Eleanor is an Adelaide-based independent curator and writer. From 2013 – 2019 she was the Visual Arts Program Curator at Country Arts SA, and before that the Visual Arts Coordinator at Tandanya – National Aboriginal Cultural Institute from 2011 – 2013. She has previously held volunteer roles including co-director of FELTspace ARI. She graduated with a Masters in Curatorial and Museum Studies from the University of Adelaide in 2012, and is the current Chair of the Art History and Curatorship Alumni Network, which supports graduates with networking and professional development opportunities. She is a Board member at ACE Open and spent five weeks in Venice in 2015 working in the Australian Pavilion at the Biennale. In 2018 she received a Darling Travel Grant, which saw her travel to the UK and Italy to research community engagement strategies in contemporary art spaces.
Scicchitano’s curatorial practice commonly involves working with artists to explore identity and the body, and the way in which the body is used as a vehicle in contemporary art to challenge and explore who they are. In 2017 she presented I’m a feminist but... at Praxis Artspace, Adelaide, as part of FRAN Fest 2017. It was represented in the Walkway Gallery, Bordertown in 2018. She has previously curated exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, the Australia Experimental Art Foundation, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, FELTspace ARI and Artbank, Sydney.
Eleanor is an Adelaide-based independent curator, writer and friend to all dogs.
Curriculum Vitae
-
Founder & Director
December 2020 - February 2026Led organisation through development, launch and first five years
Secured funding to support artist, writer and curator fees for the Gallery and ongoing organisational support developed the POP Studio Professional Development program including the POP x ACE Visiting Curators Program and POP International Visiting Curators Program
Ongoing development and support/direction of the POP Exhibition Program including 2 gallery spaces and yearly program
Worked closely with the POP Board to develop processes, policies, documents, board papers and provide governance support
-
Project Coordinator
May – September 2023 (short term contract)
February 2025 – March 2026 (temporary contract)Developed programs, tours, presentations, workshops and SALA Hub exhibition to support the wider festival and provide audience access to deeper engagement with the program.
-
Visiting Curators Program Coordinator
February – December 2022Administration assistance
February 2022 - ongoingCurator in Residence
2021Key Projects:
co-curator, STUDIOS: 2021
co-curator, RULED US, RULED US, RULED US: Brad Darkson, presented at the Museum of Economic Botany, SA, 2023
-
Visual Arts Program Curator
November 2013 – January 2019Managed a state-wide and national visual arts tours including; artist agreements, condition reporting, developing touring materials including installation manuals, freight co-ordination, travel and public program coordination.
Managed a program of regional residencies and curated gallery outcomes.
Managed a develop a program of professional development opportunities, supporting artists based in regional areas to connect with each other, and their metro-based colleagues.
Key Projects:
project coordinator, Sixth Street Public Art Project, Murray Bridge Regional Council (2018)
project coordinator, Government House public art commission, (2017-18)
curator/project coordinator, Tom Borgas Port Pirie Residency
project coordinator, Nebula professional development program (2015/2017), Writer development program and mentorship program (2018)
curator/project coordinator, Limestone Coast Video Art Residency with artist Heath Franco
curator/project coordinator, Burra Regional Residencies and Ephemeral Art Trail, April – May 2016
curator, Handheld, Handheld II (co-curator), Island to Inland: contemporary art from Kangaroo Island (co-curator), Our Stories, Our Way: Our Mob 2015 on tour, Craft Anonymous (co-curator) as part of Country Arts SA Visual Arts Touring Program
-
Volunteer team leader
May/June 2015Lead a team of three volunteers to maintain the Australian Pavilion during the 2015 Venice Biennale: lead tours, coordinate media, work with Australia Council for the Arts staff during Vernissage week to coordinate crowds, welcome VIPs and present tours, complete weekly reports and condition reporting, ensure artworks are not damaged and perform minor maintenance when needed.
-
Visual Arts Officer / Visual Arts Coordinator
April 2011 – June 2013Curator, Speaking Wave exhibition at Tandanya, in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Storytellers’ and Writers’ Group.
