Visual Art students gained valuable insights into the world of art curatorship, art research and internships on Monday when former BSSC student Suzannah Henty visited the college.

Suzannah graduated from BSSC in 2009 and studied Art History and French at Melbourne University while also pursuing a range of internships at major art institutions in Melbourne and abroad, including Heide Museum of Modern Art, the Ian Potter Museum, and Galerie Magda Danysz in Paris.

Her success story is also a credit to BSSC’s NETschool program, that re-engages young people aged 15 to 19 years who are at risk of leaving mainstream schooling but want to achieve their Senior School Certificate.

The goal for every NETschool Learner is to move forward and participate in mainstream education, skilled employ­ment or further training.

Suzannah has certainly fulfilled the NETschool aim. She is currently completing a PhD at the Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris while working on a range of projects that have taken her to some of the most prestigious galleries in the City of Lights. More recently she travelled to Jerusalem and the Al–Ma‘mal Foundation for Contemporary Art as a researcher for a project called Frontier Imaginaries that explores ideas around invisible borders.

She stressed to students the importance of being persistent and putting themselves ‘out there’ for internships and other opportunities in the art world.

“I’ve sent thousands of emails to galleries and curators over recent years asking to be involved in projects,” she said. “You will get lots of rejections, but there are also lots of opportunities if you keep persisting and taking every opportunity. Apply for every bursary and scholarship and, if you’re not successful, apply again the next year. That’s how the system works.”

Suzannah’s long-term dream is to lecture at a university or gain a curatorial position at an art museum or institute. In the meantime, her rollercoaster ride through the world of art will continue, given her ability to enthuse and inspire others.

BSSC thanks Suzannah for her generosity in sharing her story with our students.