Claire Spencer, seen from the torso up, leaning on a rail with outdoor venue seating behind her.

Chief Executive Officer, Arts Centre Melbourne

Andrew Recinos, seen from the torso up, seated in front of a bookcase.

President, Tessitura Network

Innovators in Conversation: Claire Spencer

5/12/2020

44 mins

“Art helps us reflect and process what is happening to us as humans. And this is a deeply human experience that we are all going through at the same time.”

At Arts Centre Melbourne, CEO Claire Spencer believes connection is central to getting her team, artists, audiences and partners through immediate crisis to recovery. Learn how Claire and her team are charting a course directly linked to the Centre’s values: Community, Leadership, Creativity and Care More.

“The thing that was probably the most powerful for me was that our values took on a new level of poignancy and depth at this time,” Claire said in this conversation with Andrew Recinos. 

During the global pandemic, Arts Centre Melbourne has been keeping their spire illuminated in yellow, calling it their community ghostlight in the tradition of the theatrical ghostlight. 

“There’s a deep message of hope in any ghostlight. It represents safety.”

Watch the video above to enjoy this conversation between Claire Spencer, CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne, and Tessitura Network president Andrew Recinos.

Arts Wellbeing Collective

The Arts Wellbeing Collective offers resources to support your health and wellbeing, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

Wellbeing Resources >

 

More about the Innovators in Conversation Series >

Claire Spencer, seen from the torso up, leaning on a rail with outdoor venue seating behind her.

Claire Spencer

Chief Executive Officer
Arts Centre Melbourne

Claire Spencer is CEO of Australia’s largest and busiest performing arts centre, Arts Centre Melbourne, a role she has held since November 2014.

Since that time she has steered the organisation through a major restructure to better position the organisation for the future and to assist with its key role as a leader in the cultural precinct and a major contributor to Victoria’s creative economy. Key projects have included: the launch of the ground-breaking Asia Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA), delivered in collaboration with more than 30 Victorian organisations from across the cultural sector; the development of the Australian Music Vault; and the establishment of the Arts Wellbeing Collective, which promotes strong individual wellbeing for those who work in the arts sector.

Claire is a Member of Chief Executive Women – the pre-eminent organisation representing Australia’s most senior women leaders from the corporate, public service, academic and not-for-profit sectors; she is on the board of The Pinnacle Foundation, established to provide scholarships and mentoring support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex students who are marginalised or disadvantaged; and is also a member of the Federal Government’s Australia–Singapore Arts Group.

Claire is married with three children.

Andrew Recinos, seen from the torso up, seated in front of a bookcase.

Andrew Recinos

President
Tessitura Network

Andrew Recinos is President of the Tessitura Network.

He is responsible for oversight of Tessitura's North American operations, including Consulting, Application Support, Managed Services, Community, Conference, and Learning Resources divisions. Working closely with CEO Jack Rubin, Andrew is a key strategic leader for the company. Taking an active role in connecting with Tessitura's member organizations, Andrew visits with scores of cultural professionals around the globe each year, sharing news about the company and learning the many unique stories of our community. Andrew's presentations draw insights from the multifaceted organizations in the world of Tessitura. 

Prior to joining Tessitura, Andrew was a Managing Director at Jacobson Consulting Applications (JCA) where he oversaw their Products division.  Andrew served as a product lead for the development of T-Stats, Tessitura Dashboards and the Revenue Management Application (RMA), as well as serving as Tessitura implementation lead for more than 30 Tessitura implementations. In 2009, Andrew became the Product Manager for the Tessitura Next Generation Project and served on the Board Steering Committee for the project to re-envision Tessitura. Prior to JCA, Andrew worked in fundraising, membership and technology at a variety of non-profits, most notably Carnegie Hall in New York City, where he worked for eight years. Among his roles was Director, Friends of Carnegie Hall, where he oversaw all aspects of this 15,000 member program.

He holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration from the O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and currently serves on the O’Neill School Distinguished Alumni Council. Andrew also serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Cultural Affairs and is a Board Member of ArtsFund. Andrew lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and child.

Topics

Arts & Culture

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COVID-19

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Innovator Series