Suzanne Kalk – Artistic Director
Suzanne is committed to creating innovative and exciting arts events and artworks that follow the ideals of inclusion, sharing and community. This often involves combining outstanding art with community activities in ways that make the arts practices more inclusive and uses the arts to create a stronger community.
Suzanne is well-travelled with experience working and living in different countries and communities for many years.
Suzanne is expert in community engagement and visual design. Suzanne co- founded The Village Festival in 2004. Since then, this festival has been held 57 times across five states in Australia, showcasing its unique carnival-style atmosphere and model of artist and community engagement.
Suzanne has conceived many core Village projects including The World Kitchen, WonderWorld, 9X-Change, Art Camp, Falls Fiesta and Your Stage. Suzanne has also initiated and produced many projects with individual artists initially created for The Village Festival. Most of these projects have found independent lives beyond The Village.
Outside of The Village Festival, Suzanne has directed The Piers Festival for Multicultural Arts Victoria, taught design and Theatre Arts at Ballarat TAFE Theatre Arts, co-founded the Bep Baii Circus in Pakistan, and has worked as a puppet, set and costume designer for the Snuff Puppets. Suzanne has also been a freelance artist working as a designer and a workshop facilitator for many festivals and events. Over the last few years Suzanne been a designer, artist and project manager of the Desert Harmony Festival in Tennant Creek NT.
Stuart Vaskess – Festival Director (Management, Design and Logistics)
Stuart is in charge of all production, logistics and the building program. Stuart is primarily a visual artist, with a keen interest in mechanics, people-powered machines and large-scale design. Stuart was a founding member of Snuff Puppets, and has extensive expertise in fabrication and installation of sets, props and machinery. Stuart and Suzanne have designed the look of The Village.
Tim Sneddon – Creative Producer
Tim is a multi-disciplinary artist who focuses on producing innovative, immersive and community-focused performance projects primarily for festivals. He is responsible for the Village’s regeneration and renewal, working strategically, administratively and logistically in the delivery of their festivals and distinct community art projects.
Additionally, he works as a professional clown and puppeteer, having extensively toured internationally as a company member of ‘Bunk Puppets’. He has expertise in Youth Arts as a theatrical workshop facilitator and extracurricular drama teacher for children aged 4 to 18 in Melbourne, Sydney, Norway, The Philippines, Japan and China. Furthermore, he works as a freelance theatre maker and devisor, a theatrical sound designer, video editor, and is currently being trained by the Humour Foundation as a Clown Doctor. Tim has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne where he majored in Screen and Script Writing. He has a trained background in physical theatre, clown and devised contemporary performance.
