16 March 2016

The Shepparton Art Museum is pleased to welcome Belinda Briggs as the new Curatorial Assistant – Indigenous Visual Arts.

This new 12 month position was developed with the assistance of Creative Victoria’s Indigenous Visual Arts Residency program.

Belinda Briggs is a local Yorta Yorta woman and has previously worked in partnership with the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation and as the coordinator for the My Moola program; a pilot program which upskills local indigenous people within the Goulburn Murray region with professional skills and financial literacy.

Belinda Briggs says:

‘I’m excited about the new role of Curatorial Assistant – Indigenous Visual Arts and the opportunities it will give me to engage with the local community. On a personal level, this role will be a great learning experience and it will offer me the opportunity to experience different roles in the museum and be part of the exciting and diverse curatorial program at SAM in 2016.’

The Creative Victoria residency program has supported SAM to further connect with the local Aboriginal community, while providing professional development, curatorial and programming skills to the incumbent.

Shepparton has the highest Aboriginal population of any regional town in Victoria. SAM and the Greater Shepparton City Council worked with Creative Victoria to develop the residency opportunity after both the Museum and the local Aboriginal arts community expressed a need to create deeper connections and exchange skills.

SAM Director, Dr Rebecca Coates says:

“This is an exciting new opportunity for SAM, developed in partnership with Creative Victoria. Belinda brings valuable knowledge and experience to the position, which will enable SAM to further support and work closely with our local Aboriginal communities in Greater Shepparton. I am delighted to welcome Belinda to the SAM team, and we look forward to working with her across many of the Museum’s activities, including the important Indigenous Ceramics Art Award 2016.”

The SAM residency opportunity is jointly supported by Creative Victoria and the Commonwealth Ministry for the Arts through the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.