
The Board seeks to improve the representation and diversity of its membership, and strongly encourages applications from First Nations, gender diverse, and culturally diverse people, as well as people with a disability. Please let us know if there are accommodations you need to enquire about the role, or to consider joining our board.
We are also seeking younger members of our community who may wish to join the Board in an observer role in order to build their skills and confidence to step into a board position at a later time.
Download PD for Midsumma Board Position
Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll put you in touch with one of our Board Members to discuss the opportunity.
Applications close at 5pm 30 June 2022.
Midsumma Board
At the organisation's core are community leaders dedicating their time to make change. Read on to meet the current Midsumma Board.
Judy Small AM
Chair
Judy Small AM (she/her) is a lesbian/feminist folksinger/songwriter known as the Grande Dame of Australian Folk Music whose songs are sung all over the English-speaking world at festivals, clubs and concert halls. She is also a proud 78’er having been active in the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975. Judy worked as a lawyer for 22 years, including the last 7 as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, before retiring in 2020. She returned to the stage in early 2021. Judy joined the Midsumma Board in January 2019 and has served as Co-Chair since the 2019 AGM, and Chair since the 2021 AGM.
Michael Parry
Deputy Chair
Michael Parry (he/him) is Director, Melbourne Arts Precinct at Creative Victoria. He drives development and strategy for the Victorian cultural portfolio, leading the $1.46B redevelopment of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. Previously Michael was Project Director for Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and earlier, Deputy Director at ACMI, Melbourne. He has led strategy and major projects for a wide variety of cultural organisations across Australia and North America. Michael joined the Midsumma Board at the 2020 AGM and has served as Deputy Chair since the 2021 AGM.
Michael Fuller-Smith
Treasurer
Michael Fuller-Smith (he/him) has a background in corporate tax advisory and currently runs his own tax practice, advising clients across a range of industries such as technology, hospitality, and retail. He primarily assists clients with structuring, tax disputes and managing their compliance obligations. Michael is passionate about community engagement and is actively involved in a number of organisations in addition to Midsumma, including StartUps Tasmania and the Environmental Defenders Office. Michael joined the Midsumma Board in June 2018.
Fraser Orford
Secretary
Fraser Orford (he/him) is a Creative Producer currently working as Associate Producer for Flash Forward – a City of Melbourne public art and live music program. He has spent his career working in commercial theatre and musical theatre, touring both nationally and internationally. As an arts administrator, he has worked for APAM, Australia Council for the Arts, Michael Cassel Group, GWB Entertainment, Ambassador Theatre Group, Opera Australia, Belvoir and the ABC. He has served as a Curator at TEDxSydney since 2016. Fraser joined the Midsumma Board at the 2020 AGM and has served as Secretary since March 2021.
Rhys Cranney
Rhys Cranney (he/him) is a communications, change and impact expert with a passion for inclusion, sustainability, social impact, First Nations justice and the arts. With a professional background spanning across education, government, business, non-profit and politics, he is excited by complexity and always seeks innovative solutions to mobilise audiences behind important causes. Rhys has worked with RMIT University, City of Greater Geelong, Pay The Rent, Victorian NAIDOC Committee and provided community-focused consulting advice to developers, politicians and global health experts. Rhys joined the Midsumma Board in 2016.
Chloe Gordon
Chloe Gordon (she/her) is a fundraising and communications professional with extensive experience in the arts and cultural sector. She has held marketing, publicity and development roles at Malthouse Theatre, The Australian Ballet, National Gallery of Victoria and Bangarra Dance Theatre. She is currently the Philanthropy Manager at Melbourne Writers Festival. Chloe joined the Midsumma Board at the 2021 AGM.
Amity Mara
Amity Mara (she/her) is a proud thirunangai Tamil woman and the Director of Advocacy at the Foundation for Young Australians, where she supports movements of young people to organise against injustice. She has previously led national campaigns at GetUp, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Democracy in Colour, and Economic Justice Australia. She currently serves as an Advisory Board member for Trans Health Research and is a practicing volunteer solicitor for local community legal centres. Amity joined the Midsumma Board in August 2021.
Joel McGuiness
Joel McGuiness (he/him) is an experienced creative entrepreneur, producer, advocate and executive administrator who is passionate about performing arts, communities and the vital role of culture in change-making. Joel is currently Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director at Geelong Arts Centre, leading the organisation through a $186m capital redevelopment, designing and implementing a Ten-Year Vision’ and Strategic Plan for the organisation, and launching Geelong Arts Centre into a new era that celebrates creativity, diversity and community as the ‘heart’ of the organisation. Joel joined the Midsumma Board at the 2021 AGM.
Richard Noonan
Richard Noonan (he/him) is an accomplished senior telecommunication professional with extensive experience across product management, product development, program management, and new business development. He is collaborative in his approach and has delivered results across a number of key organisations in Australia including Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and FOXTEL. Richard joined the Midsumma Board at the 2020 AGM.
Aaron O’Shannessy
Aaron O’Shannessy (he/him) is a project director with extensive experience in the leadership, design, delivery and evaluation of international development and public diplomacy programs across 23 countries in the Asia-Pacific. Aaron’s expertise is in grant/contract management, stakeholder relationships and program implementation. Aaron joined the Midsumma Board in 2013 and was elected Co-Chair at the 2019 AGM.
