Imelda Miller is the Curator of Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Indigenous Studies at Queensland Museum. Imelda works with material culture and archival collections inside and outside of traditional museum environment and spaces to create access to collections for communities of origin. Her collaborative curatorial practice incorporates a combination of cultural practice, community engagement and community-led research and development. Imelda’s research focus is primarily on Australian South Sea Islander history, heritage and identity.

Imelda began working at Queensland Museum in 1993. She has worked across many museum roles working in major and regional cultural institutions, local and state government, small local museums and volunteer run organisations, in both paid and volunteer capacity. This has included work on temporary and touring exhibitions, public programs, online collections, digital stories and collections. Imelda continues to engage and work collaboratively with many diverse and vibrant communities across Queensland and the Pacific, in particular Torres Strait Islanders and Australian South Sea Islanders communities.

Dr Geraldine Mate is the Principal Curator, History, Industry & Technology in the Cultures & Histories Program at Queensland Museum. Geraldine cares for collections related to industry, science and technology, transport and social history. She is a Subject Editor of Queensland Museum’s journal – Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Culture series.

With degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Archaeology, and a PhD in Historical Archaeology, her current research projects are focused on the cultural landscape of nineteenth and early twentieth century industrial complexes in Queensland, including investigations of mining towns and the cultural heritage of the Ipswich Railway Workshops site. Geraldine is currently a Partner Investigator of the Australian Research Council (ARC) funded research project Archaeology, collections and Australian South Sea Islander lived identities, where she is exploring cultural landscapes with the Australian South Sea islander communities. She is also a Partner Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, as part of the Education and Engagement stream.

Geraldine’s other research interests encapsulate broader reflections on cultural heritage landscapes, the interpretation of industrial cultural heritage and labour history, considerations of social/industrial interplay in historical landscapes, and the relationship between people and technology. She is also part of a team that has been undertaking longitudinal analysis of the archaeological profession in Australia since 2005. Geraldine currently holds Adjunct Senior Research Fellow positions at James Cook University and the University of Southern Queensland.

With a love of collections and storytelling, Olivia Robinson has worked in cultural heritage and community engagement for more than 25 years. Olivia’s experience is as a manager, strategist, curator, creator, researcher, and facilitator across libraries and museums. She has contributed her knowledge and expertise to multiple leadership bodies advising government at all levels and across disciplines. Currently, Olivia leads engagement with memory collections at a state library and is a former Queensland-Smithsonian Fellow with qualifications in history, business, and public relations. Olivia is a proud Bidjara woman whose traditional country is in southwest Queensland.

Logan Bobongie is a Wakka Wakka and Australian South Sea Islander woman currently residing in Meanjin/Brisbane. Logan is passionate about connecting and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through workshops, exhibitions and curated artist features. Influenced by both her cultures, she specialises in public engagement and education by creating welcoming spaces that celebrate art. Logan currently works as the Ocean Pathways Education Producer at UQ Art Museum and has held significant roles at Aboriginal Art Co. and Artspace Mackay, where she has contributed to the development of innovative programs and exhibitions that resonate with diverse communities.

Image courtesy: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Photography: Claudia Baxter

Dylan Mooney is a proud Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander man from Mackay in North Queensland, working across painting, printmaking, digital illustration and drawing.

Influenced by history, culture and family, Dylan responds to community stories, current affairs and social media. Armed with a rich cultural upbringing, Dylan now translates the knowledge and stories passed down to him through art. 

Dylan is among artists who are rethinking digital technologies and artistic practices to consider contemporary issues around identity, desire and representation. Interested in the ways in which we can reframe the conversation around some of the voices that have been left out, the artist has made an important body of work that embodies a shift in representation of queer love among people of colour.

Kyra Mancktelow’s multidisciplinary practice investigates legacies of colonialism, posing important questions such as how we remember and acknowledge Australian histories.

A Quandamooka artist, Kyra has links to the Mardigan people of Cunnamulla and South Sea Islanders from Vanuatu. Kyra’s practice includes printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture – each applying a unique and distinct aesthetic. Kyra works with various materials to share her rich heritage, stories, and traditions to educate audiences and strengthen her connection to Country and culture. Her printmaking explores intergenerational trauma.

Joella Warkill is a proud South Sea Islander and First Nations woman. Joella’s great grandparents were taken from Pentecost Island and Ambrym Island in Vanuatu as kids. Born and raised on Darumbal country, Joella has connections to Kanaka Town in Rockhampton and Joskeleigh, and her mob are the Yidinji people from Far North Queensland through her maternal grandfather.

Joella’s poetry has allowed her to take up spaces including Queensland Museum, Institute of Modern Art, a Parliamentary Hearing, 2018 Commonwealth Games whilst being published online in SBS, Fern Collective and Hey Neighbour. Further accomplishments include completing her Bachelor of Human Services/Bachelor of Creative Industries (majoring in Creative Writing) in 2023. She is passionate about using poetry as a medium to continue telling the stories of those who come before her.