Patricia Gill, Denmark Bulletin

Abbie Pedersen hands over the directorship of Denmark Arts to Annette Drenth confident in the future of the organisation.

Abbie and her family have spent the past six years in Denmark, a time in which she started at Denmark Arts in administration before later working with Albany-based Annette Carmichael Projects.

The three years with Annette Carmichael included the mammoth project, The Stars Descend, enabled Abbie to learn about community arts from a leader in the sector.

She also worked for the multi-arts organisation Breaksea, the Denmark Chamber of Commerce running the night markets in 2021 and did a stint in hospitality.

For the past two years Abbie has directed Denmark Arts through tough times with arts groups vying for scarce funds.

The 2026 Festival of Voice at the weekend did not attract Government funding though the Denmark Community Foundation funded the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony and the Shire of Denmark gave support.

Abbie is delighted that the organisation will eventually have street frontage at a new venue at what is now the Denmark Public Library, saying this will keep the town ‘activated’.

The now vacated Denmark Artshouse at the former Frail Aged Lodge was hidden, unlit at night and mostly frequented only by local residents.

“I had people say to me ‘is it the dark, scary building down the back?’ So, moving from a hidden location to a front-facing one is really positive for the organisation,” Abbie said.

An added attraction is the proximity to the Denmark Civic Centre for events thus forming a cultural hub.

Abbie says the scaled-down version of the Festival of Voice which was once ‘on a pedestal’ is ‘just the ebb and flow’ of the industry with stiff competition to fund musical festivals.

There was no single funding source for the former FOV’s eight-venue for the events which were held over three days and required a minimum of $120,000 to run, as did Brave New Works.

This meant spending many hours applying for funding from multiple sources.

“It’s a lot of pressure for a tiny organisation to deliver,” Abbie said.

The Denmark Arts team now comprises Justine Gamblin, Claudia Simpson, Julia Berglund and the new general manager, Annette Drenth.

It has firm partnerships with Circuit West, the WA Advocate for Performing Arts and the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport which over the past three years has supported Brave New Works.

BNW is an acclaimed festival offering workshops and professional development within the arts sector.

Abbie departs having enjoyed immense artistic support from the community and a highly skilled board.

Having spent 15 years, off and on, in WA, the Pedersen family move to Brisbane to be near family and to buy a home.

The rest of Abbie’s time has been spent in Tasmania before marrying her West Australian husband, Trevor Pedersen.

They have two children, Eli, 12, and Posie, 8.

Abbie has enjoyed delivering Denmark Arts’ projects and running the festivals and has loved the Great Southern, particularly, as a place to go camping with the family.

“We’ve explored all sorts of wonderful, remote locations,” she said.

“The simple things like swimming with the kids in the inlet have been wonderful times for them growing up.

This article appeared in Denmark Bulletin, 4 June 2026.
Related story: New GM no stranger to local arts scene