The MAV Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held online via Zoom on Monday 24 August 2020 at 6pm.
Please RSVP to office@multiculturalarts.com.au – further details with a link to join the meeting will then be sent to you.

If you have any technical issues or trouble downloading the software, please contact MAV staff at office@multiculturalarts.com.au before the 17th of August 2020.

Listed below are the nominations for the MAV Board 2020.

CAROLINA AGUILERA DE SNOW

“During this time of big change due to the global crisis, I am very interested in keeping this role on the BOM. I think I can bring the required skills for this time of new adaptations, and support for staff at MAV, an organisation I respect and value. I have completed my third year in the BOM and have witnessed big shifts and adaptations implemented with wisdom, effectiveness and care for the multicultural artists during this time.

I have been working successfully in the arts activation field for over 25 years, both overseas and in Australia with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and groups of different ages, backgrounds and abilities. My formal training in Architecture, Arts and Community Engagement, Language Education via the Arts and extensive study trips have given me the necessary tools, vision and drive to bring people together. I have gained experience in building networks and stakeholder management by collaborating effectively with a range of artists and government agencies through my years in the arts sector and by regularly crossing over between professional disciplines in Australia and abroad.

I enjoy engaging with people in artistic dialogues, where contemporary arts intersect with the community for sustainable social change and cultural progress and cohesion. MAV’s projects and vision is something that resonates with me, especially when merged holistically with cultural elements, traditions and modernity.

I would be thrilled to continue to listen to the arts community, share my knowledge and drive with MAV’s experienced Board of Management. Together with the BOM, I would assist in nurturing, revitalising and strategically looking after the best interests of this worldwide-recognised organisation with associated artists of diverse backgrounds, funding bodies and other collaborative platforms with responsibility and care.”

HUSS MUSTAFA OAM

Huss is a very proud Australian with a Turkish Cypriot heritage with very humble beginnings who migrated to Australia with his family at the age of 10 at a time where you were expected to assimilate into the Australian way of life and not to be different.

Huss is currently the Deputy Chair of Multicultural Arts Victoria and is also the longest serving Senior Executive at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Huss’s Current role at CBA is the General Manager, Multicultural Community Banking Australia, a division that he initiated in establishing in August 2016. Huss  has 46 years of service with CBA who during this period returned to university part time with the support of CBA and he currently Holds a:

• Diploma of Business Studies Majoring in Accounting
• Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Services Management
• Master of Management,
• Fellow of the National Institute of Public Accountants
• Member of the institute of Company directors.

Huss for over a quarter of a century now has been very active in promoting Cultural Diversity both in the community and his work place. Huss is very passionate about undertaking voluntary community work to support Multicultural artists and communities.

Huss also has served and continues to serve on a number of Government and Non-Government boards including, Co-Chair of SBS Community Advisory Council. Chair Person of Multicultural Business Ministerial Council, Board member on Islamic Museum of Australia and Board Member and Secretary of Mental Foundation of Australia. Huss has also served a 4 year term as a Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Huss is also an Australia Day Ambassador.

Huss has been instrumental in leading the way at the Commonwealth Bank, in the Community and the corporate world   in promoting the benefits of a successful and cohesive Multicultural Society

Huss’s work in promoting Cultural Diversity in the community and the work place was also acknowledged on the 2014 Queens Birthday’s Honours list and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to Multiculturalism and Business.

JAMIE LEWIS

“I am nominating for the MAV Board because I believe strongly in the current vision and strategic direction MAV has developed. I am also thrilled by the growth of the organisation and its work in this past year, and am committed to the custodianship of the organisation as it realises its vision and goals.

I was co-opted into the Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) Board at the start of 2019. I am confident that I have in this past year demonstrated, and will continue to demonstrate that I bring the following to this organisation:

• The cultural competency and rigorous understanding of MAV’s approach through a racial justice framework as a woman of colour and first-generation migrant in her 30s
• An artist-centred perspective as a contemporary independent multidisciplinary artist with over 10 years of professional practice working across the performing arts, visual arts and community practice
• Deep knowledge and engagement with the wider arts sector through my work as an independent artist and as Program Manager at Theatre Network Australia (TNA). This includes leadership in sector advocacy, and championing equity and safe workplaces in the arts.
• Communications and audience development expertise, especially with grassroots/small and nimble contexts.
• Intergenerational engagement within and outside the organisation. As a mid-career artist and dramaturg, I regularly mentor and support the development of emerging artists and new work.
• A strategic understanding of maintaining genuine memberships strategy with integrity, where the focus is on sustained and depth of engagement.

As an arts leader, I am also committed to exploring how new models can evolve in the changing landscape of the arts as we grapple with the fallout of a global pandemic, and in the urgency of climate change in order to create a sector that can best support artists into the future.”

www.jamielewis.com.au

MARCUS WONG

““Art is a universal language” – as a strong believer in connecting people through art, being a Board Member at MAV has given me a chance to give; to look into the real problems of what the industry is facing; and to understand the true meaning of multiculturalism. As an Australian citizen with an Asian origin and an entrepreneur who loves art, it is my honour to be one of the facilitators and decision makers of a leading organisation that has been actively contributing to the wellbeing of the multicultural communities through art.

With my unique cultural and business backgrounds (currently managing several licensed businesses in the import/export, tourism, and entertainment sectors domestically and internationally), I am able to provide constructive advices and solutions from different perspectives (from compliance management, quality control, HR, marketing, accounting to corporate governance) and to supply resources that local art organisations do not traditionally have.

As we realise the recent pandemic of coronavirus and international political tensions have interrupted or even caused significant damages to our economy and mental health of many individuals, I believe in exploring the functionality of different art forms and the practicality of art organisations within different communities will be essential to the new norm of our art scene. In that sense, MAV is a pioneer and I am keen to provide continuous support by offering my professional skills and experience while achieving the strategic goals.”

MARIE ALLAMAN

“I am nominating for the board because Multicultural Arts Victoria embodies and champions all the values and goals that matter to me in my personal and professional life: leadership in the multicultural art sector, excellence and boldness in its programs, continuous support to artists and diverse art practices, strong advocacy and courageous social justice. I have been witnessing and supporting these actions as a board member for the past year and would be thrilled to keep on furthering MAV’s leadership in its future. I intend to stand for the position of Secretary.

I will have a positive impact on the board thanks to my professional experience in the arts and my strong commitment to social justice. I can contribute to a range of discussions, with particular expertise in strategic planning, youth, and programming. I am an experienced arts worker and life-long art enthusiast, with 10 years’ experience working in arts programming, curatorship, community engagement and access in regional and outer metro Victoria and overseas. I am a migrant to Australia with English as an additional language and have firsthand experience of how arts can bring a sense of belonging. I recognise the importance of the arts to bring us all together.

The past six months have widely demonstrated the importance of the arts in our lives, as a support to all in times of crisis whilst being a vector for social equity and inclusion. MAV has been one of the first institutions to advocate for the sector, to speak up for diversity and develop adequate support for artists. I am committed to keep on working for all members interests and to continuously challenge the way we do things to ensure that we never get complacent and that we keep MAV accountable in all agreed values and outcomes for our communities.”

Image: Gelareh Pour and Amadou Suso, Assembly at Generations 2019, Photo by Damian W Vincenzi.