Please note: this is an archived news article release

This article was published on Wednesday, 16 March, 2016. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

Say hello to Belinda Briggs, SAM's new Curatorial Assistant.

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.

‘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,’ Belinda said.

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 said 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,” Dr Coates said.

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.

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