AlburyCity has announced the appointment of Bree Pickering as the new Director of Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA).
Bree will join MAMA in November direct from her role as executive director of Vox Populi, a contemporary art space and collective in Philadelphia in the United States.
In her role at Vox Populi, she managed a multidisciplinary program that included more than 140 exhibitions and 200 live projects by more than 500 artists and secured support from major philanthropic foundations.
Before joining Vox Populi, Bree held management-level positions in Cultural Affairs for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC and at Anna Schwartz Gallery in Sydney.
Bree’s academic background is in social and cultural history and she holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours First Class from the University of Sydney.
Bree brings to MAMA strong management, fundraising and curatorial experience and an extensive network in the national and international cultural sector. Among her successes is a background of curatorial work with exhibitions of work by leading Australian artists including Daniel Boyd, Shaun Gladwell, Angelica Mesiti, Kate Mitchell, and Mike Parr, and professional engagements with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Tyler School of Art, The Delaware Contemporary, and Washington Project for the Arts, among others.
Bree says she is delighted to take on this exciting opportunity at a regional art museum.
“I am excited to be returning to Australia to join MAMA and I look forward to working with the staff, advisory committee, MAMA Art Foundation, local supporters, generous donors, friends, volunteers and other levels of government to further engage with MAMA’s dynamic program and build on its emerging reputation as a cutting-edge art museum,” she says.
“There is scope here to create ambitious exhibitions, programs and events that present local, national and international cultural practice within an exceptionally appointed new facility.”
Bree will be relocating to Albury with her husband, Australian artist Marley Dawson, who spent his formative years in the city and was educated at Albury High School. “Marley and I look forward to joining the community of this vibrant regional city.”
MAMA Advisory Committee Chair, Dr Guinever Threkheld, says the appointment is exciting and will build on MAMA’s first 12 months of operations, which has seen international exhibitions, partnerships with key organisations and an unprecedented number of people through its doors.
MAMA has also collected a number of prestigious industry awards, as well two state Master Builder Awards for Zauner Constructions.
It’s estimated that MAMA has injected more than $10.8M into the local economy since it opened.
AlburyCity Mayor Kevin Mack welcomed the appointment. “MAMA has been a great success for Albury and I can’t wait to see what it delivers next.”