Curator, RECONCILIATION WEEK AT THE CROWNE PLAZA external exhibition.
Curator, On What Grounds exhibition at the Town Hall and Tandanya work with the visual arts team, organisational staff, artists and suppliers to curate exhibitions across four exhibition spaces.
Maintain, research and acquire works for the Tandanya Permanent Collection.
Coordinate public programs and external exhibitions.
Develop budgets, and report on finances and programming regularly.
-
Gallery Assistant/Manager
2007 – 2010
-
2026
Mentorship with Elisa Itkonen, Director, ANTI Festival, Finland
2025
Razzle Dazzle: Risky Milk, participant in experimental film workhop with Bryce Kreunbluhe, created new experimental film.
2024
Shortlisted participant, Adelaide Film Festival Expand Lab
2023
Co-Curator with Patrice Sharkey (ACE), Ruled Us, Ruled Us, Ruled Us, Brad Darkson, Museum of Economic Botany, SA
Curator, Earth and Ether, Margaret Worth, Riddoch Art Gallery, Mount Gambier, SA
2022
Curator, A Soft Pulse, Gertrude Street Projection Festival, Melbourne, VIC
2021
Curator, The Unsolicited Proposals Unit, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, ACT
2020
Early-Career Curatorial Mentorship, Adhocracy, Vitalstatistix,
Curator, Island to Outback, praxis ARTSPACE, SA
Curator, Annabelle Collett: retrospective, Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa, SA
2019
Participant, Auckland International Curatorial Intensive, ICI, NY
2018Co-curator, Bringing the outside in, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide.
Curator, A Vacant Space, Artbank, Sydney.
Curator, I’m a Feminist but… re-presented Walkway Gallery, Bordertown.
2017Curator, I’m a Feminist but… presented as part of FRAN Fest 2017, praxis ARTSPACE, Adelaide.
2016Curator, The Sun Tone Harvester, Vicky Browne and Peter Blamey, Gardenspace, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia.
2014Curator, Performing Identity, odradekAEAF (series of four exhibitions).
Curator, On Men, re-presented at Canberra Contemporary Art Space.
2013Curator, The Growing Exhibition, FELTspace, November/December 2013.
Curator, On Men, FELTspace September 2013.
-
2026-ongoing
Committee Member, Editorial Advisory Committee, Journal of Australian Ceramics
2020-24
Executive Committee member, Arts Industry Council of SA
2023-24
Program Manager, Helpmann Academy, Jan – May, back fill contract
2023
Program Coordinator, SALA Festival, back fill contract
2022
Artist and Writer Residency, ArtPod, Guildhouse and City of Adelaide. Writer in residence, working alongside artist Kate Kurucz
2018-ongoing
Mentor, various students, as part of the Flinders University and University of Adelaide graduate mentoring programs
2021
Mentor to Brianna Speight, supported by the Helpmann Academy mentorship grants
Tour Leader, The Hydrated Curators Tour, 2021 SALA Festival
2019
Art x Fiction Book Club, facilitate the AxF book club as part of the Guildhouse, Minor Works program
Martumili Artists, studio and gallery volunteer, Newman, WA
Writer-in-Residence, praxis ARTSPACE
Roadtrip Host, hosted the Regional Galleries of South Australia road trip
2018
Guildhouse LimberUP mentorship, with Professor Ted Snell
Darling International Travel Grant: travel to England and Italy to research low and no-cost community engagement strategies employed by galleries working with communities outside art centres
Writer-in-residence, The Mill, Adelaide
2017 - 19
Board Member, ACE Open, Adelaide
2017- 20
Chair, Art History and Curatorship Alumni Network, University of Adelaide
2015- ongoing
Member, Contemporary Collectors, Art Gallery of South Australia
2014 - 16
Board Member, Australian Experimental Art Foundation Council
-
2026
FELTspace is moving, Catalogue essay for opening exhibition
2025
Three painters, Artlink Magazine, Issue 45:1 | Parnati–Kudlila / Autumn–Winter 2025
2024
Let the paint speak for itself, Exhibition catalogue essay on Sam Howie, Neoterica, Adelaide Festival.
