Media Release: Diversity Arts Australia CEO Awarded Churchill Fellowship, Acting CEO Appointed

Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) is proud to announce that CEO Lena Nahlous has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship and will be taking a period of leave to undertake this internationally recognised research opportunity.

The Churchill Fellowship honours individuals who show exceptional vision and leadership in their field, supporting research that contributes to the enrichment, innovation and future resilience of Australian communities.

Lena’s Fellowship will focus on developing Australia’s first open-access digital archive of culturally diverse artists and creatives. Her research, spanning Aotearoa (New Zealand), Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Japan, aims to inform new approaches to building robust, accessible, and sustainable cultural archives, better honouring and celebrating marginalised creatives and communities. This work will deliver long-term benefits for Diversity Arts Australia and the broader creative sector.

To support operations during this time, Diversity Arts Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of Paschal Daantos Berry as Acting CEO. Paschal is a respected arts leader, curator, dramaturg and creative director, whose leadership experience spans Blacktown Arts, the Biennale of Sydney, the Art Gallery of NSW, and the broader arts community.

“We are thrilled to celebrate Lena’s achievement and equally excited to welcome Paschal into the Acting CEO role,” said Cecilia Anthony, Diversity Arts’ Chair and Industry Professor – Indigenous Policy at University of Technology Sydney. “The organisation remains in strong hands as we continue our commitment to championing cultural and creative diversity.”

“Diversity Arts Australia congratulates Lena on this remarkable achievement and looks forward to the insights and opportunities her research will bring,” said Professor Anthony.

ABOUT DIVERSITY ARTS AUSTRALIA
Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) is Australia’s national voice for ethnocultural and migrant racial equity in the arts, cultural, and creative industries.