Carla Marja Olga Van Zon (born 20 January 1952) is a New Zealand retired artistic director. She worked on international opportunities for New Zealand artists at Creative New Zealand, before becoming artistic director of the

New Zealand International Festival of the Arts New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

in Wellington in 1996. From 2013 she was the Artistic Director of the

Auckland Arts Festival Formerly known as Auckland Festival, Auckland Arts Festival or is an annual arts and cultural festival held in Auckland, New Zealand. The Festival features works from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond, including world premieres of new wo ...

, where she was responsible for commissioning works such as the opera ''The Bone Feeders''. Van Zon has been responsible for supporting the careers of many New Zealand artists. She retired from the Auckland Arts Festival in 2017, following a diagnosis of

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

in 2016.

Early life and education

Van Zon was born in Te Atatū in West Auckland on 20 January 1952, one of three girls born to Dutch immigrants who had arrived via Indonesia. Van Zon's mother was a contemporary dance teacher and her father worked for

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

. She studied contemporary dance at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in Dunedin, earning a degree in Physical Education, and then became a physical education teacher at Green Bay High School. In the early 1980s she earned an MA in Dance and Arts Administration at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

Van Zon's career in arts administration began in

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

, where she worked to improve international opportunities for New Zealand artists. She managed New Zealand's entry to the 2009 Venice Biennale. She was involved with the

in Wellington from 1989, and from 1996 she was Executive Director, and was appointed as Artistic Director in 2000. Van Zon helped the festival turn a profit for the first time, and during her time it won four national tourism awards and the Dominion Gold Award for outstanding contribution to the Wellington economy. From 2013 to 2017 she was the artistic director of the

, managing four festivals over that period, and doubling the attendance records. Of her approach to the festival being in Auckland and part of the Pacific, arts festival programme manager Tama Waipara said "The first thing was she put

tangata whenua In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori term that translates to "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people who's common ancestors are bur ...

front and centre... She said we have to know who we are and where we are." In 2011, Van Zon asked

Renee Liang Renee Wen-Wei Liang (born 1973) is a New Zealand paediatrician, poet, essayist, short story writer, playwright, Libretto, librettist, theatre producer and medical researcher. She has been the recipient of several awards for her services to arts ...

to rewrite her play '' The Bone Feeders'' as an opera, and when New Zealand Opera decided not to be involved, Van Zon commissioned it for the Auckland Festival. She has also been instrumental in the careers of writer and actor Nancy Brunning, directors

Jason Te Kare Jason Te Kare is a New Zealand director, playwright and actor. Early life and education Te Kare graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2001 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting). Work Te Kare played Ty in the prem ...

and Sara Brodie, writers Mei-Lin Te Puia Hansen,

Victor Rodger Victor John Rodger (born 1969) is a New Zealand journalist, actor and award-winning playwright
La Mama Theatre, N ...

, and

Hone Kouka Hone Vivian Kouka (born 1968) is a New Zealand playwright. He has written 13 plays, which have been staged in New Zealand and worldwide including Canada, South Africa, New Caledonia and Britain. Kouka's plays have won multiple awards at the Chap ...

, composers

Gareth Farr Gareth Vincent Farr (born 29 February 1968) is a New Zealand composer and percussionist. He has released a number of classical CDs and composed a number of works performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and Royal New Zealand Ball ...

John Psathas John Psathas, (born Ioannis Psathas, ; 1966) is a New Zealand Greek composer. He has works in the repertoire of such high-profile musicians as Evelyn Glennie, Michael Houstoun, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman and the New Juilliard Ensemble, a ...

and Dame

Gillian Whitehead Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead (born 23 April 1941) is a New Zealand composer. She is of Māori Ngāi Te Rangi descent. Her Māori heritage has been an important influence on her composing. Early life Whitehead was born in Hamilton in 1941 ...

. Van Zon was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in June 2016, and retired from the festival at the end of April 2017. She lives in Ōtaki, north of Wellington, with husband Gregg Fletcher. Van Zon is a board member of the charity Track Zero, which aims to connect artists and scientists to create work about climate change, and she has written about the importance of artists speaking out against climate change.

Honours and awards

In the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Van Zon was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to the arts. Van Zon was voted the Arts Wellingtonian of the Year for 2005. In 2016, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Auckland Theatre Awards. In 2017, she was named 2017 NEXT Woman of the Year, in the Arts & Culture category. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Otago, and during the graduation ceremony she urged those present to "Be curious, be open to people and experiences, take slow steps and enjoy the journeys down different pathways."

References

External links

Radio New Zealand interview
with Van Zon, 2019
Van Zon's 'burning cultural issues' for 2019
RNZ, 22 December 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Zon, Carla Artistic directors 1952 births Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Arts administrators People from Auckland Living people New Zealand theatre people New Zealand people of Dutch descent