Who's who in the creative 2020

Much thanks to my esteemed colleague Ben Eltham, Fellow from the Centre for Policy Development who did some research on the candidates in 2020. Not many GP (or working Australian families) surprise surprise but have a gander.

I leave you with Mr Eltham's forward - the picture is mine;

Here's my Googled list of the Towards a Creative Australia summit participants. Detailed statistical analysis to follow ... the early winners by a long shot are screen actors and directors, followed by theatre directors, visual arts curators ... and trailing down the back, two geologists.

The 2020 participants: “Towards a creative Australia”

I've given each participant one or more descriptors:

E = member of the establishment, prominent philanthropist, captain of industry etc.
S = screen including TV
VA = visual arts
M = music including opera and musicals
Th = theatre
D = dance
ABC = employed by ABC, or strongly associated with it
F = festivals
A+D = Architecture + Design
Com = Comedy
U = Universities
Lit = literature
NH = geology, paleontology and natural history
ATSI = Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Media = media executive
AA = arts administrator


Matthew Lutton – talented young theatre director, here's a profile on Arts Hub. Th.

Marshall McGuire – classical harpist who specializes in contemporary and baroque music. M.

Shelagh Magazda – Artistic Director of the Perth International Arts Festival F, AA.

Margaret Seares - Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor at The University of Western Australia. Academic specialist in the keyboard music of the 18th century. M, U.

Louise Adler - CEO and Publisher of Melbourne University Publishing. Board member of Melbourne International Arts Festival. Lit, U, AA, E.

Stephen Armstrong – most likely not the Melbourne painter but instead the experienced producer who has worked with various performing arts companies. Th.

Geraldine Barlow – visual arts curator, collections manager at Monash University Museum of Art. VA, U.

Jennifer Margaret Buckland – is not Googleable

Robert Connolly – film-maker, writer and director of The Bank and director of 3 Dollars. S.

Alison Croggon – theatre reviewer and blogger. Th..

Phoebe Rebecca Dunn – not Googleable under Phoebe Dunn; Rebecca Dunn is highly-rated digital compositor and special effects wizard. S.

Kristy Edmunds – outgoing Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. F, Th, AA.

Saul Eslake – chief economist at ANZ and part-time Chairman of the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board. Other, E.

Richard Gill – classical music conductor and educator, Artistic Director of OzOpera and Canberra Symphony Orchestra. M, E.

Corinne Grant – comedienne, TV personality. S, Com.

Andrew Kay – the scultptor? The photographer? No, he's the Chair of Live Performance Australia, the peak body for the performing arts industry. AA.

Ana Kikkinos – screen director, best known for Head On and recently The Book of Revelations. S.

Ramona Koval – Radio National presenter. E, ABC.

Rachael Lucas – screen writer and director, best known for Bondi Tsunami. S.

Sue Maslin – screen producer and documentary maker, produced Japanese Story. S.

David McAllister - choreographer and dancer, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet. D, AA.

Julian Meyrick - associate director and literary advisor of the Melbourne Theatre Company and a theatre director, historian and social scientist. Th, U.

Jan Minchin – visual arts curator, Director of Tolarno Galleries. VA.

Rupert Myer – scion of the Myer dynasty, arts patron, philanthropist and Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia, author of the Federal Government's Visual Arts and Craft Enquiry. E, VA.

Sue Nattrass – arts administrator and consultant, Chair of Collections Council of Australia. AA, E.

David Pledger – theatre director and founder of Not Yet It's Difficult. Th.

John Redmond – Dean, Monash University Faculty of Art and Design. U, A+D.

Astrid Wootton – visual arts curator, General Manager of Design Centre Tasmania. VA, AA.

JM Coetzee – novelist, Nobel Prize winner. Lit, E.

Barrie Kosky – theatre and opera director. Th, M.

Greg Mackie – arts administrator, Executive Director of Arts SA. Lit, AA.

Rose Myers – theatrical director, former Director of Arena Theatre Company. Th.

Katrina Sedgwick – festival director, Director of 2007 Adelaide Film Festival. S, F, AA.

Michael Bryce – designer and architect. Husband of Queensland Governor Quentin Bryce. A+D, VA, E, U.

Stuart Cunningham – academic and cultural industries policy expert. Chair of QUT's ARC Centre of Excellence in Creative Industries. S, U, E.

Michael Gow – playwright and theatrical director. Artistic Director of Qld Theatre Company. Th, AA.

Scott Hocknall – paleontologist, former Young Australian of the Year. U, NH.

Cathy Hunt – arts consultant and administrator, author of A Sustainable Arts Sector: what will it take? AA..

Liza Lim – composer and member of ELISION Ensemble. M.

Anna Malgorzewicz – visual arts curator, Director of Musuem and Art Gallery of the NT. VA, AA.

Neil Armfield – theatrical, screen and opera director. S, Th, AA.

Geoffrey Atherden – screen writer, best known for Mother and Son. ABC, S, Lit.

Larissa Berhendt - Professor of Law and and Director of Research at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney. U, ATSI.

