An essay by Elizabeth Farrelly TRANSFORMING CANBERRA

Canberra has always been a city of transformation. Of course, all cities experience constant change but in Canberra, as a designed capital, this process is both unusually conscious and unusually apparent.

Join the conversation with:

+ Elizabeth Farrelly – author of Killing Sydney

+ Malcolm Snow – Chief Executive, City Renewal Authority

+ Johnathan (Yianni) Efkarpidis – Director, Molonglo Group

+ Virginia Rigney – Senior Curator, Canberra Museum + Gallery

+ Catherine Carter, Director, Salon Canberra

Supported by Alastair Swayn Foundation.

Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is a Sydney-based columnist and author and a regular commentator, broadcaster, blogger and critic on architecture and public issues. She has contributed to current debates about aesthetics and ethics; design, public art and architecture; urban and natural environments; society and politics. Elizabeth trained in architecture and philosophy, practiced in London and Bristol and holds a PhD in urbanism from the University of Sydney, where she is also a former Adjunct Associate Professor. As an independent Sydney City Councillor (1991-95), Elizabeth initiated Sydney’s first heritage and laneway protection policies, and was inaugural chair of the Australia Award for Urban Design (1998). She was also Manager Special Projects at the City of Sydney during the Olympic preparations (1998-2000) and is an award-winning writer and published author.

Catherine Carter is Managing Director, Salon Canberra. A lover of books and beauty, a seasoned traveller and a creative thinker, Catherine is passionate about Canberra. In 2018 with support from local business leaders she established Salon Canberra, a forum which brings together thought leaders and opinion makers to discuss issues that influence the future of Canberra and capital region. Catherine is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra, sits on several arts and industry boards and is a regular columnist and media commentator on cities, design, planning, place making and the built environment.

Jonathan (Yianni) Efkarpidis Johnathan is a director at Molonglo. Johnathan is responsible for the Groups property holdings across Canberra and Melbourne. Johnathan works closely with the Molonglo’s tenants, servicing their needs and ensuring that our facilities remain outstandingly excellent. In this role Johnathan has gained extensive experience in property leasing, marketing and facilities management. His creative inclinations, deep sense of environmental responsibility and urban development expertise have contributed to his selection on many cultural and property related boards. He is the leader of multiple award-winning built realm projects and an admired entrepreneur with business experience spanning hospitality, IT, retail and more. Johnathan holds a Bachelor in Arts from the Australian National University.

Malcolm Snow Chief Executive Officer City Renewal Authority, Canberra, Australia Malcolm is one of Australia’s leading urban designers acknowledged for the breadth of his professional experience and advocacy for making better cities. With qualifications in urban planning and landscape architecture, he has led major city revitalization programs in Australia, Asia, and the United Kingdom both as a consultant and an advisor to all spheres of government. In a career spanning 45 years Malcolm has (with others) been the recipient of more than twenty-five national awards for design excellence including the Australia Award for Urban Design four times. He has held senior executive roles in both the private and public sectors including numerous Board directorships. Before joining the City Renewal Authority as its inaugural CEO in 2017, Malcolm was a National Director of international consulting firm Urbis. He is the former Chief Executive of both the National Capital Authority in Canberra and South Bank Corporation in Brisbane and was for a decade, the Head of Design for the City of Melbourne.

Virginia Rigney Virginia Rigney is Senior Curator Visual Art at the Canberra Museum + Gallery. She is a curator, writer and creative producer who has developed exhibitions, publications, digital platforms, installations, short films and public programs within museums. She is also a commissioned writer for industry, peer reviewed and popular journals and a producer of short films and public art projects. Following studies at ANU and Sydney University, she began her curatorial career at the PowerHouse. She worked on large temporary exhibition projects in several major galleries before joining Glasgow Museums. While senior curator at Gold Coast City Gallery, she developed an extensive program of inclusive programming exploring new perspectives on Gold Coast character and culture. A major element of Virginia’s curatorial practice has been to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. She also has a close interest in public art and was chair of the art+place curatorial panel for a $14million Arts Queensland fund for public art. She has been a recipient of a Queensland Government Smithsonian Fellowship. Following studies at ANU and Sydney University, she began her curatorial career at the PowerHouse. She worked on large temporary exhibition projects in several major galleries before joining Glasgow Museums. While senior curator at Gold Coast City Gallery, she developed an extensive program of inclusive programming exploring new perspectives on Gold Coast character and culture. A major element of Virginia’s curatorial practice has been to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. She also has a close interest in public art and was chair of the art+place curatorial panel for a $14million Arts Queensland fund for public art. She has been a recipient of a Queensland Government Smithsonian Fellowship.