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Clare Lewis – Curatorial Assistant , Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney



Creating, and prepping a female punk band with a combined age of over 340 to sing God Save the Queen by The Sex Pistols is all in a day’s work for the curatorial assistant of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Clare helped form the band for Swiss artist Christoph Buchel’s No Future project featured at the Biennale of Sydney 2008 (18 June – 7 Sept).

Realising unconventional ideas without compromising an artist’s distinct vision is just one of the reasons Clare loves her unique position in Sydney’s burgeoning art scene. _______________________________________________________________
What do you do as a curatorial assistant at the MCA?
Working with the Curator, I research and realise art exhibitions in the museum. From the idea for an exhibition, to selecting the works, liaising with the artists and making it happen, I help pull everything together.

And that means liaising with all the different areas of the institution – media, marketing and registration right though to developing education and public programs.

What part did you play in putting together Biennale Sydney 2008?
I helped in a number of specific projects. For example, one of the artists from Zambia wanted to make a new video work with a desert backdrop, so I stepped in and arranged a casting day and a trip to Broken Hill to complete filming the video work.

I also meet and greet the artists and answer any installation queries they might have. I coordinate the artwork labels and signage around the gallery spaces. Really, I am a point of contact between the artists, curators and the wider institution.

FYI Biennale means every other year in Italian. The Biennale is the biggest international event in the contemporary art world. Held every two years, countries around the world tailor the event to represent their cities. Biennale of Sydney started in 1973 with 37 artists. This year it features over 180 artists from 15 countries with a new exhibition space in Cockatoo Island. The theme for this year is ‘Revolutions – Forms that Turn.’

Are you involved in selecting the artist?
Not for the Biennale, that is the task of the Artistic Director. At the MCA, I have input as do many people at the museum. Everyone’s opinion is valued but the final call is made between the curators in the department and our museum director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor.

What other projects do you work on at the MCA?
I am currently working on the forthcoming Primavera exhibition, assisting the guest curator, Hannah Mathews. Basically, this means coordinating the content for the exhibition catalogue and sharing and clarifying information regarding the logistics of the exhibition, its installation and associated events.

I am also really excited about my first curatorial opportunity. I am co-curating an exhibition from the MCA collection of works by Primavera artists, which is a really wonderful professional development opportunity for me.

You are also involved in the Terminus Project. What’s that about?
It’s a small independent site-specific art organisation formed in 2004, which I co-direct outside of the MCA. We’ve worked with about 20 artists and projects so far and we’ve received some great support from the press, the arts community and funding bodies.

How (and why) did you get into the art world?
Art is something that I was interested in from a young age. At school, I always excelled in the humanities much more than the sciences. I think critical commentary on society is really important and trying to see the world through an artist’s eyes is challenging and beneficial to us all.

What were you doing before this job?
I worked part-time in a commercial contemporary photography gallery in London, The Zelda Cheatle Gallery. My full-time job after I graduated was in arts public relations at Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications. Our clients included the New Art Gallery Walsall, Ikon Gallery, The British Galleries at the V&A, The Arts Council of England, Public Art Development Trust, Bloomberg at the Venice Biennale amongst others.

When the arts division was discontinued, I decided to head to Sydney to a curatorial internship at the MCA. That was six years ago. I spent a year working unpaid or only partly paid at the MCA, and two years working at GRANTPIRRIE, a commercial gallery in Redfern during which i was offered writing and project management opportunities. Then the full-time job came up here and I’ve been here ever since.

What training and qualifications do you have, and are these necessary to get the job?
A degree in the arts is desirable. I’ve got a degree in visual culture, and a postgraduate certificate in arts and cultural heritage both from Brighton University, UK. It is essential to have experience within a reputable museum or gallery.

What skills are needed?
You have to be a very good communicator, be willing to work extremely hard, have excellent project-management skills, and work with high levels of accuracy, diplomacy and professionalism as you are dealing with artists and art professionals across the globe.

Is understanding art something you are born with, or can it be taught?
It can definitely be taught. Sometimes, the most interesting responses are from untrained eyes.

What do you think about the Bill Henson controversy and does the aftermath affect you as an assistant curator?
I think censorship of art is a very unfortunate situation. I do think artists are responsible, to a degree, for the images that they place in the electronic and public domain. But I certainly don’t support any censorship of artists and art practices. Our director recently noted that the social freedom of any civilisation is measured by the way their artists are treated.

Which project you’ve worked on has been the most challenging and which are you most proud of?
That would be the Christoph Buchel’s 'No Future' project. The challenge was to arrange a casting day with seniors from across Sydney from whom we wanted to create a punk band. It was extremely hard to generate interest in that particular demographic, and it was a very involved process, as were the audio visual requirements and managing this newly founded punk band who have never touched musical instruments before in their lives.

The project I am most proud of would be Wilfredo Prieto’s Apolítico (Apolitical), which was on the MCA’s front lawn. It was an installation of 30 seven-metre flag poles with various country flags. But the colours were symbolically leached from the flags as a comment on the risk of national identity becoming a bland commodity. The installation overlapped with APEC week held in Sydney in 2007. It was very satisfying to have a political work on at that time that engaged with the tension surrounding the generic use of national flags.

What do you most like about your job?
I like the fact that every day is very different and there is never a dull moment. I find that the high-paced nature of my work really suits my constitution. Assisting good curators is rewarding and educational.

What do you like least?
It can be easy for people to overlook the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, so occasionally. it can feel like a thankless task. No one notices when you do it right – everyone notices when you do it wrong.

How’s your work–life balance?
On the whole it is good. I manage to maintain a household and a husband. I have an active social life, and I squeeze in a couple of yoga classes a week.

What is important in a résumé when applying for a job as a curator?
It’s very important to really consider the institution you are applying to – research properly into the kind of programs they have and be very clear and concise in your correspondence.

What is the expected salary for an assistant curator? And what sort of career progression is there?
The salary starts at 48K per annum and goes up during the first three years. As with any position, the more you apply yourself to the role, the more responsibility you earn. I have been offered many professional development opportunities, from occasional writing in MCA publications, to managing and curating exhibitions.

Quirky question: what’s the most unusual job you’ve had?
I was an archivist for a field marshal who had a collection of field and forage cap badges from India. He was one of the Ghurkha Rifles. That was really strange – working away in his Islington basement, with a glass of port in hand!
Interview by: Komi Sellathurai
Date posted: 19 August 2008



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