Announcing 2025 festival dates: June 13-15

CO-CHAIR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Lenka is a singer/songwriter with her own record label, but also spent many years acting in Australian film, theatre and television. She has a BFA from COFA and has always maintained a passion for visual arts. With OpenField, Lenka hopes to revitalise arts infrastructure in Berry, a beloved area she has come to call home.

CO-CHAIR AND FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Amelia has worked in the arts for over 15 years for a range or organisations including the Biennale of Sydney, Historic Houses Trust (now Sydney Living Museums) and Object (now Australian Design Centre). She has a BA from Sydney Uni, and a Master of Arts Administration from COFA. Amelia has a passion for projects that spark engagement in the arts for new audiences, particularly children, and is excited to be a part of creating this experience for people in Berry with OpenField.

TREASURER

Originally from France, Anne has a BA in European Business Administration and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PWC in London. She then moved to Sydney just before the Olympics to enjoy the games… & the lifestyle - sun, beach & fun.

Anne started her consulting business nearly 20 years ago as she’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with accounting software and getting grants to develop their business.

And of course, she loves mingling with people while enjoying all types of art which is why she has recently joined the team behind the Inner West Film Festival in Sydney as well as the OpenField Art Festival.

PR MANAGER

Fleur has over 25 years working in communications, public relations, fundraising, events, primarily in the non-profit and corporate responsibility sectors. She is now Director of Lanham Media, a communications agency that specifically works with for-purpose clients. Fleur has a Masters of Social Development, a Bachelor of Commerce/Marketing and a Diploma of Management. She previously managed the ING Foundation and ING Direct’s sustainability and community programs, as well as working for organisations such as Doctors Without Borders, United Way and UN Women.

OPENFIELD MEMBER AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER

James is an internationally renowned artist and illustrator. His obsession with re-imaging his world has seen him work for major print, TV and music publishing releases including: Coca-Cola, Ford Motors, Herman Miller, Paypal/Ebay, Caterpiller, The New York Times and Simon&Schuster. He has participated in projects in the USA the UK, Indonesia, Austria, Germany, France and Australia, taking his whimsical perception around the world.

James designed the OpenField logo, which reflects the shapes of our local agricultural and natural landscape.

OPENFIELD MEMBER AND ADMINISATRION

Zar has 30 years experience in hospitality and also more recently co-ordinating large street festivals in Crows Nest and Leichhardt.

She's also an administrative contractor and is passionate about spreadsheets.

She's looking forward to assisting with bringing this new arts festival to Berry and the Shoalhaven.

OPENFIELD MEMBER AND SPONSORSHIP MANAGER

Gloria is a local wedding celebrant, yoga teacher, gallery manager and creative all-rounder. She brings skills from her previous careers to OpenField, including 10 years of event management in London and Sydney as well as sales and sponsorship roles across a variety of fields.

She loves the buzz of events, is passionate about people and making things happen and is excited to be involved in bringing art and music to Berry.

SECRETARY

Andrea Christie-David is an award-winning lawyer and entrepreneur who has a passion for achieving equality and justice for all members of our community whilst also engaging in social causes any chance she gets.

In 2013 Andrea was recognised as ‘Woman Lawyer of the Year in a Community Organisation’ by the Women Lawyers Association of NSW. In 2019 Andrea was a finalist in the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in the category of ‘Emerging Female Entrepreneur’. Andrea is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice and a Master of International Law. She recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies, is a solicitor admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and has taught law at many leading Australian Universities.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Julie has had a career spanning four decades in the television industry.

A specialist in large scale event TV, her credits as Executive Producer have been diverse and include formats like The Voice, Australian Ninja Warrior, Masterchef to name a few.

In addition, events such as FireFight Australia, ARIA Awards, AACTA Awards, Australian Day Live and Australian of the Year have combined her skills in leading large creative and technical teams in event and television broadcast.

She has a passion for start up projects, figuring out the architecture and DNA, the brand, the voice, the audience.

With OpenField, Julie is excited to support a new project envisioned and brought to fruition by a dynamic group of women.

CO-CHAIR AND CURATORIUM MEMBER

CO-CHAIR AND CURATORIUM MEMBER

OPENFIELD AND CURATORIUM MEMBER

CURATORIUM MEMBER - CONTRACTED

Emma Saunders is an Australian dance artist who works as a dancer, choreographer, director, educator and curator. She graduated with a BA in Dance and Grad Dip Ed (Dance/Drama) from the University of Western Sydney (1996). She is interested in the simplicity of dance and the complexity of choreography. Utilising a visceral, instinctive attack, her work is immediate, often working with humour, everyday movement, text, repetition, deconstruction, duration and abstraction.

Emma is a co-founding member of the award-winning Sydney based trio, ‘The Fondue Set’, alongside Jane McKernan and Elizabeth Ryan, who have created 10 full length works including Green Room Award-winning No Success Like Failure presented at the Sydney Opera House (2008) and Dance Massive, Arts House (2009). Emma was the inaugural Dance Curator at Campbelltown Arts Centre (2008 – 2012), where she curated over 40 new dance projects that examine community, location, exchange, culture, age and the interdisciplinary nature of making dance work. In 2015, Emma created two new large scale outdoor site-specific dance projects, The Bankstown Dancing Project, commissioned by Urban Theatre Projects for Sydney Festival 2015, and The Austinmer Dancing Project 1.1.18, which has had over 15,000 hits on youtube.

CURATORIUM MEMBER - CONTRACTED

Nowra-based Gomeroi man Warwick Keen is a teacher and curator of Aboriginal Cultural Art as well as a practising artist with over 40 years of experience.

He was commissioned to curate “the TERRA within” Aboriginal Artist Exhibition at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in 2020, an exhibition consisting of over 30 Aboriginal Artist responses to the past 250 years of colonisation. He is well known for large scale murals and public artworks, including the UAP/ NRMA Sydney Harbour Fast Ferries Centennial Project and a commission for Wollongong Art Gallery, celebrating 40 years of the gallery’s operation. He also created and developed 3 designs for North Shore Bus Infrastructure cabinets for Transport NSW.

Keen was the Community Artist in Residency at ‘NANIMA’ Aboriginal Community at Wellington NSW in 2019 with his Carved Tree Project, a contemporary representation of the once-practised traditional Art of tree-carving.

For VIVID 2022, Keen created an installation of 150 colour-changing light pillars in Barangaroo Reserve called Nura, which means 'place' or 'country' in Gadigal language.

For OpenField Keen will be acting as an artist and curator.