The Chairman of the Board, Sir Guy Green, recently announced that Jo Duffy will be the new Artistic Director of Ten Days on the Island, Tasmania’s biennial international state-wide arts festival. Jo takes over from the current Artistic Director Elizabeth Walsh, who presented her third Ten Days programme from 25 March to 3 April 2011.

Jo brings a wealth of experience to the role, with her varied and extensive career in the arts over the past 17 years spanning Australia, Italy, Scotland and Poland. Since 2009 she has been the Artistic Director of the Darwin Festival, which has grown substantially in stature and scale, and is now recognised as the premier arts festival for Northern Australia and the surrounding Asia Pacific region.

She has worked on seven Edinburgh Festival Fringes where she was the Associate Director of Aurora Nova, the highly acclaimed showcase of international physical and visual theatre presenting work from over 28 different countries in programmes that have won more than 45 awards.

Jo spent three years as Consultant Producer for The Brave Festival – Against Cultural Exile, in Wroclaw, Poland. The festival presents the artistic traditions of vanishing, marginalised and displaced cultures, with box office takings donated to non-profit organisations working to preserve cultures throughout the world.

She was part of the programming team for three Sydney Festivals and, as a performing arts manager, has worked closely with many companies in the development, presentation and promotion of their work, including projects with the Sydney Opera House, Venti Lucenti in Florence and Poland’s Teatr Piesn Kozla.

Jo has gained wide recognition in Australia for her passionate pursuit of independent arts projects, including an extensive involvement with regional and remote communities and artists.

“We are delighted that Jo will be the Artistic Director of Ten Days on the Island. The Board of Ten Days conducted an extensive search locally, nationally and internationally and she was selected from a large and competitive field of applicants from around the world. We are confident that, building on the success which Ten Days has achieved under the inspired leadership of artistic director Elizabeth Walsh, we will see the festival develop even further under Jo, and continue to be the jewel in the crown of the artistic calendar in Tasmania,” said Chairman Sir Guy Green.

Jo said “Ten Days on the Island has been somewhat of a “holy grail” for me since its inception ten years ago, so I feel privileged to have been appointed. I think the greatest attraction for me is the interaction that the festival has with the whole of Tasmania; linking communities state-wide and the communities of island cultures from around the world. The programme allows us to work with local artists, developing and presenting their stories and at the same time it brings international artists and work into venues as diverse as intimate local churches, fine theatres in larger centres and all stops in between. I see this as a chance to collaborate with many different people in many different places as we further enhance the reputation of one of the world’s unique festivals.”

Marcus Barker, General Manager of Ten Days on the Island welcomed her saying, “Jo’s appointment is a wonderful addition to the team of Ten Days and I’m very much looking forward to working with her. I am sure Jo’s creative ideas will continue to engage with our Tasmanian community and ensure that Ten Days remains the premier arts event in the State.”

Jo Duffy will move to Tasmania and fully take up her appointment at the conclusion of her final Darwin Festival in August.