Over this last year Steamworks Arts Director Sally Richardson has been busy learning the ropes of what it takes to produce a statewide arts festival in lutruwita/Tasmania. Sally shares her experience working alongside Dr Lindy Hume, one of Australia's most outstanding festival artistic directors, and inspired cultural leaders.

This final program for Hume directly reflected her distinctive vision showcasing compelling women artists, rich and evocative storytelling, new and original Australian works, challenging moments of artistic excellence, and extraordinary live musical experiences. At its core the festival offered moments of real and genuine connection to the landscape of Lutruwita/Tasmania, engaging with spaces, places, and communities from Hobart in the South to Stanley in the far North.

As Executive Producer of the Ten Days on the Island Festival it has been an extraordinary gift and privilege professionally and personally to work alongside Lindy who has directed 12 international arts festivals along with many other festivals over her extensive career. A passionate advocate for arts and artists working in regional Australia, Lindy brings a unique sensibility and sensitivity to the role. A successful artist herself, she has a unique understanding and keen curatorial eye which saw her create ambitious and rich festival programs that strived to reach out to Tasmanians from all walks of life. In 2023 audiences experienced a wide range of cultural activities from across the spectrum of the arts. Thematic threads weaving a narrative around the compelling theme of “radical optimism”, with programming empowering the voices and stories of women and girls, showcasing epic mythologies, and revealing inspirational local stories. It has been an unforgettable experience and one which I will always treasure...never mind a steep learning curve, roller-coaster ride, and an incredible opportunity to experience all of this in one of the most beautiful natural environments in the world. (Sally Richardson)

Dr. Lindy Hume shares her experience of directing three Ten Days on the Island Festivals in her final Ten Days blog post:

So now the 2023 Festival is done and dusted, it’s such a luxury to reflect on my three festivals in Lutruwita/Tasmania. Hand on heart, Ten Days has been one of the happiest chapters of my career and life, and I’m grateful for every moment. Even the most challenging moments – like ripping up a year of festival planning when COVID closed the borders in 2020 – turned out to be great adventures with wonderful colleagues, artists, audiences and communities. I have met so many amazing people here, been to such amazing places, learned so many important lessons and have felt part of something really meaningful in making three festival programs for this extraordinary part of the planet. There is yet so much to discover: its First Peoples’ stories, culture and places, its unique creative identity, its contemporary narratives and ingenuity. What a place to make art! (Dr. Lindy Hume AM)

Read more from Lindy Hume here

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