Karen Ingram walked along many career paths before she found her most recent job as an arts and community centre manager. She performed at St Martins Youth Theatre and worked in the music industry as band manager and publicist, as well as in the comedy sector. She’s been the ‘lead instigator/ranter’ in the punk band Cranky Pants and is also a published author of a memoir: Lifting the Lid.
How did you become the manager of Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre(LJAC)? How long have you been there?
I was tipped off by a friend that the position would soon become available after the long-standing manager was planning for retirement. I was jumping out of my skin at the thought of this dream job, as I had worked in health promotion in community health and completed a Bachelor of Arts (Community Development) and have managed to continue a self-driven personal and professional thread with First Nations engagement and advocacy. With the skills and knowledge developed in this setting, combined with my arts background, I knew I had a unique blend of experience and passions that would benefit the Centre. A bonus is that LJAC is located in Melbourne’s west and is a sublime beachside location, which I consider my neighbour/region-hood. I commenced my role in April 2022.
Can you tell us what exactly the Centre hosts?
Heaps! We produce four seasonal programs each year, with regular ongoing art classes such as oil, watercolour and mixed media facilitated by our partner, Hobsons Bay Arts Society (HBAS); drama classes for young folks facilitated by Dramawerkz; a poet in residence, Peter Roberts, who facilitates fortnightly Pier Poetry Group and Louis Joel Poetry Pod(cast); along with wellbeing activities such as tai chi, chair yoga, death café, boys’ own barbecue, kings of the kitchen, Tuesday Chit Chat and sustainability programming, such as repair café and edible gardens. Each program includes one-off or short series workshops with different themes, informed by what the community tells us is important.
Louis Joel Gallery is a brilliant, light-filled flexible space that hosts exhibitions that turn over every three weeks. In addition, we have an emerging artist wall – a monthly program to give artists experience in their first showing of their work, while supporting them to hang their art and write artist statements. The LJ Gallery Shop provides mostly local creatives with an opportunity to sell their work, and our next big news is the incoming Altona Artisans – creating and connecting through ceramics, pottery, mosaic and sculpture.
People often ask, or silently wonder – who is Louis Joel? Our centre is located in the former Altona Hospital, which was built by Dr Louis Joel and the community in the 1930s. Locals would contribute their labour and/or coin, to have shares in the hospital, which at that time serviced pastoralists and heavy industry workers as well as the women and children.
The gallery is the former maternity ward! Hobsons Bay Advancement Co-operative was established in the late 90s when the Victorian State Government, under Jeff Kennett, closed many hospitals (and schools). Community members marched in the street to ‘save our building’ and ‘keep it in community’ and … it happened. The co-operative is still going strong, with a volunteer board of management.
The Centre receives neighbourhood house funding from the Victorian Department of Disability, Families, Fairness and Housing, income from venue hire and leased spaces, as well as grants and some corporate sponsorship. We also have a range of spaces available for lease and hire.
What’s your average day like?
Like I hardly ever get to complete the task I set out to do! As an arts space and community centre, with programs occurring daily, we have the known knowns, and so many unknown knowns. From artists popping in to check out the space and talk about their upcoming exhibitions, to gallery patrons and community members viewing what we have to offer, volunteers busy in the gardens, strategic planning, liaising with my Chair, attending meetings with stakeholders, sourcing revenue, ensuring people are engaged, referrals to other organisations, checking on donations to our community pantry, promotion of upcoming events, responding to service providers, moving furniture, managing income and outgoings, and maintaining an ageing building. Oh, and thinking.
If you were hiring someone for your job, what would you look for in terms of skills and abilities?
Hiring someone to do my job could be awkward, but basically, what it takes me to do my job is that I need to be engaging and accessible, have a mix of aspirational and realistic vision, be a strong communicator, lead the ship (leadership), have empathy, be organised and flexible, and have an understanding of community-led practice, community arts and stakeholder engagement.
What are the pros and cons of working as a manager at this arts centre?
Pros are many – building a diversity of connections, promoting the role of the arts in wellbeing and social cohesion, and seeing that in action every day, introducing literature, performance and music into a centre that has been mostly about visual arts, leading an awesome team, working alongside a volunteer board of management, watching people responding to exhibitions, enabling artists to sell their first artwork to someone they don’t know, facilitating the death café and bringing my whole self to my work – which is a privilege.
Cons – funding issues, witnessing artists struggle with mental and financial wellbeing, translating the need for investment and support into real-time investment and support, maintaining an ageing building, volunteer board of management and lack of resources.
Read: So you want my arts job: Mount Maker
Any interesting or unusual happenings at the centre while you were manager there?
Every day is interesting!
- Getting ready for a big launch and our tea and coffee urn carked it. Tried the spare, also didn’t work. Ran across the road to the senior citizens’ centre, and found out they don’t use urns anymore(!), had to get a volunteer to buy an extra kettle! We can’t have functions without a cup of tea.
- Unveiling the sculpture Transcendence, made by sculptor Jos Van Hulsen was my first project at the Centre. It speaks volumes to the past and future of the site and stands proudly on the lawn in front of the Louis Joel Gallery.
- Carrying forward an expressed idea from the community on the loss being felt at the removal of the historic Altona Pier, as it transitioned into its future. We received funding from Mobil, Sweeney Estate Agents and, finally, Council to run community workshops (memories, transition, future) and produce a stunning exhibition, the launch had 130-plus people in attendance, performances and prizes, and the last-minute contributor of sponsorship from the company that constructed the new pier.
For more information on the happenings at the centre, to send EOI for exhibitions and gallery shop, or program proposals for facilitators, visit Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre.
