Arts & Culture

Andrew Overton, Director

Overton Creative is a multidisciplinary arts consultancy that specialises in the initiation and delivery of cultural policy/strategic planning; cultural facilities development; and public art/placemaking projects.

Director Andrew Overton has worked across arts sector for the past 30 years. It has included a variety of roles across arts program development and management including strategy development, gallery and museum management, community cultural development, public art and cultural planning. This has included roles at:

• Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney
• Assistant Director & Director of Tamworth City Gallery (NSW)
• Senior arts management roles in cultural planning & policy, arts programming, and public art programs at Blacktown and Parramatta City Councils (NSW).

Andrew’s formal qualifications include Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) & Graduate Diploma Gallery Management. Andrew’s expertise is widely acknowledged across the arts sector particularly in his specialist areas:

• Public art and placemaking programs
• Cultural infrastructure planning and programs
• Cultural policy strategy and development within the context of Local Government.

The culmination of this experience resulted in Andrew being awarded the Brendan Hartnett Award at the NSW Local Government Cultural Awards in 2009. This unique peer award recognises an outstanding individual effort and continual dedication towards promoting arts and cultural development in any Local Government Area across NSW.

Furthermore, Overton Creative brings distinctive and knowledgeable experience and a broad base of professional contacts internationally, nationally, and locally.

In 2003, Andrew was awarded a prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to undertake a self directed study tour to investigate the role & integration of public art in urban design and redevelopment. The nine week fellowship included site visits to major city centre projects in Spain, United Kingdom, USA & Canada.

Andrew has contributed widely to the sector by delivering a wide range of talks, seminars, and mentoring programs involving such organisations as:

• Regional and Public Galleries Association of New South Wales 
• Museums & Galleries NSW
• College of Fine Art (UNSW)
• Centre for Event Management (UTS)
• The Centre for Cultural Research (CCR) (UWS)
• Arup Manchester, UK
• Planning Institute of Australia
• Planning Institute of Australia (NSW Chapter)
• Aus-Industry
• Parramatta Artist Studios
• Western Sydney Region Of Councils (WSROC)
• Local Government NSW
• Shoalhaven Arts Board

Furthermore, Andrew contributes his time and expertise bro bono for cultural organisations such as:

• Chair for Sacred Currents Inc.
• Committee Member for Blacktown Arts Centre Advisory Committee (former)
• Committee Member for Cumberland Arts Advisory Committee (former)
• Sydney World Chamber Orchestra