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We are pleased to introduce you to the                  2023/20243 ACN Executive Committee
​Sophie Kelly                           (Community)​  Co-Chair                                          Anne Pokel                             (Community) Co-Chair
Amanda Raine                       (Community)​  Treasurer
Faye Wulff                              (Community) [Ngai Tahu, Kati Mamoe]
Maria Anderson                    (Community)​
Jonny Eagle                           (Community)

Deputy Mayor ​Rohan O'Neil Stevens  ​(Nelson City Council Liaison) 
​Matty Anderson (Nelson City Council Liaison) 
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​ACN Staff
​Lloyd Harwood         (Community Arts Manager)
Heidi Lucas                (Administrator)
Janja Heathfield       (Refinery ArtSpace Manager)
Andy Meldrum         (Special Projects Manager)
Lil della Porta            (Marketing & Communications)​


Arts Council Nelson History

​Over 50 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 signaled 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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    Sophie Kelly  (Co -Chair)
    ​​ I am excited to be part of 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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​    Jonny Eagle
    A self professed film-nut, Jonny   has over 10 years experience as an   Assistant Director, (AD), working in major motion pictures in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Using all the skills he’s learnt as an AD on larger productions, Jonny has been enjoying taking the reins as a producer & director at Innit Creative Ltd. 
Certificate in Film | NZ Film School | 2009 - Bachelor of Commerce | Victoria University | 2003 - 2006 
Nelson City Council Liaison Representatives:
​Deputy  Mayor ​Rohan O'Neil Stevens (left) & 
Councillor Matty Anderson (right)
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  Amanda Raine (Treasurer)              My background is in festivals, events and education, which has taken me from the International Arts Festival in Wellington to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with several years spent in Hong Kong too. After growing up on a farm near Nelson, I spent many years away before being drawn back by a role with NCC on the Nelson Arts Festival and Summer Events programme. I now work at Theatre Royal Nelson and very much enjoy being part of the vibrant arts scene and the great Arts Council Nelson team here in beautiful Whakatū.      
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​   Anne Pokel (Co-Chair)
  I’m excited to be actively involved  in     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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 ​Faye Wullf
  [Ngai Tahu, Kati Mamoe]

 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 in central Nelson.
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​Maria Anderson
I have had a long history of working in the arts in Nelson wearing many hats along the way. I am currently the Community Outreach Coordinator with Magenta Creative Art Space.

  
Arts Council Nelson
Arts Council Nelson 
114, Hardy St, Nelson
PO Box 566, Nelson. 7040
Community Arts Manager: Lloyd Harwood
or ACN Administrator: Heidi Lucas
P: +64 (3) 548 4640
E: [email protected] ​
Lloyd Harwood Mob: 027 326 9166
2017 Arts Council Nelson