Life After Uni: Beatrice Waller In Conversation with Maeve Sullivan
- ART HISTORY
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Life After Uni is a series of conversations between current Art History and Sydney College of the Arts undergraduate students and alumni working in the GLAM sector. The series aims to share industry insights, advice, and wisdom for those navigating a career in the arts.
Beatrice Waller is an artist and arts worker focused on creating community and opportunities for disadvantaged artists, particularly in regional NSW. She has a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours), majoring in sculpture and has almost completed her Master of Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney. Beatrice creates both functional and sculptural ceramics under the brand ‘Beatrice the Potter’ and works at Regional Arts NSW as their Operations and Engagement Officer.
Maeve Sullivan (she/her) is a third-year student undertaking a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Art History and English. She has recently returned from a semester exchange at New York University, New York City.
Maeve Sullivan: Where did your university journey begin, and what was the experience like relocating as a regional student?
Beatrice Waller: I started my studies at Sydney College of the Arts (SCA). I grew up in Warialda, a tiny town in north-west New South Wales on Gamilaraay Country. It’s quite isolated and before moving to Sydney, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. After finishing school, I knew I was really interested in art, but I wasn’t naturally talented in traditional media like drawing or painting, so I leaned into photography and majored in it at SCA. I had applied to art school after taking a short course at the National Art School for HSC students, where I worked with darkroom photography. That was a pivotal experience; I learned about the process and met other creative students, and then realised that art people were my people. Growing up regionally, where there aren't many creative communities, I hadn’t fully recognised that before. I shifted focus to sculpture in my first year, and eventually found ceramics, which is now my main medium.
MS: You currently work at Regional Arts New South Wales and are also the founder of Beatrice the Potter, holding the fitting titles of both arts professional and artist. How did you build your own ceramics brand?
BW: I graduated in 2019. It was in my third year that I started throwing for the first time. Around that time, I did a couple of small markets. My first one was actually at Manning Bar, USYD. I was selling little pieces that were barely functional, but I was so proud of them. Initially, I sold under my own name, Beatrice Waller, but in 2020, my housemate suggested the name Beatrice the Potter, which helped me define my brand a bit better. I narrowed my practice to a specific style, very much inspired by my rural upbringing and the landscape I grew up in. I was trying to replicate its earthy textures and colours. At the moment, I’m trying to move back into the contemporary art space, as opposed to solely producing functional design objects. Selling ceramics has become a great secondary income; it pays for my practice, but I’m keen to explore more conceptual work and exhibit again.
MS: Having relocated from your small town to Sydney, you’ve clearly accessed new opportunities, audiences, and spaces. Now, working for Regional Arts NSW, you’ve come full circle, advocating for the kind of access you once lacked.
BW: I’ve been working with Regional Arts NSW for about eight months. I really care about making sure that regional artists have equal access and visibility. Regional areas have so much to offer the Australian art scene, but there’s still a significant barrier between the two. In regional towns, the arts community is strong, but often quite insular. Small towns like Warialda where I grew up, have a very active arts community, but those artists don’t always have the means to get their work into city galleries and be recognised nationally. The visibility just isn’t the same. When I saw this role advertised, I knew it would be a great fit. My title at the moment is Operations and Engagement Officer, which is sort of a hybrid between Office Manager and Communications. So I manage the website and social media, have worked on some fundraising campaigns, and we’re working on boosting financial support at the moment with grants and philanthropy. I’ve also been doing a lot of artist interviews, writing profiles similar to this one, to help platform regional artists. On the operations side, I’ve been focused on implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, which is a fun technical challenge. Eventually, I’d love to transition into a purely audience engagement-focused role, but funding is another interesting area to me and is always a challenge in small organisations.
MS: Is funding the greatest barrier facing regional communities right now?
BW: It’s definitely one of the biggest. In the most recent grant round from Create NSW, a lot of regional galleries missed out. Despite strong advocacy from us and securing an additional $7 million for regional organisations, many galleries were still left out. Isolation is another huge challenge. Artists might be well-connected within their local community but not necessarily within the broader art world. Some artists live 30 km out of town on farms, working completely alone without access to equipment like kilns or printing presses. That kind of practical isolation makes things really difficult.
MS: Do you see yourself continuing to bridge this gap and staying in regional arts?
