The Malinauskas Labor Government today announced exciting new appointments to support its vision for expanding and supporting arts, culture and creativity in South Australia.

A newly-created position in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet will see highly-credentialled Clare Mockler join as Interim Executive Director, Arts South Australia from Monday.

Clare is the former CEO at the City of Adelaide and with her outstanding skill set, experience and commitment to our state’s future success will play an important role in heralding in a new era for the sector as the development of a new cultural policy to set a long term vision for supporting arts, culture and creativity in South Australia is finalised for release.

A second outstanding appointment sees Ruth Mackenzie CBE, Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival, take up an exciting new opportunity within the State Government as Program Director, Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy, also within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Fresh off the back of an incredible, record-breaking 2024 Adelaide Festival, Ruth will bring her extraordinary insight and expertise in the arts and a depth of international experience to the role, ensuring the policy is successfully put in place and enacted.

Brett Sheehy AO will return as Artistic Director of the 2025 Adelaide Festival, a role he held previously from 2005 to 2008. Brett will finalise programming of the 2025 Festival and oversee its delivery next March and will also continue preparations for the 2026 program until the appointment of the 2026 Artistic Director.

Additionally, current Director Creative Industries Becc Bates will bring her extensive industry and sector experience to the new position of Director Strategy and Investment within DPC, in which she will play a key role in working with Clare to deliver on the significant priorities within the state’s cultural landscape.

The three appointments demonstrate the importance to the government of ensuring the arts and creative industries in South Australia continue to be world-leading, innovative and hugely beneficial to the economic and cultural wellbeing of our state.

The Executive Director Arts South Australia position will be advertised in the coming months in order to fill the role for the longer term.

Quotes

Attributable to Andrea Michaels

I’m delighted to welcome Clare to this hugely important interim role, ahead of a longer-term appointment in the coming months.

She is equipped with an array of talents that make her a perfect person for the role, and I look forward to working with her and her team to deliver and embed the state’s impending landmark cultural policy.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Ruth to her critical new role, as well as thank her again for her outstanding stewardship and delivery of one of our state’s premier artistic celebrations, the Adelaide Festival.