This year has been huge for ADC, especially in the lead up to Sydney Craft Week, our city-wide annual festival of craft, and we have been fortunate to have three fantastic university students in the office to help us out during this busy time.
Working with Sydney universities, we provide internships and professional placements for student as part of their degree.
We spoke to Rachael Tse, Jinou Wang and Jacklin Evelina Tjokro about their time at ADC and next steps.
Rachael Tse
What are you studying and where?
I’m studying the Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership program at UNSW Art & Design and am currently in my final semester.
Can you describe what has been the most interesting/challenging or fun thing you worked on at ADC during your work experience?
Helping out with Sydney Craft Week has been very insightful and fun, it’s difficult to pinpoint one particular thing. I got to work with the SCW social media and digital platforms with content creation and uploads, seeing the program go live was a real highlight!
I also partook in a number of events including the Reel to Reel: The Craft Film Festival and ADC’s Makers Market- it was super fun to connect with the wider community and to see everyone come together and enjoy the ADC’s initiatives.
What’s coming up next for you?
Next month I’m heading off to Shanghai and Taipei to visit the biennales over there with other Art & Design students. After this trip I will have officially wrapped up my studies.
I’m currently looking for other opportunities and making the leap into full-time work. Moving to Melbourne is also on the cards for next year!
Huijinou ( Jinou ) Wang
What are you studying and where?
I'm studying BVA (Jewellery and Object Design) at Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney.
Can you describe what has been the most interesting/challenging or fun thing you worked on at ADC during your work experience?
I had a lot of different experiences at ADC because I worked in the office every Friday and in the gallery every Saturday. I think it was an unforgettable experience for me to participate in the preparation of Sydney Craft Week. Classifying events according to different categories, writing new stories for SCW website, posting events online, participating in opening night and the Makers Market were all interesting. At the same time, when I worked in the gallery, I helped with Object Shop, putting new products on display and rearranging them. It was very interesting to see an object being sold after being carefully placed.
The surprise was that while I was at the gallery during the exhibition Painting with Thread: Tapestries and Samples from the Australian Tapestry Workshop, I met the artist Guan Wei. He is an Australian immigrant artist whom I admire very much. I had the perfect chance to talk to him one-on-one and had good contact with him. He then invited me meet with him and explained the changes in art practice in detail as an Australian immigrant artist with a Chinese background. As a Chinese art student who wants to develop in Australia after graduation, his interview has benefited me a lot.
What’s coming up next for you?
My dream is to be a Chinese jeweller in Australia. I don't want to give up my cultural background, but at the same time I want to innovate it. I want to integrate traditional elements into contemporary art. I'll graduate in late November when I will be looking for a full-time job to support my jewellery practice. I would like to find a job in a gallery, or in an art-related event management company. But anyway, I won't give up making jewellery. I will set up a small studio in my home first.
Instagram: @jinouw
Jacklin Evelina Tjokro
What are you studying and where?
I’m currently doing my honours year for my Bachelor of Design degree at UNSW. My area of practice are Object Design and Graphics Media.
Can you describe what has been the most interesting/challenging or fun thing you worked on at ADC during your work experience?
The most amazing thing about working at ADC is definitely being able to see my graphic design work come to life, representing exhibitions of talented Australian designers whom I’ve always looked up to. Although it’s always challenging to come up with a new branding identity for each exhibition, the experience has definitely developed my conceptual thinking further.
What’s coming up next for you?
Having my very own design business in both service and retail has always been a dream of mine, and an opportunity for it has just popped up for me in Jakarta. So I’ll be leaving Sydney next month to begin the next stage of my life.
Instagram: @jacklinet
Photo: L-R: Rachael Tse, Jinou Wang and Jacklin Tjokro. ADC