Question responses:
- As a wearer of many hats, I am a cross disciplinarian. Having worked (like many artist) across many sectors. I am a practicing artist and arts industry worker. I’m the current the Chair of the Blindside Board in Melbourne. I am also employed as a Finance Administrator in a NFP org. While I was studying for my MFA I took time out of my professional career to work as a Front of House manager in a regional hospitality venue. I am an adaptable employee, I have experience across many sectors, including the arts sector and community organisations. I am great with people, and customers and considerate with interpersonal needs and concerns. Through the many roles I have undertaken over the years have I have honed my ability to communicate clearly, manage expectations, and support artists, audiences and customers with care.
- Alongside my Community Sector work I have experience in both a Gallery Administration and as Front of House manager in the hospitality industry, having spent a period working as a FOH manager in hospitality while I undertook my Master of Fine Art at RMIT. Working in a fine dining venue in regional Victoria I ran a small but consistent team through all aspects of Front of House, function management and private dining coordination. General duties included rostering, and comms for a small team, I arranged for skills development, training and team building. Other day to day duties included ordering, hiring, social media marketing and website development, end of day finance reports and staffing reports to management, cleaning and stocktake. I operated a tight and efficiant team that worked smoothly and effectively to meet the needs of both business, customer and kitchen.
- Reporting finance, visitor attendance and daily operations oversight are function that I have undertaken in various capacities, my experience in the finance departments of community organisations and corporations has given me a thorough understanding of finance reporting, which neatly compliments my arts administration experience. Through these varied roles I have learned skills that require diligent operational oversight, including security awareness, presentation standards and exhibition invigilation. As a FOH manager and gallery administrator, I have experience handling daily open/close procedures, maintaining presentation and cleanliness, coordinated maintenance needs. I am experienced in monitoring visitor behaviour and the subtle ques that customer and audiences give when looking for attention, without overbearing responsiveness that could interrupt their experience. I have extensive administrative experience: tracking budgets, communicating with contractors and maintaining compliance with insurance and OH&S requirements. Working in hospitality and public venues has made me aware of risk, crowd flow, intoxication and equipment safety.
- My strengths lie in straightforward accessible communication and good listening. Whether conversing with gallery visitors, or managing customers in hospitality, I adapt to the language, energy and capacity of the person in front of me. My MFA has given me the knowledge required to converse with the public and arts industry professionals alike, my hospitality experience give me the ability to translate complex ideas into digestible language that audiences can explore on their own terms. Engaging in conversation and listening to different thoughts and understanding, opens a space for shared respectful learning. Empowering audience members and participants to engage with the work while also opening for the possibility of dialogue. I have experience engaging audiences in high-pressure environments, including busy exhibition openings and events where visitors arrive with vastly different expectations. My approach to interactions with the public is to maintain patience and an openness to enquiry.
- My connection to Australian visual arts sector is lived, not simply theoretical. As a practising artist, and an arts industry worker I have been engaged with the sector now for close to twenty years. I am the current Chairperson at Blindside in Melbourne; I oversee the functional running of the gallery from the big picture perspective like staffing, budgets, functions and strategy. I actively maintain relationships with my cohort, artist-run initiatives and regional creative communities, and advocate for the role these organisations play in artistic risk-taking and career development. I have worked in gallery administration, curated shows, shown in ARI’s, institutional and public spaces in Australia. Representing Australia in Venice is an exciting opportunity for artist and arts workers alike and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to be involved.
Link to letter of recommendation