Shaun Michael Brown – SBS Managing Director. Media, E.

Letecia Caceras – emerging director and dramaturg. Th.

Kate Champion – dancer and choreographer, Director of Force Majeure movement collective. D, AA.

Andrew Denton – TV personality, screen producer, comedian. S, Media, Com.

Rachel Dixon – screen and multimedia producer, arts administrator, Chair of MetroScreen. S, AA.

Khoa Do - actor, writer and director who received the Young Australian of the Year award in 2005. S.

Jo Dyer – screen producer, arts administrator, Executive Manager of Sydney Theatre and Major Projects Manager of Sydney Theatre Company. Th, AA.

Robyn Ewing - Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. U.

Anna Funder – writer and historian, author of the highly-rated Stasiland. Lit.

Peter Goldsworthy – writer. Former Chair of Australia Council Literature Board. Lit.

David Gonski – businessman, philantrhopist, former Chair of the Austraila Council. AA, E.

Rachel Healy – theatrical producer, arts administrator, Director of Performing Arts, Sydney Opera House.Th, AA.

Frank Howarth – geologist, museum administrator, Director of the Australian Museum. NH, AA.

Hugh Jackman – actor, Hollywood celebrity. S.

Sandra Levy – screen producer, high-profile TV executive. S, Media.

Fergus Linehan – Sydney Festival director. F, M, AA.

Liz Ann McGregor – visual arts curator, musuem administrator, Director of the MCA. VA, AA, E.

Nick Marchand – theatrical director, Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre. Th, AA.

Hal McElroy – screen producer, ubiquitous maker of Australian TV drama. S, Media.

Enda Murray - documentary film-maker. S.

Alison Page – interior designer, TV personality (“The New Inventors”). A+D, S

Marion Potts – theatrical director, arts administrator, Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare Company's Mind's Eye. Th.

Ian Robertson – is hard to track down but could well be this printmaker with works in the NGA. VA.

Mark Scott – media executive, Managing Director of the ABC. Media, E.

James Strong – businessman, philantrhopist, current Chair of the Australia Council. AA, E.

Mary Valentine – arts administrator and consultant, former Managing Director of the Sydney Symphony. M, AA.

Kim Williams – media executive, CEO of Foxtel. S, E.

Ron Radford – visual arts curator, museum administrator, Director of the NGA. VA, E, AA.

James Baker – not the former US Defence Secretary, but most likely this Queensland journalist, political staffer and 2007 Senate candidate . Other.

Daryl Buckley – musician, composer, Artistic Director of ELISION Ensemble. M, AA.

Bob Campbell – this is a tough one. Is he a leading New Zealand wine expert? Dianne Fossey's cinematographer? CEO of Bananas NSW? You tell us ...

Karen Casey – Indigenous visual artist. VA, ATSI.

Joel Edgerton – actor and screen producer. Was in Star Wars. S.

Wesley Enoch – theatrical director and playwright. Th, AA, ATSI.

Paul Grabowsky – pianist, composer and arts administrator. Former head of ABC arts, incoming Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival. M, Th, ABC, F, AA.

Anna Haebich – academic, visual arts curator, Director of Griffith University Centre for Public Culture and Ideas. U, VA, AA, ATSI

Marieke Hardy – screen writer, screen producer, actor, comedienne. S, ABC, E, Com.

Sam Haren – theatrical director, academic at Flinders University Drama School. Th, U.

Nick Jose – writer, President of Sydney PEN. Lit.

Claudia Karvan – ubiquitous Australian screen actress Also was in Star Wars. S.

Catherine Martin – production designer, screen producer, set designer. S.

Callum Morton – emerging visual artist. Recently exhibited at Venice Biennale. VA.

Rhys Muldoon – screen actor. S.

Lena Nahlous – community arts producer, arts administrator, Director, Information and Cultural Exchange (Sydney). CCD, AA.

Margot Neale – visual arts curator, museum administrator, Senior Curator on Indigenous matters at the National Museum of Australia. VA, ATSI, AA.

Helen O'Neil – arts administrator and lobbyist, Executive Director of performing arts peak body AMPAG. Th, D, M, AA.

Stephen Page – choreographer, Artistic Director of Bangarra Dance Company. D, ATSI, AA.

Charles Parkinson – theatrical director, Artistic Director of IS Theatre in Tasmania. Th, AA.

Rachel Perkins – screen producer and director, best known for directing Radiance and One Night The Moon. S, ATSI.

John Polson – actor, screen producer and director, arts administrator, founder of TropFest. S, AA.

Ivan Sen – screen director and documentary maker. S, ATSI.

Brett Sheehy – festival director, current Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival, former Director of Sydney Festival. F, AA.

Adam Simpson – not the AFL footballer but the Adelaide-based entertainment lawyer and Convenor of the Contemporary Music Working Group. Law.

David Throsby – cultural economist and arts policy expert, Professor of Economics at Macquarie University. U.

Richard Tognetti – musician, composer, conductor, arts administrator. Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. M, E, AA.