intention of sending Adam a text, and was just about to take out my BlackBerry when I was distracted by the conversation of a drunken woman at the basin.
âI shouldnât have sent that text,â she slurred.
âNo, you shouldâve,â her friend disagreed.
âNo, I shouldnât have. I only did it because I was drunk. He never sends me messages like that. Iâm sick of my boyfriends having other girlfriends. God, take my phone.â
I realised I was just like her â but I wasnât drunk enough to use that as an excuse. I let go of my BlackBerry and grabbed my lipstick from my bag instead.
When the director of the National Aboriginal Gallery calls you to her office, you go. And so I did, scurrying along the corridors of Old Parliament House wondering what could possibly be so urgent. Thereâd been budget cuts, but my exhibition had already been locked in, so it couldnât be that. I hadnât been on MySpace at work at all to spy on Adam since the internet audit had been done, so it couldnât be that. I was so far ahead in programming that I was planning exhibitions for 2013, so I knew it wasnât my work performance â and yet I still felt sick with anxiety.
âHi Lauren, sit down. Iâve got a proposition for you,â Emma said. She waved a sheet of paper in front of my face. âIâve just received an email from the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian in New York City. Theyâve got a visiting curator fellowship available for an Indigenous curator.â Emma was so excited she couldnât get her words out fast enough. âThe fellowship allows the chosen curator to work on their own original exhibition and curate within the museum generally.â
âSounds interesting.â
âInteresting? Lauren, itâs the chance of a lifetime for a young curator! And I want you to apply for it. I think youâd be perfect for it.â Emma smiled the hugest, widest grin, showing off her perfectly straight teeth.
âMe? But itâs in New York. Thatâs in America. And America is so far away, from everything and everyone !â This had come out of the blue.
âI donât think you understand what Iâm offering you,â she said. âLauren, this is a dream opportunity for anyone in your field. Youâd get the chance to network with other curators internationally and work with Native American artists from across the Americas.â
âEmma, Iâm so honoured you think Iâm even up for the challenge, but what about my work here?â
âWe both know that youâre scheduling so far ahead I havenât even been allocated my budgets to cover the exhibitions youâre planning in three yearsâ time. Iâm glad youâre on top of everything, but I can afford to let you go right now â especially for something as important as this. Iâll poach a curator from someone else to cover for you while youâre gone.â
âItâs really kind of you to think of me, but ââ
âLook, I have to be up-front with you, Lauren. Iâm not doing this entirely selflessly. I want to build a relationship between the Smithsonian and the NAG. Weâre a fledgling gallery and we need to build our profile internationally. Youâre the youngest senior curator in the Pacific and having you on staff will get them â and us â heaps of publicity. Everyone wins.â
âEveryone wins,â I repeated, not at all convinced. I felt like my life had suddenly been hijacked when Iâd only just started to feel like I was focused again.
âThis fellowship would look sensational on your CV, Lauren. Youâll be in a stronger position when you return to Australia, having had this experience. And your masters was about the internationalisation of Aboriginal art, so hereâs the perfect opportunity to put some of that theory into
âI shouldnât have sent that text,â she slurred.
âNo, you shouldâve,â her friend disagreed.
âNo, I shouldnât have. I only did it because I was drunk. He never sends me messages like that. Iâm sick of my boyfriends having other girlfriends. God, take my phone.â
I realised I was just like her â but I wasnât drunk enough to use that as an excuse. I let go of my BlackBerry and grabbed my lipstick from my bag instead.
When the director of the National Aboriginal Gallery calls you to her office, you go. And so I did, scurrying along the corridors of Old Parliament House wondering what could possibly be so urgent. Thereâd been budget cuts, but my exhibition had already been locked in, so it couldnât be that. I hadnât been on MySpace at work at all to spy on Adam since the internet audit had been done, so it couldnât be that. I was so far ahead in programming that I was planning exhibitions for 2013, so I knew it wasnât my work performance â and yet I still felt sick with anxiety.
âHi Lauren, sit down. Iâve got a proposition for you,â Emma said. She waved a sheet of paper in front of my face. âIâve just received an email from the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian in New York City. Theyâve got a visiting curator fellowship available for an Indigenous curator.â Emma was so excited she couldnât get her words out fast enough. âThe fellowship allows the chosen curator to work on their own original exhibition and curate within the museum generally.â
âSounds interesting.â
âInteresting? Lauren, itâs the chance of a lifetime for a young curator! And I want you to apply for it. I think youâd be perfect for it.â Emma smiled the hugest, widest grin, showing off her perfectly straight teeth.
âMe? But itâs in New York. Thatâs in America. And America is so far away, from everything and everyone !â This had come out of the blue.
âI donât think you understand what Iâm offering you,â she said. âLauren, this is a dream opportunity for anyone in your field. Youâd get the chance to network with other curators internationally and work with Native American artists from across the Americas.â
âEmma, Iâm so honoured you think Iâm even up for the challenge, but what about my work here?â
âWe both know that youâre scheduling so far ahead I havenât even been allocated my budgets to cover the exhibitions youâre planning in three yearsâ time. Iâm glad youâre on top of everything, but I can afford to let you go right now â especially for something as important as this. Iâll poach a curator from someone else to cover for you while youâre gone.â
âItâs really kind of you to think of me, but ââ
âLook, I have to be up-front with you, Lauren. Iâm not doing this entirely selflessly. I want to build a relationship between the Smithsonian and the NAG. Weâre a fledgling gallery and we need to build our profile internationally. Youâre the youngest senior curator in the Pacific and having you on staff will get them â and us â heaps of publicity. Everyone wins.â
âEveryone wins,â I repeated, not at all convinced. I felt like my life had suddenly been hijacked when Iâd only just started to feel like I was focused again.
âThis fellowship would look sensational on your CV, Lauren. Youâll be in a stronger position when you return to Australia, having had this experience. And your masters was about the internationalisation of Aboriginal art, so hereâs the perfect opportunity to put some of that theory into
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