SAM’s new chief executive settling in

By Caitlyn Grant

Jul 25, 2022

Taking reins: New chief executive Melinda Martin has commenced at SAM. Photo by Megan Fisher

With 20 years’ experience up her sleeve, Shepparton Art Museum’s newest chief executive is looking to broaden the horizons of the museum.

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Melinda Martin moved from Melbourne to pursue the role she began on July 11.

“If you're going to be working in the community, you have to be a part of the community,” she said.

Having spent the past 10 years as chief executive and director of Linden New Art in St Kilda, Ms Martin said she was excited to enter her next chapter in the “world-class” museum.

“For me, it was an exciting opportunity to come and work in a regional community,” she said.

“It's such a multicultural community, the history of the First Nations people and then a really interesting history of diverse multicultural communities making their homes here,” she said.

“It's like a really interesting kind of snapshot of Australian life in a way.“

Ms Martin succeeds Dr Rebecca Coates who finished at SAM in December last year after seven years in the role.

“At the core of everything that we do, our core business is the exhibitions and the artists that we work with,” she said.