artsHub's ones to watch out for in 2012

Nick Mitzevich, Director, Art Gallery SA  

The coming year will be a big one in the arts. We start afresh with new seasons from all the major theatre companies, we’ll see festivals soar and some crash, and we’ll see Australians make names from themselves both locally and internationally. Here, we have broken down the top 10 faces to keep an eye on in 2012.

1. Kate Eltham, Queensland Writers Centre CEO
Kate Eltham is the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Writers Centre and has a passion for the new opportunities presented by the digital age through the if:book Australia centre, which focuses specifically on excellence in digital literature. Kate’s professional interest in the future of publishing, e-books and mobile content as well as digital publishing opportunities make her and the QWC ones to watch in 2012.

2. Zoe Coombs Marr (Playwright)
Zoe Coombs Marr recently won the 2011 Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award for her one-woman show And That Was the Summer That Changed My Life. With past winners such as Brendan Cowell and Tommy Murphy, winning this award is enough on its own to make her one to watch in 2012; however, Zoe has also received the prestigious Dinosaur Designs Prize and the Art and Australia Award and is also one third of theatre company post, who developed Everything I Know About the Global Financial Crisis In One Hour for B Sharp with support from version 1.0, and Who’s The Best? for Sydney Theatre Company. As part of the Phillip Parson’s Award, Zoe will receive a writer’s commission supported by Belvoir to develop a new work. Look out for it.

3. Anne-Louise Sarks, Artistic Director of The Hayloft Project
Anne-Louise is an actor, director, dramaturge and Artistic Director of The Hayloft Project, which produced the Green-Room Award winning Thyestes and saw Sarks get a best director nomination for The Nest. This year she worked with Belvoir as Associate Artist and as Assistant Director on The Wild Duck. In 2010 she received the Besen Family Trust Scholarship for dramaturgy and worked as an emerging director/dramaturge for the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Recently she appeared in Lally Katz’s Return To Earth at the Melbourne Theatre Company, where she will also direct Tony Martin and Sara Gleeson in Kate Mulvany’s The Seed in 2012.

4. Paris Neilson, Board Director of the Biennale of Sydney
Paris Neilson was recently appointed as Board Director of the Biennale of Sydney, which will take place from June to September in 2012. She is a keen collector and supporter of contemporary art and is the Board’s youngest member.

As Gallery Manager of the White Rabbit Collection, which holds one of the largest collections of contemporary Chinese art in the world, Paris has played a significant role in its growth and success and her influence on next year’s Biennale will make it her one to keep an eye on.

5. Rennie McDougall, dancer and choreographer
Rennie McDougall is an emerging dancer and choreographer who has performed in New York, Hong Kong and Taipei and has toured nationally with Chunky Move, BalletLab and Lucy Guerin Inc. He graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2009 with a Bachelor of Dance. Before he graduated he started working with Phillip Adams at Balletlab and has since performed in Miracle, Amplification, Above and Aviary for the company.

In 2012 Rennie will present his own work at the Next Wave Festival, with support from the Kickstart program, Arts Victoria and Lucy Guerin Inc’s residency program. He also received an Arts Victoria Arts Development grant for the second development of his new work SUPERTONE.

6. Ross Mueller, Artistic Director of Courthouse
Ross is an accomplished writer and director and has worked as far afield as the Royal Court Theatre in London, where he undertook an International Residency. He won the Wal Cherry Play of the year; was shortlisted for an AWGIE; and he has had many Green Room Nominations.

Under his guidance as Artistic Director of Courthouse Arts in Geelong, Ross will be the one to watch in regional theatre in 2012 when he embarks on what will be his second year with the company. He will kick the year off with New Years Revolution, a multi art form festival, incorporating The Short Gorilla Film Festival, Scissorgrinder, theatre shows, master classes and more.

7. Michael Cook, Visual Artist
Michael Cook is a photographic artist from the Bidjara people of south-west Queensland. 2011 was a stellar year for him and he took home the People's Choice Award of $5,000 at the Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards, the richest Indigenous arts prize in the country, as well as the 2011 Visual Artist of the Year at the 17th Deadly Awards. He was also a finalist in the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award, Gold Coast City Art Gallery.

His work is in the National gallery of Australia, the State Gallery of Western Australia, Gold Coast City Art Gallery and various university galleries. His work is impactful, insightful and most of all, striking. The sky is the limit for Michael in 2012.

8. Lynda Dorrington, Executive Director of Perth-based organisation FORM.
Lynda has worked to develop a number of major regional art projects with Indigenous groups, which this year culminated in the Canning Stock Route exhibition 'Yiwarra Kuju' at the CHOGM meeting in Perth in October 2011. This project was the national winner of the 2011 Toyota Community AbaF Award.

FORM sees creativity and creative thinking as integral to ensuring Western Australia capitalises on its talent rich creative sector. Its programs are centred on creative development and engagement. Organisations like FORM and people like Lynda are leading the way for creativity in the West.

9. Nick Mitzevich, Director, Art Gallery SA
In 2010 Nick Mitzevich was appointed as director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, making him the youngest person to hold the position in the gallery's 129-year history. The gallery has appointed Alexie Glass-Kantor and Natasha Bullock as curators of the 2012 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, which will reaffirm the Adelaide Biennial’s position at the forefront of contemporary art. The program they have coordinated for the Art Gallery of South Australia will present 21 cutting-edge commissioned works by some of Australia’s leading artists. Keep an eye on Nick and the Gallery of SA come Biennial time.

10. Ball Park Music
Brisbane band Ball Park Music began the year by opening the Gold Coast Big Day Out, in a slot won through triple j's Unearthed. The band also recently won the 2011 Unearthed Artist of the Year, an accolade that was last year won by Boy & Bear, who dominated this year’s ARIAs. Their debut album Happiness was revealed in September, earning Ball Park Music a J Award nomination for Album of the year. They have just toured nationally and this summer will play at the Peats Ridge and Pyramid Rock festivals. Going on their triple j unearthed success alone; these guys will be one to keep your ears out for in 2012.