Four curators are participating in the three part professional development project to build their skills, experience and networks and gain significant insight into the various environments curators work in.

The program was created as a result of the government’s Create NSW funding initiative and aims to engage and promote regional Aboriginal artists, arts and culture by introducing more Aboriginal people to curatorial positions in regional NSW. 

The program began with participants taking part in workshops with the manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection, Australian Museum and Regional Arts NSW Board member Sharni Jones on January 14 to 15.

“I was invited to come and speak about my experience in the Aboriginal arts and cultural sector around curating and engagement with Aboriginal communities,” Mrs Jones said.

“So really it’s an opportunity to bring emerging curators up to speed about the sector and how they can engage with their local communities.”

“They’ve also been working with other sector expertise around training, around what processes curators go through and hanging of exhibitions, so they’ve done a series of workshops prior to the two day session with me around cultural protocols and engagement.” 

Project manager Lorrayne Riggs said the program is a perfect opportunity for emerging regional curators.

“This is an excellent opportunity for experienced arts workers to develop into regional Aboriginal curators enabling them to promote not only their own skills but also that of other Aboriginal artists,” she said.

“This project is the result of community consultation and identifying a real gap in the market for regional Aboriginal curators, it will promote long term cultural, social and economic outcomes.”

Following the workshops, the participants will be taking their own group exhibition they’ve created to be shown at Weswal Gallery in Tamworth in February, before finishing the program in Armidale.

“For some of them it’s the first time they’ve done exhibitions, for others it’s the first time in a commercial gallery,” Mrs Riggs said. 

“After that they’ll head to Armidale and just go through and do gallery tours and look at all the different hanging systems and the difference between a community gallery to a commercial gallery to a regional gallery.”