HORSHAM Regional Art Gallery has welcomed its new director Brenda Wellman with open arms.
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Mrs Wellman started in the position on Monday following the departure of the gallery’s previous director, Adam Harding, in August.
Originally hailing from the Wangaratta region, Mrs Wellman has worked in the arts industry for 15 years.
“I grew up in the country, and my parents were farmers so we moved around quite a bit. I went to high school in Wangaratta, but we lived rurally,” she said.
“I’ve always been in the arts, that’s always been my interest. I hoped to be an artist, but never had the time – so maybe one day when I retire.
“I trained in visual arts and then worked in retail, left the workforce to have my children, and then went back to arts studies because I wanted to do more. Then I started working at the Murray Art Museum in Albury.”
After an eight year stint at the Art Gallery of Ballarat as an exhibition officer, Mrs Wellman felt like she needed a change in pace.
“About two years ago I had the opportunity to do professional development with touring exhibition company National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Victoria,” she said.
“It takes exhibitions that regional galleries have developed and tours them around the country. It was a really small team, so I ended up doing a bit of everything. It’s a terrific opportunity for smaller communities to see exhibitions of national significance.”
After her time with NETS Mrs Wellman decided she needed to return to small town life.
“I was working in Melbourne with NETS and commuting from Ballarat. Having come from a smaller town, Ballarat was just a little too big for me,” she said.
“You have things in small communities that get lost in bigger regional towns. I really value that connection that small communities have. When I was thought about future, I had always imagined moving back to a smaller gallery.”
When the the director job was made available for HRAG, Mrs Wellman decided to apply.
“I had worked with Horsham gallery during my time at NETS and I was very impressed with how responsive this gallery was to the community, and how the community is so involved,” she said.
“When this job came up I thought I’d give it a go. This gallery has a really good reputation and it is on a par with bigger galleries – and I hope to continue that reputation.”
Mrs Wellman said continuing to build on community engagement would be one of her main priorities.
“We will certainly look at maintaining the great programs that they have here, such as The Studio,” she said.
“It will be about building on that engagement and being responsive. There’s a lot of listening going on with this role. Some directors will come in and put their stamp on an institution, I’m more the type to listen and respond to what the community wants.
“The council wants something from the gallery, as does the community and the artists, and it’s my job to be a mediator. Part of my role is to stretch people’s understanding of art and appreciation – you might not like everything you see but it will challenge you’re perspective.”
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