Working at Art Gallery of New South Wales

Media Relations

The atmosphere in the Media Relations office is fantastic because the team here is passionate about its cultural purpose. Both Susanne Briggs and Claire Martin agree that as Media Relations Managers, they each have to be communicators first to the media and then to the public. Each of them is a buffer between the artist and the media. The media can often misinterpret a work, take an aspect of the work out of context and for the artist it can be hard to handle.

Susanne Briggs commented on the importance of working in Media Relations, because this work can affect change. Media relations deals with new information and informs the media about it. Changes can be made depending on where you work, in a culturally focused institute like the Art Gallery of New South Wales, or the protection of the environment or animals. It is up to you to get the message to the public, through informing the media and propelling change.

For Claire Martin some of the highlights of working at the Art Gallery for 16 years included, meeting Tracey Emin, when she exhibited her work in Sydney. Barry Humphries opening the Archibald one year in character as a drunk; working with curator Hetti Perkins on the organisation of an exhibition of Aboriginal Art was inspiring.