Current Committee
Arts Council Toowoomba is a not-for-profit organisation, staffed entirely by volunteers. Meet the members of the current Management Committee elected November 17th 2009:
President: Karl Matthews
Karl Matthews is a business consultant, specialising in the design, implementation and audit of knowledge management systems. Having commenced a boutique consultancy business in 2003, he is now taking a semi-sabbatical to complete PhD research into application of symbology as a knowledge management transfer technology. Symbols thus form his personal art focus and he is actively developing various projects for exhibit. His interest in the Toowoomba Art Council is to promote Art Community, Collaboration and Support.
Vice-President: Jo Purtill
Since a small child I have been involved in the arts. Studying Piano, Saxophone, and Singing, and many stage performances lead me to study at the USQ - BA Creative Arts in Theatre. Since then I worked in retail, gyms, sold paintings and my favourite role of all, becoming a mum to two beautiful children. The last two and half years I have been working in sales, promotions and voicing commericals for 4AK 4WK. For the past 4 years, my business “Flair Events” has kept me busy decorating for functions, characters for childrens birthday parties, making Fascinators, and organising Fashion Parades.
It is a pleasure to be part of the Arts Council, I look forward to the future of The Arts in Toowoomba!
Treasurer: Dana McCown
Dana McCown’s background as an Art Educator has been a starting point for entry into many areas of the arts. Initially She was creating jewellery, but moved into textiles, especially weaving.
Being able to participate in Community art groups has been an enriching experience. She was one of the instigators of Fibres and Fabrics Creative Textile Association in Townsville, committee member of the Tve. Art Society, and Toowoomba Gallery Society. Curating exhibitions continues to be a rewarding experience for her. She has had a continuing involvement in Indian textiles, having spent extended periods of time there. This has led her to organising and leading tours to India, featuring crafts and artisans.
Secretary: Jennifer Wright (Summers)
Jennifer Wright (Summers) BSc, MEdSt, DipVisA brings knowledge from careers in science, education, editing, film and television to her art practice. Her art celebrates life on our planet and lightens problems with humour. From an early age Jennifer painted, sculpted, worked with fabrics and constructed artists’ books. After visiting leading and smaller galleries around the world, she developed her grandparent’s Toowoomba cottage into a studio. Jennifer was an Avant Gardener for the 2007 and 2008 Carnival and has exhibited and sold works in Toowoomba, Brisbane, Crows Nest (where she was born) in Australia and London, Oxford and the USA.
Committee Members:
Ros Billingsley
Ros won a scholarship to Cambridge college of Art and gained a degree level certificate in graphic design.Whilst in college she also designed games and illustrated for a publisher, Learning development Aids, and painted portraits. After College, work in advertising agencies and newspapers kept her busy until she started her own graphics company which she ran for 15 years in England. After migrating to Australia, she began another adArt graphic design and print business in Hume St. Toowoomba which ran until her premises were bought for redevelopement.
Retiring from graphic design she began full time study at USQ in theatre and drama. She joined the Repertory Theatre where she has staged about 8 green room plays and has won awards at festivals for script, entertainment and acting. Ros has kept up her visual arts involvement through The Range-Artists, a group she chairs who unite to exhibit. Ros has recently had an exhibition of her various paintings and portraits at the Repertory Theatre. She is also a life member of the Toowoomba Art Gallery Society and a past president of the group.
Mary-Kate Khoo
Mary-Kate Khoo is an artist, illustrator and short film maker living in Toowoomba. She has worked as a TVProductiodesigner, speech and drama teacher, book illustrator, graphic designer & animator. She has
presented visual art and installations in various venues statewide in both solo and group exhibitions, including ACT’s Avant Garden 2007 with “The Bed of Roses”, and 2008 & 2009 with “Umbrelliads”. Her short films have screened locally in the Shootout & origin8 film festivals in Toowoomba and in other festivals Australia wide.
