The Real YouQ
Meet Danielle Harvey from the UQ Art Museum
"In so many ways, art and artists have been my best teachers, and I wanted to share this experience with others. Along the way, my focus has shifted to removing barriers to accessing and benefitting from art."
Welcome to The Real YouQ, the latest Contact Q&A series offering a glimpse into the real lives of members of the UQ community – from alumni to students and staff.
In this edition, we meet the UQ Art Museum's Senior Team Leader, Engagement and Training, Danielle Harvey. Danielle is passionate about making the UQ Art Museum a welcome space for all, and her team is focused on considering issues from the visitor’s perspective.
As a result, the UQ Art Museum is actively investing resources and time into visitor engagement, and Danielle has been instrumental in implementing progressive training and learning opportunities that allow her team to better empathise with the life experiences of visitors and how this might influence the way they relate to viewing art.
In 2022, Danielle was one of 2 runners up at the UQ Ally Awards for the design and implementation of pronoun badges worn by Visitor Engagement staff at the Art Museum. The UQ Ally Awards recognise exceptional efforts from UQ staff who are actively contributing to creating a welcoming and safe environment for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
But who is Danielle away from her role at the UQ Art Museum? Keep scrolling to find out.
Q: What is your favourite UQ memory?
A: My UQ experience has taken me all around Australia and to different parts of the world. As a UQ employee, I’ve delivered workshops in several regional galleries in Queensland and New South Wales, presented at conferences in Canberra, and travelled to Sydney to accept a national Outstanding Leadership in Engagement Award. As a UQ student, I completed a career-changing Visitor Evaluation Internship at the Denver Art Museum in the United States and studied museums across Vietnam. All memories and experiences I will forever cherish!
Q: Is there a place you feel most connected to on campus, and why?
A: It's not a place, rather it's the people who make me feel connected to UQ. I feel most connected when working with colleagues across UQ who are actively seeking to change the status quo.
Q: Looking back to the day you first set foot on campus, is there anything you wish to tell that person now?
A: You absolutely do belong here.
Q: What's the one fact that people wouldn't know about you?
A: I’m dyslexic. I'm in good company with Agatha Christie, Steven Spielberg, John Lennon, and Erin Brockovich, among some of the most famous dyslexics.
Q: Is there a skill you wish you had learnt or one that you are currently trying to master?
A: I'm trying to master knitting. My Mum recently taught me, and I've made half a wonky scarf so far.
Q: What are 3 things you can't live without?
A: Whatsapp (to stay connected with family and friends overseas), spellcheck (although sometimes AI doesn't even understand what I'm trying to spell), and noise-cancelling headphones.
Q: What are you currently reading?
A: I have a few books on the go: Made by Dyslexia, by Kate Griggs; Femina, by Janina Ramirez (my auntie and I gifted each other the book without knowing the other had brought it for the other – we know each other so well!); and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Q: Who are your real-life heroes?
A: I was going to say Ted Lasso, but I realise he's not 'real'.
Q: What drew you towards the art industry?
A: Visual language is one I've always understood. As a dyslexic, this makes sense as we are brilliant at visualising (exploring possibilities), imagining (interpreting), communicating (storytelling), reasoning (analysing and simplifying), connecting (empathising), and exploring (curiosity and openness).
In so many ways, art and artists have been my best teachers, and I wanted to share this experience with others. Along the way, my focus has shifted to removing barriers to accessing and benefitting from art.
Q: Is there a piece of art that has changed your life?
A: Every artwork changes my life in some way. Art challenges my perspectives, biases and what I think I know. Art is fundamental to offering alternative narratives to the status quo; it’s a call to action, encouraging us to question, rethink, and reimagine a better world for the future.
A site for progressive and contemporary creative enquiry
The UQ Art Museum aims to connect each visitor with new ideas in creative practice, and with learning in its many forms. It offers free exhibitions and public programs, study space, and a range of teaching and learning facilities and resources.
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