About the Festival

A stellar arts festival that is locally treasured and valued beyond our region.

We support the development of a creative community whose members seek, see, hear, andspeak truths of all kinds, with an ever-empathetic heart, an unflinching eye, an open mind, and the readiness to listen and grow. In this way, we enable and encourage our community to participate in art that strengthens and unites, while stimulating reflection and growth.

We are creative, inclusive and courageous. We value the arts, our community, our diverse histories and our strengths. We value discourse and seek influences within and beyond Greater Shepparton that can help us understand, improve, and set and achieve our goals.

Kristen Retallick (she/her)

Festival Director

Kristen is dedicated to supporting a healthy creative ecology for regional arts development and nurturing the important role that the arts plays in social discovery and progress towards more cohesive and equitable communities and society. Kristen is a visual artist who has contributed to the Shepparton Festival since 2018. She is a member of Splinter Contemporary Artists and the Make Good Collective, and holds a position on the Greater Shepparton Creative City Strategy Advisory Committee. Kristen was previously Arts and Culture leader, Moira Shire Council where she developed and ran the inaugural Moira Midwinter Festival, and Gallery Manager/Curator, The G.R.A.I.N. Store Nathalia. She has almost two decades of art industry and education experience.

Kristen completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts: Graphic Design/Multimedia at The University of Ballarat (Federation University) in 2002 and a Master of Teaching: Visual Arts at The University of Melbourne in 2015.

Kirsten Green (she/they)

Chair

Kirsten is a master-qualified in social work and public health with a very keen interest in governance as well as grass-roots community engagement. They have worked in the not for profit and government sectors. Kirsten is also  an independent director with health promotion charity Giz A Break and a graduate of the Goulburn Murray Community Leadership program. Kirsten lives in Mooroopna.

Arti Shah (she/her)

Committee Member

Arti is a speech therapist working in primary schools and has a strong understanding of children’s needs and factors impacting childhood development in our region. She is also an artist, producing her pod-and-videocast program Human Chapters, which sensitively explores community members’ individual lived experiences and aspirations. Arti lives in Shepparton.

Peter Kelton (he/his)

Secretary and Child Protection Officer

Peter is a qualified and practising lawyer. He previously held numerous managerial positions bio-pharma logistics (including as CEO and Managing Director). Peter has thorough understanding of commercial activities including operations, business Development, marketing, strategy, and governance. He lives in Mooroopna. 

Betul Tuna (she/her)

Committee Member

Betul has been immersed in grassroots work since birth, through her family’s involvement with the Goulburn Valley Turkish Islamic Cultural Centre. With a diploma of Community Services, Betul is currently a Senior Project Officer at the Ethnic Council of Shepparton & District, working in the space of Family Violence Prevention. She is one of the co-founders of the Point of Difference Studio whose focus is to create culturally safe, respectful and accessible environments in regional Victoria. Betul also works with Berry Street as a Youth Development Worker. She is passionate about social justice and ending gender-based violence. Betul lives in Shepparton.

Mimi Leung (she/her)

Committee Member

Mimi Leung is an artist and illustrator whose playful work weaves together the real and surreal in dynamic depictions of imaginative creatures and abstract forms.
Her multidisciplinary practise engages painting, drawing, writing and moving-image to process subconscious thoughts and feelings; applying a lens of curiosity and playfulness to the world around her as well as within. Mimi also works closely with culturally diverse and youth communities to develop their own stories using digital media.

Mimi is represented by The Jacky Winter Group and has exhibited internationally.

Alaina Tucket (she/her)

Admin Support Officer and COVID Marshal