Art Processors has proudly collaborated with several cultural institutions to bring to life the vast and rich experience of First Nations peoples across Australia, including our collaboration with The University of Melbourne for the Awaken exhibition and, more recently, our work with Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara artist Josh Muir.
Working closely with First Nations artists, scholars, researchers and communities, we've always strived to ensure our work is culturally sensitive, engaging and enlightening.
Our commitment to helping bring Indigenous experiences alive also extends beyond museums and attractions into our workplace.
For the past couple of months, we hosted two university students, Kyra Lowery and Zoe Braybrook, as part of our Indigenous Internships program. The program is a new Diversity and Inclusion initiative for our organisation and Kyra and Zoe were the first students to take part.
With support from the Indigenous internships organisation CareerTrackers, Kyra and Zoe spent two months with Art Processors, completing their paid internship last week.
During that time, they received hands-on experience in the world of museums and attractions, working with our highly skilled team on current projects and learning all aspects of the business. Both agree the experience provided them with ample opportunities to extend their professional skills and horizons.
"I never thought of working in a museum-centric environment with the degree I'm doing," says Kyra, a second-year Bachelor of Design student at Deakin University, majoring in 3D animation. "Working at Art Processors has given me an insight into different career options than the traditional pathways of going into TV or film."
Kyra found out about Art Processors through her career adviser at CareerTrackers and was excited to learn about the strong ties between the company and the Museum of New and Old Art (Mona).
"I'm Tasmanian, so Mona is a big deal for us. It's one of those things we're proud of having in Tasmania."
She says the internship provided her with excellent opportunities to learn about different parts of the creative process and see the amount of work that goes into every project.
"I've done a bit of work with everyone," she says. "I did project user testing for a U.S.-based museum project, which was different from the traditional design stuff, but I loved it. I also worked on the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame project doing audio research, like correct pronunciations and that kind of thing. It was great to get a grasp on how big these projects are and how much work it takes to create something like a 20-minute piece of audio."
For third year RMIT University architecture student Zoe Braybrook, working with our team allowed her to dive deep into her art and design passion. Zoe says her interest in architecture started early. "I've still got these funny little floor plans I used to draw up as a kid for renovating our house," she laughs.
A visit to an exhibition of American modernist painter Georgia O'Keeffe's work at the Heide Museum in Melbourne a few years ago sparked her interest in exploring art and architecture. "It started me thinking about using architecture as a storytelling tool," she says.
That cross-discipline thinking held her in good stead at Art Processors. "What has stuck out the most is going through the rotations each week and learning what everyone does. Overall, I learnt a lot about design and the business side of things as well."
"I think Art Processors as a company has been so inspiring. Watching how everyone works together and talking to everyone has inspired me to keep going with what I want to do."
Art Processors Organisational Development Lead, Jade Deutrom, says the Indigenous Internship program is an integral part of the organisation’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion strategies and policies.
"We're embracing diversity and inclusion as part of the norm of every day," she says. "That includes training and development through programs like the Indigenous Internships, as well as how we make our workplace culturally safe before people even arrive. We're looking at diversity and inclusion from all kinds of perspectives."
Deutrom says the commitment extends throughout the business. "It's a central focus for our CEO and our executive team," she says.
“We believe the diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, thoughts and ideas provides a richer platform for us to do things differently, to seek change and challenge the status quo."
She says Zoe and Kyra slotted in exceptionally well during their internships and brought plenty to the table. "We want our interns to get the full Art Processors experience. It's not an internship that's about doing coffee runs."
"We're super proud of Zoe and Kyra, we adore them, and we've been so happy to have them on board!"