Every part of Australia is,
always was and always will be,
Aboriginal land.

As a community gathering-place, a festival of arts, cultural exchange and celebration and as a site for the sharing of ideas and stories, Ten Days on the Island pays respect to the Palawa/Tasmanian Aborigines – The original owners and cultural custodians - of all the lands and waters across Lutruwita/Tasmania upon which our Festival takes place.

With thanks to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre for place names and other words in palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines.

The Board of Ten Days on the Island has announced that, after leading the organisation for six years, CEO Jane Haley has advised the Board that she will step down from her role towards the end of 2021.

In her 40-year career in the arts, Jane has led several of Australia’s significant arts organisations including the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Arts Access (Victoria), the Queensland Theatre Company, the Arts Council of Australia (ACT) and Sidetrack Theatre (Sydney), and also worked in senior executive roles in government, including as Senior Policy Advisor to Hon Mary Delahunty MP and Senior Policy Officer with Arts Queensland.

After a 30-year absence on the ‘big island’, Jane returned to Tasmania in 2014, initially working with the University of Tasmania to develop its cultural policies and collections strategies. But the lure of the arts was compelling and, after completing a major review of Ten Days on the Island for the Board, in 2015 Jane accepted the invitation of the newly appointed chairman, Saul Eslake, to take up the role of CEO.

In collaboration with the Board, Jane breathed new life into Ten Days, reclaiming its brand and leadership position as the key driver for, and investor in, new works by Tasmanian artists and bringing quality arts experiences to audiences in regional Tasmania. During her tenure, Jane led Ten Days through some momentous changes, including rebuilding Government trust and funding, relocation of the organisation from Hobart to Burnie, recruitment of Lindy Hume as Artistic Director and, with her, establishment of the highly successful three weekend model for the Festival. Most recently, she steered the Company through the disruption caused by COVID and, with the team, delivered a much welcomed and celebrated Festival in March 2021.

Commenting on the announcement, Chair of Ten Days on the Island Craig Perkins said: “Jane has dedicated her career to the arts and is one of the most successful and respected arts managers in Australia. She leaves an extraordinary legacy for Ten Days on the Island and we thank her for the outstanding contribution she has made to Tasmania’s unique statewide international arts festival. She has overseen a great period of evolution for the organisation and has built a strong and capable team. We look forward to celebrating her achievements with the community in which she has built such trust and admiration. The search for her successor will begin as we look towards a new era for Ten Days.”

Jane Haley said: “It has been a great honour and joy to spend the last six years engaged in the task of helping make our Festival one of the best in the world. Ten Days has a profound impact on the brand and identity of Tasmania and will continue to build its confident, distinctly Tasmanian voice. I’m proud to leave on a high, knowing the Company has a stable foundation – our relationship with the Tasmanian Government is robust and we have strong partnerships with local government and business, and a burgeoning circle of donors. I thank the Board, the Ten Days’ team and all the artists, industry colleagues and community leaders who have made it all worthwhile.’

The Board of Ten Days on the Island has retained leading arts specialist search firm AEGEUS to conduct a search for the next CEO with a view to making an appointment in October 2021.

For more information contact:

Craig Perkins, Chair 0409 395 195

Jane Haley, CEO 0413 602 724

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