The current 2018/2019 Executive Committee
​Barbara Franklet                 (Community)
Lee Woodman                    (Community)
Axel de Maupeou               (Community)
Faye Wulff                            (Community) [Ngai Tahu  Kati Mamoe]
Anne Pokel                           (Community)
Josephine Cachemaille     (Community)​
Amanda Raine                     (Community)​
John Cohen - Du Four        (Community)​
Gill Starling                           (Community)​
Kay van Dyk                          (Community)​
Sophie Kelly                          (Community)​
​Mayor Rachel Reese            (Nelson City Council Liaison Appointee)

​ACN Staff
​Lloyd Harwood         (Community Arts Manager)
Heidi Lucas                (Administrator)
Ann Braunsteiner     (Refinery ArtSpace Manager)​


Arts Council Nelson History
​​Nearly 40 years ago the predecessor of the current Arts Council Nelson was founded. A small number of enthused Nelsonians produced a potpourri of cultural entertainment called the Nelson Event including Jazz, films, poetry, folk, singing and visual art exhibitions. The same group joined with others in setting up the Nelson Provincial Arts Council.

People involved in these early days were Chris Hay, Eelco Boswijk, Geoff Heath, Dave Andrews and Sonya Davies.

In 1969 the Nelson Provincial Arts Council (NPAC) was founded, with the following founding objective:
“To encourage, promote and coordinate the study, practice and enjoyment of the arts in the province of Nelson and to promote and encourage the public awareness of their existence, their function and their value in the community.”

Nelson continued to be at the forefront of developing the arts:

The Nelson City Council was the first local authority to allocate 0.7 %
of general rates to the arts – the NPAC was nominated to administer these funds
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In 1976 the first Nelson Arts Festival took place; grants to over $22,000 were allocated to assist touring performances in Nelson. The cultural calendar in the Nelson Mail changes from monthly to weekly.

The 1980s saw another new direction for ACN under the guidance of Chairperson John Wheeler. Working virtually full-time in a voluntary capacity, John encouraged the organisation to take on paid staff. In 1982 paid staffing became available on a permanent basis with the appointment of Claudia Reid as the first Community Arts Officer.

Paid staffing signalled a marked change in the nature of the organisation, as it greatly expanded the scope and range of activities the Arts Council could undertake. As a consequence seeds were sown and projects nurtured which facilitated the growth of Nelson into the prime arts and cultural destination it has now become. The benefits of the full-time appointment have been maintained through the following personnel until the present day.
​Claudia Reid (1982 - 83)
Jennifer Brett (1983 - 84)
Robbie Burton (1984 - 90)
Trix Dyer (1990 - 1996)
Mags Meechang (1996 - 1998)
Lloyd Harwood (1998 - present)
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 Barbara Franklet -   Chairperson.
                                          I have been a member of ACN  since 2016.  For 20 years I have worked as a commercial artist and currently work with the arts and mental health. Originally from Texas,
I opened Mockingbird Studio in 2008 when
I moved to Nelson. It‘s a pleasure to serve Nelson’s art scene - a robust community that keeps getting better.
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​  Anne Pokel
 
I’m a recent member of ACN and excited to dive into Nelson’s arts and culture scene. Originally from Germany and with a background in Art History and Cultural Studies, I’ve lived in Auckland for the last 9 years and have held a range of different positions in the creative sector, most recently with the James Wallace Arts Trust. My husband, our 2 boys and I are very much enjoying the creative spirit here in Nelson,  and I look forward to contributing my     energy and skills to the arts community.
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    Lee Woodman

I am a creative designer with trade background in joinery and building and have been a member of ACN since 2011. I am passionate about fostering intelligent creative relationships to enhance our experience while here in Nelson where I have spent most of my life so far. I work as a technician for our own Refinery Artspace, the Suter Art Gallery and occasionally the Provincial Museum.
Sophie Kelly
I am a fresh to the ACN board and excited to be joining such a dynamic team of trustees.      I have an extensive background in the performing arts sector having worked on the Nelson Arts Festival and summer programme events for Nelson City Council for ten years.     I now work freelance curating and directing a Arts Festival for the Bay of Islands region and I am also the Project Manager of the biennial Light Nelson event. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my skills and contribute to the artistic community and creative spirit of Nelson. 
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​Faye Wullf
Having worked in the community arts field
for the past twenty years, I hope to build
upon the connections between ACN and
the wider community. I gained a visual arts diploma from NMIT and for the past
eighteen years I have run Community Artworks,  an accessible creative arts space
n central Nelson.
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 Josephine               Cachemaille.
 
I am a visual artist making installations, paintings and sculptures. I have a background in community development and event management, and have worked full-time as an artist for 15 years.  I have been a member of ACN since 2017 and am focused on developing opportunities in our community to encourage and support artists. I live in Nelson with my husband, writer Grant Smithies, and our daughter Rosa. I also work for Red Gallery and run a record shop, “ The Family Jewels”, with Grant.
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​   Axel de Maupeou
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   Amanda Raine
   
​I'm a very new member of        ACN. My background is in theatre, education and festivals, and I currently have the great pleasure of working on the Nelson Arts Festival. After growing up on a farm near Nelson, I spent 30 years in other parts of Aotearoa and the world, before returning to Nelson for the Arts Festival job in 2014. I'm loving being back in our beautiful part of the world, and hope I can contribute to the vibrancy of our community and help foster relationships and opportunities for performing arts in Nelson
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                                                                 Gill Starling - Treasurer
I came to art relatively late in life after a career in Social Work.  But I'd always loved visiting galleries and being involved in cultural events.  Along with my partner I now own a picture framing business and a dealer gallery in Nelson.  I believe that art has a vital role in making our lives richer and our communities more connected.  
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​John Cohen-Du Four
I was elected to the ACN Executive late in 2018. I've lived in Nelson since 2014 when my wife and I moved up from Christchurch. My professional background is designer, writer and creative director in advertising, working across all media. I have produced work and enjoyed success in a variety of creative undertakings including: painting, ceramics, music, short film, theatre and fiction writing. I am the Arts writer for WildTomato magazine and also write for a Nelson PR company. I've previously benefited from local arts funding both in Canterbury and in Nelson Tasman, and hold a strong belief in the importance of arts to the wider community.

  
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Arts Council Nelson
Arts Council Nelson 
3 Halifax St, Nelson
PO Box 566, Nelson. 7040
Community Arts Manager: Lloyd Harwood
or ACN Administrator: Heidi Lucas
P: +64 (3) 548 4640
E: artscouncilnsn@gmail.com ​
Lloyd Harwood Mob: 027 326 9166
2017 Arts Council Nelson