Chris Austin, Art and Design Director

Chris is a Pom who has been “messing around” with the arts for nearly half a century. From his teens Chris was drawn to both the visual and performing arts. Starting as a picture maker, Chris has exhibited in the UK and Australia and his work can be found in collections in the UK, Japan, USA and Australia. On emigrating from the UK in 1985 Chris taught Life Drawing and Print Making at TAFE while pursuing his own work. Chris has also been a street performer where his mute clown, Blanco took pleasure in disrupting the equilibrium of innocent shoppers and small children.

A passion for the dramatic led Chris to establish the notion of an Arts Ball for the Macleay Valley Arts Council in Kempsey. This annual event combined the ideas of, set design, performance and parties and was successfully directed by Chris for nearly fifteen years. For the last ten years Chris has been teaching Drama and making masks to satisfy his interest in 

Commedia dell Arte. In his spare time he co hosts the Oddfellows HOT CLUB, an irregular jazz/blues venue in Kempsey.