Ms Nicole Durling

Ms Nicole Durling has spent over 25 years contributing to Australia's cultural and creative sector as an artist, curator, board director, advocate, advisor and executive leader.

Her experience includes working across public, private, commercial businesses and not-for-profit organisations. Ms Durling is committed to collaboration, innovation, engagement and inclusion. She has established significant cultural organisations and initiatives, delivering projects including exhibitions, festivals, live performances and public artworks across Australia and internationally.

Ms Durling commenced her current role as Executive Director of Craft Victoria in mid-2021, charged with writing a bold new chapter for the organisation. Prior to this, she was the Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart for 15 years. Ms Durling was the inaugural Contemporary Art Specialist at Sotheby’s International from 2000 to 2006.

She has held non-executive board positions with the Melbourne International Arts Festival (2016 to 2019); Rising Festival (2019 to 2024); Peer Assessor for Creative Australia (2015 to 2020) and numerous other advisory panels. She currently sits on the arts selection panel for the Churchill Trust Fellowships.

Ms Durling holds a Bachelor of Art (Ceramic Design) (1992), a Bachelor of Applied Art (First-Class Honours) (2001) and a Master of Fine Art (2005) from Monash University. She has completed the Foundations of Directorship from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2023), and holds a Diploma of Law and Collection Management from the Institute of Art and Law, London (2017).

Ms Durling is dedicated to the critical importance of supporting creative communities and the inherent value that investing in local creative talent and produced works have in shaping a strong, vibrant and economically healthy contemporary society.