Lisa Sullivan is celebrating a 20-year milestone with the Geelong Gallery, where she works as the senior curator. She spoke with Jena Carr about her time in the role and the highlights of her career.
Two decades at any job is a remarkable achievement, but time has just flown by for the senior curator of one of Geelong’s favourite art galleries.
April 26 marked Lisa Sullivan’s 20th anniversary of working with Geelong Gallery, an environment she feels passionately about.
“It’s a remarkable milestone, and I’ve been reflecting on where those years have gone, and it feels like they’ve gone very quickly,” she said.
“Geelong Gallery’s collection has evolved over 125 years, so it’s a very established collection with some real gems and treasures.
“I started in 2005 as the curator and have spent 20 years of working with, researching and building the collection. I couldn’t estimate how many exhibitions I’ve been involved with.”
Lisa was attracted to the gallery’s collection and reputation after completing postgraduate studies in curating and working at The University of Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art for eight years.
“I’ve worked on so many different exhibitions (at Geelong Gallery) and one of the things I really enjoy are the thematic exhibitions where, as a curator, you really get to flex your curatorial muscle,” she said.
“A thematic exhibition is one where the curator comes up with an idea, subject, or theme, and they research that theme and what artists might have been working on that theme.
“Then they’ll bring works together that have never been brought together before to share with the audiences and get them thinking about a particular subject.”
Lisa said she loved working directly with artists and that her involvement in the gallery kept her “stimulated, active and engaged” with art.
“Working with artists is a privilege and creating opportunities, whether through exhibition opportunities and commissioning or acquiring works, have been highlights,” she said.
“We work with artists at various levels and stages of their careers. It’s really rewarding to work with emerging artists and, sometimes, see them presenting an exhibition for the first time.
“I’m constantly inspired by what they do and the way that they show us aspects of the world that we might not have thought about before.”
Lisa said she loved working with collections and that they were “active and living things” that needed to evolve and grow.
“I’m not sure what lies next, but I would love to see Geelong Gallery develop and be part of that journey,” she said.
“When I’m not here, I’m quite often at other galleries. When you’re a curator, you’re always switched on and looking at things.
“I love to see the art, but I also really love to look at how a gallery is interpreting works of art, engaging their audiences and sharing the story of each piece with members of the public.”
Lisa said there were some “amazing plans” in the gallery’s future to continue to grow its collections and community engagements.
“We’d love to see a gallery that’s redeveloped and more expansive where we’re able to offer even more to our visitors and the community than we do at the moment,” she said.
“One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is when I leave my desk and walk down through the gallery spaces as I have opportunities to have encounters with visitors.
“An important thing about curating is being open to hearing different perspectives from people, whether it’s from the artists that have made the works or visitors interacting with works.”