BW: I can see myself in this role for a while. I find the work genuinely interesting, and I feel strongly about the cause. Plus, my team is really lovely and we work so well together. Eventually, I’d like to work more directly in the museum sector to apply what I’ve learnt in my Master of Museum and Heritage Studies. But I really value the practical skills I’ve learnt in audience engagement and ultimately I just really want to help artists and be doing something with a bit of a creative element myself.
MS: You curated the USU Art Awards at Verge Gallery in 2024. How did that opportunity come about?
BW: That was part of the internship component of my Master's. I’m interested in curatorial work, and the USU Art Prize offered really great hands-on experience. You learn theory in class, but applying it in a real setting is quite different. I loved connecting with the artists. Ryan Ouyang, for example, won the prize, and it was amazing to see how that recognition supported his practice. All the work in the exhibition had a sense of joy in what was otherwise a difficult time and that was really heartwarming. It confirmed for me that I want to work closely with living artists and probably pursue a curatorial path focused on contemporary work rather than historical collections.
MS: I can see a beautiful link between your rural upbringing and your interest in themes of isolation, connection, and community. We often have the writers, the makers, and the thinkers, but they can be quite separate. How could SCA and Art History students better connect across disciplines?
BW: When I was at SCA, we weren’t based on the main campus; we were at Callan Park, which I loved. It was a real art school experience, a bit secluded, with our own studios and community. But we didn’t have a strong connection with the wider university, or even the Art History department. I wouldn’t necessarily change that experience, but I do now see the value in cross-disciplinary connections. It’s been helpful to come back to the main campus, especially through my work in the GLAM sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums). Sometimes those fine arts vs. museum studies vs art history labels aren’t that helpful because it’s all part of a broader, diverse sector. We’ll all end up working together when we graduate, so it’s helpful to make those connections and have a bit of a sense of how the whole industry interacts.
MS: Do you think Verge Gallery helps bridge that gap between artists, audiences, and writers as an interdisciplinary space?
BW: Definitely. The USU Art Prize is so good because it includes multiple media and encourages students to connect outside of class. We didn’t have as many of those opportunities when I was an undergrad. But it’s so valuable, connecting with peers who have different approaches, because those ideas are all transferable across disciplines.
MS: What advice would you give to undergrad students figuring out their professional path? How did you find your current role at Regional Arts NSW?
BW: In all honesty, it can be difficult breaking into the arts world. If you're aiming for a professional role in the sector, it's not always easy, but I don’t say that to discourage anyone. I just think it’s important to go in with realistic expectations: don’t assume it will all fall into place straight away. Building a strong network is important, but so is gaining transferable professional skills. For example, before this worked at an IT company doing marketing and office management. It wasn’t a creative job, it was actually quite boring, but the skills I gained there were essential in helping me get my current role at Regional Arts NSW. It’s essentially the same type of work, but now I get to do it in a field I’m passionate about, which makes all the difference. As for where to find these opportunities, my current job was listed on ArtsHub, I believe. It’s an excellent place to find jobs in museums, galleries, and the broader arts sector. Students can actually sign up for a free membership to access job listings. I also used Seek and LinkedIn, but I found industry-specific sites like ArtsHub more useful in general. One important thing to remember is that it’s unlikely you’ll land a job as an assistant curator right out of undergrad; it takes time. And most artists I know have another job on the side. Working in the arts, even in an admin or operations role, keeps you close to the industry. You’re surrounded by art, talking about it, and making connections. Even though I’m not making art at my job, I’m still immersed in it every day. I never expected to love an office job, but I really do. Having stable, arts-related work also helps fund your own practice if you're not working as a full-time artist. So my advice would be to keep an open mind, working for an arts organisation can be a great path.
MS: You mentioned earlier that you haven’t quite finished your Master's. This series focuses on post-undergrad life, but it's great to see how you’ve already applied yourself throughout university. It shows you can start building a career earlier than people might expect.
BW: Especially at the Master's level, you don’t necessarily need the degree to get a job in the arts. More often than not, employers are looking for someone whose values align with theirs. Of course, you need some relevant experience, but that doesn’t have to mean formal employment. It could be something like managing your own social media or curating a small group show. There are so many ways to build meaningful experience while you’re still at uni. If you can find a job, any job, that gives you transferable professional skills while also supporting your creative interests, that’s a great starting point.
You can read more about Beatrice’s work on her website or Instagram (@beatricethepotter).
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