S2:E4 Knocking on doors – Lisa Havilah in conversation with Criena Gehrke

The Three Bells

Summary:

In this episode, our host Criena Gehrke speaks with Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive of the Powerhouse Museum in Australia. They unpack the visionary approach she has crafted over her career of shaping cultural institutions and precincts into culturally and commercially vibrant hubs. They discuss the imperative need to maintain your community engaged, to operate and program inclusively, as well as the significance of keeping an open-door policy, particularly towards emerging artists and cultural leaders.

After, Criena is joined by fellow host Adrian Ellis to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on the importance of bold but honest cultural leadership, alongside the need for cultural institutions to align practice with ethos for a coherent brand identity.

References:

• Powerhouse Museum is one of Australia's oldest and most important cultural institutions.
• Project Contemporary Artspace in Wollongong was founded by Lisa Havilah, Glen Barkley and Nathan Clarke.
• Casula Powerhouse Art Center, a multi-disciplinary arts centre in Western Sydney
• Campbelltown Arts Centre, an arts centre also based in Western Sydney
• Carriageworks, the largest multi-arts centre in Australia
• Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Australia’s only international fashion event that takes place throughout the Carriageworks precinct
• Sydney Contemporary, visual art fair presented by and staged at Carriageworks
• Powerhouse Parramatta is the largest investment in cultural infrastructure since the Sydney Opera House, and the first major cultural institution to be established in Western Sydney.
• Renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo, where it will be embedded into a new creative industries precinct
• Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

Guest bio:

Lisa Havilah is the Chief Executive of the Powerhouse Museum. Through her visionary leadership, she is establishing a new museum paradigm for one of Australia’s oldest and most important cultural institutions. From 2012 to 2019, Lisa was the Director of Carriageworks. Under her leadership, Carriageworks experienced extraordinary audience, artistic and commercial growth, becoming the fastest growing cultural precinct in Australia. She was recently named one of Sydney’s most influential people in the Daily Telegraphs’ Power 100 list.