The GalleriesWest Committee of Management is comprised of representatives from a diverse mix of arts organisations and galleries from across metro and regional Western Australia.

The team are dedicated, passionate and experienced.

GEMMA BEN-ARY

Chairperson

Gemma is an independent visual artist, writer and curator, and is currently the Executive Director of Ellenbrook Arts and also sits on the board of Art on the Move. Formerly the Curator at the City of Joondalup, Gemma’s background is in writing, curating, artistic direction and programming in local government and not-for-profit organisations, and her interests are primarily in contemporary Western Australian visual art, feminist theory, and contemporary craft. Gemma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art and Writing from Edith Cowan University.

Contact: chair@gallerieswest.com.au

GRAEME LUSH

Treasurer / Chartered Accountant

 

THEO CONSTANTINO

Collections Sector Working Group Representative

Theo Costantino is ART ON THE MOVE’s Executive Director. Theo is a non-binary artist, writer, and educator who grew up in regional WA, holds a PhD from Curtin University, and has worked across the arts and university sectors, as an academic and in management roles, in Australia and the UK.

JESSICA RICCIARDO

Jessica is the Director of The Cannery, Esperence, and describes herself as a person who wears lots of hats. She is an actor, arts manager, festival coordinator, story teller, MC, voiceover artist, high school teacher, community engagement officer and arts administrator. She recently moved to Esperance and couldn’t be happier in her role there.

FIONA SINCLAIR

Fiona is a passionate artist and arts worker dedicated to catalysing opportunities for individuals and communities to discover the unique and essential value of the Arts in everyday life. During a 20 year career specialising in public art and community engagement she has worked across Western Australia on projects large and small. As the Artistic Director and General Manager of Southern Forest Arts, she oversees the unfolding vision of Northcliffe’s Understory Art & Nature Trail and the adjacent Painted Tree Gallery. Fiona is currently developing a new collaborative project through the Creative Grid collective for the WA regional arts sector called ‘Mycelium’. She is Vice Chair board of Regional Arts WA.

PAYAM PARISHANZADEH

Payam Parishanzadeh was born in Iran. He graduated from university with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. His initiation into the art world began with the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, where he started as a tour guide. He moved to the International Department of the Tehran MoCA after a while, where he gained more hands-on experience in organising international exhibitions and seminars, meeting people in the industry both in Iran and abroad. Payam also experienced a three-year diplomatic career as local staff of the Embassy of Japan in Tehran before he moved to Australia. He has been the Gallery Coordinator at Collie Art Gallery since November 2015.

MARINA BAKER

MFA, Grad. Dip. (Art & Design), B.Ed. (Art & Craft)

Born in Geelong Vic, Marina has lived in Geraldton for over 15 years. She is a practising artist with broad experience exhibiting, working and living as an artist. Marina has been the recipient of an Australia Council Italian studio residency and achieved a Travelling Scholarship from University of Melbourne for her Masters’ degree research in Italy in the 1990s. She has held a dozen solo exhibitions and participated in over 100 group and selected exhibitions.

Here in regional Australia Marina has generated numerous Community Arts projects – with Artsource WA, Awesome Arts, North Midlands Project and with Indigenous and regional communities in the NT and WA, particularly involving murals and painting practice. She has been involved in Arts and Education at all levels – as a secondary art teacher in Victoria, the NT and WA, as a senior Lecturer in Painting, Drawing, Fine Art Theory and Studio Practice at 3 universities, and as a Course Coordinator for the School of Art & Design at Charles Darwin University and also at the regional campus of ECU at the Geraldton Universities Centre.

From 2014-2019 Marina was the Collections Manager for New Norcia Museum & Art Gallery, gaining invaluable experience in museum and curatorial practices. She is presently the Coordinator of Gallery & Public Art for the City of Greater Geraldton, managing the gallery and exhibitions program for this vibrant Midwest region.

MIKE BIANCO

Mike Bianco is an artist, curator, researcher, and gallery Director. Bianco’s work in the arts has largely focused on issues of politics, environment, and sustainability. Bianco’s educational background includes a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Alfred University; an MA in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts; an MFA in Art & Design with an emphasis in Sustainability from the Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan; and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. As a Curator and Director, Bianco has held a number of roles, including: Curator of New Programs at the John Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, CA; Co-founder and Co-Director of Queen’s Nails Projects in San Francisco, CA; and Associate Curator at Ballroom Marfa in Marfa, TX. Currently, Bianco is the Director of the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery.

As an academic, Bianco has also conducted extensive international research focused on the subjects of food, craft, and sustainability. Bianco has published his research in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including Performance Research (2016) and the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts Quarterly (2022).