Michael Volkerling : a tribute

Deborah Stevenson

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The respected cultural policy specialist Michael Volkerling died suddenly in Sydney on 13 June 2014. At the time of his death, Michael was a Principal Research Fellow in the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Western Sydney, where he had been based since 2011. Over a long career, Michael worked as both a senior arts bureaucrat and an academic, consequently exerting a significant influence on cultural policy analysis and practice. Indeed, he was one of the pioneers of cultural policy studies and was centrally involved in its development as a field of legitimate academic enquiry. In reflecting on Michael’s contributions to the inception, implementation and analysis of cultural policy, it is important to acknowledge some of the significant roles he held, including Director of Research and Evaluation at Arts New South Wales and Executive Director of the National Art Gallery and Museum of New Zealand. He also remains the longest serving Chief Executive of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand (now Creative New Zealand). Michael’s academic posts include Program Director, Leisure and Heritage Studies at the Victoria University of Wellington, and Director of the Centre for Creative Industries at the Wellington Institute of Technology. It has become increasingly difficult for people to move between sectors in the way that Michael did, which is regrettable because such fluidity enriches them both and facilitates a productive exchange of expertise and insight.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)641-642
    Number of pages2
    JournalInternational Journal of Cultural Policy
    Volume20
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Keywords

    • Volkerling, Michael

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