Leadership Council: Penny Eames, JP, MA (Applied)

Penny Eames, JP, MA (Applied)
Executive Director
Arts Access Aotearoa
penny.eames@artsaccess.org.nz
www.artsaccess.org.nz

Penny Eames is the Executive Director of Arts Access Aotearoa in New Zealand, a Charitable Trust established to encourage organizations to provide access to the arts for all people.

The Trust has worked primarily with justice, health, disability, and refugee groups in establishing arts projects which help people use their time in healthy endeavors to develop meaningful relationships and positive communications. The Trust also works to develop arts industries for people on the margins of society. Recently she gave a presentation at the Sheffield International Creative Clusters Summit on the development of arts industries for those on the margins through developing creative clusters.
Penny’s overall goal is to see the development of the full potential of all New Zealanders and for people throughout the world.

She has worked with numerous community groups and organizations as they develop arts programmes for their societies. Her more recent work has focused on developing sustainable arts industries in which people in need make use of local raw materials to produce marketable art products.

Penny has spent the last twelve years working with art and a lifetime working with community education. Prior to establishing Arts Access Aotearoa, she was a senior manager at the QEII Arts Council of New Zealand (now Creative New Zealand) and has been a consultant in Recreation and Leisure Management. She holds a graduate degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.

Penny has worked on international committees and forums with UNESCO, World Council of Churches, IFWEA, and Creative Exchange. She has received several fellowships and grants and has an extensive book, journal, and radio documentary publishing record. She is known for her involvement with art in the prison and mental health areas, and with the development of Creative Spaces for people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities.