Building Cultural Safety in Creative Workplaces

Today’s arts and cultural leaders are managing vastly different workforces than in the past, that better reflect the vibrant and diverse communities they are surrounded by. But do our approaches to leadership keep up with the challenges of managing and nurturing diverse teams?

In this session Veronica Pardo will provide an introduction to some of the principles and practices that can address this critical gap to build safer organisational cultures in which all people can thrive. Veronica’s presentation will be followed by a discussion with Bec Cole (palawa) and Claire Watson from NETS Victoria, the peak body for visual art, craft and design touring, and the State’s only full-service visual arts touring organisation. Bec and Claire will share practical insights and learnings from their own journey of building cultural safety in a small arts organisation, and how they have created transformative outcomes with minimal resources.

This session is an outcome of Greater Shepparton City Council's Creative City Strategy, produced by TOPSOIL and supported by Riverlinks and Shepparton Art Museum.

Image: Veronica Pardo

About the presenters:

Veronica Pardo she/her
Veronica Pardo & Associates: Principal Consultant
Lives and works on Wurundjeri Country

Veronica has been leading the work on cultural equity in Australia for more than two decades and has held leadership positions in a range of arts, academic and non-government institutions. Veronica’s practice is grounded in human rights, equity and justice, working closely with Deaf and Disabled communities, and Communities of Colour to embed systemic transformation. Veronica is a highly regarded leader, sought after by institutions to guide the development of interventions aimed at changing organisational culture, structure and practice. She is an experienced leadership and executive development coach, working with individuals to build capacity for culturally safe, high performing teams that enable diverse practice and lived experience. Veronica has designed and delivered multiple leadership programs for state and federal government agencies, as well as her own highly commended Culturally Safe Leadership Program and Theatre Network Australia’s Leadershift Program. Veronica has worked with more than 150 organisations focusing on issues such as racial equity and justice, cultural safety, diversity and inclusion. She is a highly experienced Board Director with 20 years’ governance experience, with particular expertise in decolonising governance practice. She is currently Chair of Western Edge Youth Arts.

Bec Cole she/her
palawa
Research Fellow, Deakin University; Coordinator, Arts, Culture and Local History, Manningham City Council
Chair: Board of Management, NETS Victoria
Lives and works on Bunurong Country and Wurundjeri Country

Bec Cole is the Chair of NETS Victoria, a Research Fellow at Deakin University and Coordinator, Arts, Culture and Local History at Manningham City Council. She has previously worked extensively in local government spanning leadership, strategic and creative programming roles across public art, galleries, performing arts, major event and activity centre settings. Bec is a former Director of Latrobe Regional Gallery, led the establishment of Gippsland Performing Arts Centre and is a champion of creating access to contemporary art for everyone. Previously, Bec was the Executive Director and Co-CEO of Footscray Community Arts and led the Arts & Culture program at Wyndham City Council. She implemented a bold exhibition program at Wyndham Art Gallery, establishing a curatorial model of practice that supports a diversity of perspectives and raised the profile of the gallery to national presence. Bec holds a Master of Commerce with specialties in business, economics and marketing; winning the prestigious RMIT Master of Commerce Prize in 2018. She also holds a Master of Community Cultural Development from the Victorian College of the Arts. Bec regularly writes articles on culture, creativity and community, and has an extensive background in community engagement and policy. Bec is proudly palawa.

Claire Watson she/her
Director, NETS Victoria
Lives and works on Wurundjeri Country

Claire Watson is a passionate contributor to the arts community through her role on boards and advisory committees, as a judge for industry prizes, a writer, and lecturer. Her professional experience includes serving as an advisor on the Touring Panel for Creative Victoria (2014-2016), board member of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria (2017-2019) chairing their Advocacy and Research Committee; and a range of senior roles at arts organisations including BLINDSIDE, Asialink, Gippsland Art Gallery, and Bundoora Homestead Art Centre. Claire has curated over 100 exhibitions including the Artspace Mackay touring exhibition Violent Salt co-curated with Yhonnie Scarce; NETS Victoria/BLINDSIDE touring exhibition Synthetica (2015-2016); and the Asialink/BLINDSIDE touring exhibition Vertigo (2014). She has been a guest speaker at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei; Galerie Soemardja, Indonesia; and the TransCultural Exchange Conference, USA. Claire is an Affiliate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the National Association of Visual Arts, an advocate for inclusive practices and a lover of innovation.