2023
In good company, catalogue essay, Ruled Us, Ruled Us, Ruled Us, Brad Darkson, Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide
2022
Studios 2022, co-editor, ACE Studio Exhibition catalogue
Rosina Possingham: The Patch, exhibition catalogue essay, praxis ARTSPACE
2021
The Unsolicited Proposals Unit, exhibition catalogue essay, Canberra Contemporary Art Space.
Jonathan Kim: exhibition text, Nexus Art Gallery
Sundari Carmody, ACE Studios 2021, exhibition catalogue
A Monster We Can See, FELTspace Writer’s Program
Artspeak, Central School of Art
2019
Community Engagement Strategies in the UK (working title), paper presented as part of the Regional Galleries Association of SA annual road trip.
Studio Residents Exhibition (working title), praxis ARTSPACE exhibition essay.
2018Temporary Localised Art Project, catalogue essay, Tom Borgas residency in Port Pirie.
The Burra Ephemeral Art Trail, paper presented at Museums and Galleries Australia summit, Melbourne, June 2018.
From Little Things, Heidi Kenyon’s Guildhouse Collections Project exhibition.
Director’s Cut, catalogue essay, FELTspace Director’s Cut exhibition.
Umbra, catalogue essay, Steve Cybulka exhibition at Pompom, Sydney.
2017Meg Wilson: SQUASH!, exhibition review, Artlink.
Tracking, catalogue essay, exhibition at Riddoch Art Gallery, Mount Gambier.
Add-original: Driller Jet Armstrong, exhibition review, Verso.
Shed Wizard, foreword for catalogue, James Dodd touring exhibition.
Island to Inland: contemporary art from Kangaroo Island, catalogue texts, co-written with Celia Dottore.
The Burra Ephemeral Art Trail, paper presented at the Regional Galleries Association of South Australian forum, June 2017.
2016Deviate, catalogue essay, Carly Snoswell and Rhiannon Jones, Format Gallery, Adelaide.
2015Back and Forth, catalogue essay, Meg Wilson and Kirsten Wechslberger, Nexus Multicultural Arts, Adelaide.
Collecting Convergences, catalogue essay, Lilly Buttrose at Nexus Multicultural Arts, Adelaide.
Handheld II, catalogue essay, co-written with Coby Edgar, Tarnanthi Festival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.
2014Handheld, catalogue essay, Country Arts SA touring exhibition.
Moments of intersection: James Tylor, Artlink Indigenous,vol. 34 issue 2, 2014.
The Best Lady Anatomist, catalogue essay, Deborah Prior at FELTspace, Adelaide.
Subjectify Me, FELTspace writers’ program.
The quietest river runs the deepest, catalogue essay, FELTnatural ephemeral art project.
Exploring the place between light and dark: Peter Sharrock, MARMALADE, JamFactory.
On Men, catalogue essay, FELTspace, Adelaide September 2013.
Bloom Space review, Dear Eleanor Zine, June 2013.
Tough(er) Love: Art from Eyre Peninsula exhibition review, Artlink Australia, June 2013.
-
2017
Independent Makers and Presenters Project Funding, I’m a feminist but... presented in Adelaide and Bordertown.
2014
Strategic Presentation Grant,for On Men to travel to Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Arts South Australia.
-
2021 Completed
Creating Meaningful and Inclusive Museum Practices, FutureLearn, ICOM (International Council of Museums)
2019 Completed
Launching an Independent Art Space: Conceptual and Practical Skills, NODE Curatorial Studies Online
2012 Completed
Masters in Curatorial and Museum Studies, Adelaide University
2010 Completed
Contemporary Art in New York, short course, Sothebys Institute of Art
2009-10 Completed
Graduate Diploma in Art History, Adelaide University