- by Summar Barratt
- 26 September 2024
My name is Summar, I’m a Wiradjuri and Bundjalung woman. I joined the Museum in January 2024 as part of the Australian Government Indigenous Apprenticeships Program.
Painting by Summar Barratt
Placements across the Museum
The program has been a positive experience, giving me the chance to work with different teams.
People & Culture
My apprenticeship started in People & Culture, working as part of a small team. This rotation taught me that effective team members can always find a way to be themselves, even under pressure.
Being in a new position and organisation, I had to learn about the team’s expectations of me. My mentor – having a connection to culture – made the transition easy. Tasks included:
- research on the organisational structure of the Museum
- assisting the recruitment team
- creating an intranet news post for staff.
Visitor Experience
Working in the Visitor Experience team taught me that communication is a big force. The hosts worked efficiently as a team to provide the best experiences for the public.
They made the tours engaging for visitors, personalising them by sharing their own interests and passions within the Museum stories that they told. Tasks included:
- shadowing hosts
- learning evacuations for visitors in the Museum
- scripting, delivering and writing a project management plan for my tour.
Digital
The digital team gave me a new understanding of the digital space and how everyone collaborates to work on projects to connect with other areas of the Museum and share stories with the public.
I also learnt about my own interests and background when working closely with my acting manager at the time to produce my own artwork.
Summar explains the meaning behind the artwork she created during her time with the Museum’s Digital team.
During the time I spent with her, we gained a connection through our First Nations identity and us coming from the same language group. Tasks included:
- training in the back end of the Museum’s websites
- assisting with Mr Squiggle collection filming
- learning how audio is captured for use across digital products.
On collaboration:
Being a part of the Museum has helped me understand the number of hands it takes to make a change. People have encouraged me to learn more about myself in each rotation.
Curatorial
My time with the Curatorial team has been eye-opening and was the perfect end to my apprenticeship at the Museum. During my placement, I had the opportunity to work closely with the collection to understand the stories and why they are significant, and how they are shared in gallery spaces. Tasks included:
- meeting and supporting the Western Australian Museum’s emerging curators
- researching collection offers
- helping with the redevelopment of the Landmarks gallery.
The journey continues
Next month I join the Museum’s Education team in an ongoing position.
Because of the Museum, I know that whatever the next step is in my journey, I will be able to face issues with confidence.
In our collection