Tarli Dean-Atkinson

Creative Exchange Coordinator

Tarli is a proud Yorta Yorta and Moiraban woman born and raised in Shepparton. Tarli also has Wiradjuri connections through her paternal grandmother and is a proud mother of two boys. Tarli is passionate about family, culture, art, history and stories, and from a young age her passion for knowledge was sparked by immersion in community and culture, watching her Mum and listening to Elders. Tarli has a beauty therapy background with a Diploma in Beauty Therapy and started working with Kaiela Arts in 2021 as an artist for the annual Turtle Muster. She went on to secure a role working front of house at Kaiela Arts while also completing a Creative Indigenous Residency at the Shepparton Art Museum. In 2023 Tarli facilitated Kaiela Arts’ Turtle Muster Community, and has worked across the art centre on front of house, hosting exhibition openings, presenting gallery talks, helping out in the studio with artist and community programs and workshops, and curating the window display in the gallery. She really enjoys working at Kaiela Arts and is developing a new Blak Curators Program which will facilitate exchange and dialogue between First Nations artist members and curators from all around Victoria and beyond.