South Australian emerging curator Erin O’Donohue was delighted to hear she was the successful recipient of the Centre for Creative Health’s (CCH) inaugural Curatorial Fellowship in 2019.
The Fellowship, made possible through a partnership with the Helpmann Academy, was designed to provide an emerging South Australian curator with a broad range of curatorial experiences and an opportunity to develop their curatorial voice within a healthcare environment.
Based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), this opportunity has allowed Erin to work with an established team in a unique state-of-the-art health precinct over a 12-month period.
Erin began the fellowship in August 2019, but due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it was put on hold until she was finally able to recommence in April 2021.
“I was thrilled when I received the news. We obviously didn’t anticipate a pandemic happening but I’m glad to have finally recommenced this amazing opportunity,” Erin said.
Erin comes from an artistic and creative family and has been drawn to arts in health after completing work experience at Flinders Medical Centre and volunteering as a curator at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
“There’s something about art in a hospital setting. Whether it’s a patient getting lost in the artwork and briefly forgetting they’re even in hospital or a nurse needing a quiet moment, it can be very therapeutic for many people,” Erin said.
Erin is working closely with CCH’s Senior Curator Fiona Borthwick and Assistant Curator Steph Cibich to curate her own exhibition at the RAH’s Emerging Artist Gallery, working with local artist Annelise Forster for the exhibition Sing my body electric.
“This opportunity has exposed me to more and more people and to the art world, as well as helping me to gain the experience I need,” Erin said.
“I’m excited to share the exhibition and I hope people within the RAH appreciate the artworks of that gallery.”
CCH Senior Curator Fiona Borthwick said: “Erin has been a delight to work with and we hope the experience she has gained through the Curatorial Fellowship will help propel her career onwards and upwards!”
