Cathy Hunt (BA Hons M. Phil)
Cathy is one of the founding directors of Positive Solutions with over 20 years experience of working in the arts and creative industries both in Australia and the UK. Her previous professional experience was in the management of art centres, touring performing companies and festivals, including as Founding Director of the UK Liverpool Festival of Comedy and Artistic Programmer of Battersea Arts Centre, London.
In Australia, Cathy has worked extensively on cultural policy development including cultural plans for local governments, strategy reviews and planning for State government, cultural facility developments and organisational and business planning for arts organisations. This has included the preparation of a regional and district cultural facilities strategy for the Government of Hong Kong, with GHK Consulting (HK).
Cathy has a first degree in English and Theatre Studies and a Master of Philosophy (through the School of Architecture, University of Liverpool UK), on the design and development process of buildings for the performing arts.
David Fishel (MA, M.Litt)
Prior to co-founding Positive Solutions in 1990, David managed arts organisations ranging from small scale touring theatre companies to arts centre and theatre venues. David has led business and strategic planning processes for sports, cultural, educational and Indigenous organisations. He has delivered training in board development, management and leadership skills, arts-business partnerships and strategic planning.
David is author of The Book of the Board, now in its second edition, a handbook for board members of non-profit organisations, published by Federation Press in Australia, and as Boards That Work by the Directory of Social Change in the UK.
David is a graduate of Liverpool, Newcastle and Oxford Universities. He has been a board member of several cultural organisations in Australia and the UK and is currently Chair of the Creative Industries Precinct (CIP) Board at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Renai Grace (BA Art History)
Throughout her career Renai Grace has been actively involved in profiling and developing the visual arts. She has co-founded small-scale voluntary artist run spaces in Melbourne and Brisbane (Blindside (2004), smith+stoneley (1997) and Fortitude (1995) and in 1999 was appointed the CEO of Artworkers Alliance (QLD) a 1000 member based state-funded employment agency for visual artists.
Renai was appointed to her role in Positive Solutions in 2003. Over the last few years she has curated and managed art collections and a range of art commissions in the public realm from single commissions such as in Exhibition Street, Melbourne to multiple artwork opportunities at Reconciliation Place Stage 4, Canberra, providing curatorial advice to the commissioning team for the Darwin City Waterfront and curating all art work for the Mater Health Services in Brisbane.
Renai has a Bachelor of Arts (Art History) from University of Queensland and has completed post-graduate fellowship in curatorial studies from the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice, Italy.
Kitty Carra (B. Commerce, BA)
Kitty has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland where she majored in financial accounting and organisational behaviour. She worked for the training organisational the Covey Leadership Centre while completing her arts degree.
She then moved from the corporate sector to the community sector to work as financial manager with a number of different organisations and also gained experience within the sector by serving as treasurer on numerous committees
In 1995, Kitty moved into the arts and cultural sector by taking up the position as manager with the physical theatre company Circa/ Rock n Roll Circus. This role involved all levels of company management as well as national and international industry networking.
She has worked with Positive Solutions since 1998 and specialises in reviewing organisational systems, strategic planning, business planning and financial forecasting.
Benjamin Milton Hampe (B. Journalism)
Ben has partnered with institutional, commercial and private clients on numerous curatorial projects. In 2008 he will curate an exhibition of artworks by Lionel Antonio Chévez, a Mesoamerican indigenous artist and the royal heir to the last dynasty of the Maya Lenca people of eastern El Salvador.
Previous projects include ‘the SHAPE of things to come’, an annual showcase that assembles highlights of the year’s graduate shows from the design and visual arts disciplines at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). From 2006 to 2007 he was a co-curator of the International Digital Art Projects exhibitions and coordinator of their national tour and marketing campaigns.
He began working with Renai Grace in 2006 as a research assistant on the KPMG Collection. He has worked in the commercial gallery sector and advises on the buying and selling of artworks for private clients.
Diana Hargreaves (BA Dance)
Diana graduated from QUT in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) degree. To develop her knowledge in arts administration, Diana went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Deakin University while working in central Queensland as a dance teacher.
Diana has spent the past ten years working in administrative roles for a variety of arts and non profit organizations in Central Queensland, Adelaide and the United Kingdom. These organisations include the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, the National Institute of Youth Performing Arts and Salvation Army Employment Plus.
Erin White (BCI, Drama)
Erin White graduated with a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama) with Distinction from QUT in 2006.
Throughout university, Erin's professional development in the Brisbane Theatre industry included performing in Ann's Street Party (Brisbane Festival), The Trees (Metro Arts Collaborative Development Festival) and Poetry After Dark; as well as Assistant Directing/Coordinating projects such Running Up a Dress (QUT Production 1 Festival) and Poetry After Dark (2006).
In addition to working for Positive Solutions in an administrative role, Erin also works for the Southern Cross Soloists as the Events and Administration Assistant.
Megan McCormack (BA Screen Production)
Megan completed her Bachelor of Arts (Screen Production) from Griffith University in 1998 and since that time has worked on a number of locally produced short films and documentaries in the role of sound recordist.
Her experience gained her a casual teaching position at Griffith Film School in the popular Sound Design subject working with budding filmmakers and animators.
Megan has also worked for one of Brisbane’s leading boutique advertising agencies in the media planning and buying department.
Joanna Maunder (BA FA Illustration)
Joanna graduated from Griffith University, QCA in 2004 with Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (Illustration). Since then Joanna has immersed herself within the creative industries, co-founding an artist run collective -tri-cycleARTS. This was established to provide support for emerging Brisbane artists.
Joanna has traveled throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and lived in London for over two years. Whist in London Joanna worked in the Marketing Department of Itchy Feet Theatre.
Joanna is currently completing postgraduate study at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), in Arts and Creative Industries Management.
For more information please contact us.