Michael Arendse

Michael Arendse joined the National Arts Council in 2014 as a member of the multi-disciplinary panel before being appointed to the board in March 2017.
A freelance arts consultant, mainly to community arts projects, he holds an MA in Culture, Policy and Management from City, University of London, and a BA Arts Management degree from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University in Perth. During his final year of undergraduate studies, he did an internship at the Sydney Opera House, where he was attached to Opera Australia, the national opera company.

His experience in the arts world includes managing the training and development division at espAfrika, the producers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, assisting on the festivals itself during that time, and presenting a Business Management for Musicians course at the SA College of Music, University of Cape Town in South Africa to final-year music students.
Michael Arendse is also a member of the Federation of Community Arts and Culture Centres, Western Cape.
Before entering the arts world, he enjoyed a career as a newspaper and magazine reporter and sub-editor lasting nearly two decades after obtaining a National Diploma in Journalism.
In 2002 & 2003, Michael served on the board of Dance For All, an organisation that teaches dance to children in the underprivileged areas of Cape Town.