Vivien Anderson
Director
There are not many hours in the day when I am not focusing on the gallery. I am an artist’s agent, no phone call is too hard, no problem too difficult to solve, no client’s brief too difficult to satisfy. Overall, no mountain is too high.”
Vivien studied Anthropology and Media studies at Deakin University then swiftly left the country to pursue a career in London as a documentary film maker. The reality of earning a living in London led to an assortment of jobs: a nanny to Rock and Roll luminaries on a Caribbean Island; a quality controller in a handbag factory; and a waitress at a Jewish salt beef bar in south London. A professional break arrived, as a production assistant working on music videos for Virgin Music. Overall, she never laughed so much in her life.
On returning to Australia, Vivien became Manager of the Aboriginal Artists Gallery in Melbourne. Within six months she realised that she would be working in the Indigenous contemporary art field for the rest of her life. Some 37 years later she directs the curatorial vision of the gallery, assisting in any way to advance the professional lives of the gallery artists so they can focus on making their art.
Vivien enthusiastically embraces her Directorships for two not for profit organisations, the Indigenous Art Code, which actively promotes the fair and ethical treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual artists and Melbourne Art Foundation.
Vivien also chaperones immersive art trips designed to connect with the land and culture that influences the art. The various itineraries feature a selection of remote Indigenous art centres combined with fabulous sightseeing opportunities along the way, leaving you with memories to last a lifetime. Though these trips have been stymied in the last two years, it has been the perfect time for Vivien to raise the next gallery dog, Rita.