Kate Finnerty
Access and Community Engagement Coordinator
Kate thinks that everyone has an artist within (no matter how deep they are hidden). Her mission is to encourage and support creativity, exploration and fun! She is a natural organiser and will always think outside the box to make things happen.
Kate has had a diverse international career as a rock climbing and canyoning guide, rope access driller and aerial performer, festival director and communications coordinator. It was in Natimuk (a small town in regional Victoria, close to rock climbing mecca Mt Arapiles) that Kate realised the potential of arts and creative projects to change the way people viewed and interacted with the world around them.
As the Festival Director of the Nati Frinj, working with a small team of volunteers, she developed the festival into a three-day extravaganza of music, installations, visual arts and performance events. The venues ranged from the 180-seat Soldiers Memorial Hall to abandoned shearing sheds. Events included large scale aerial performances on giant silos through to site-specific installations in outdoor toilets!
More recently Kate has been the Urban Play Coordinator with Gap Filler, working with partner organisations to make Ōtautahi a playful and vibrant city for everyone.
Kate is the Access and Community Engagement coordinator with Jolt.