Julia Mendel

Julia Mendel is an arts worker and artist based in Kambri/Canberra Australia. For the last 15 years she has led projects at the intersection of community engagement, education, public programs and digital engagement. In her role as Digital Learning and Outreach Manager at the National Gallery of Australia, she leads a team developing accessible programs to support engagement online and offsite.

She has previously held roles at Arts and Cultural Exchange, Art Gallery of New South Wales, UNSW Galleries and the National Library of Australia. From 2014-2017 she was Co-Director of Critical Animals Creative Research Symposium as part of This is Not Art, Newcastle. She has also served on the board of Firstdraft, Australia’s longest running artist-led organisation, where she was chairperson in 2020.

Julia Mendel will be speaking at the Museums & Schools Summit 2026 :

Creative Learning at the National Gallery of Australia

Join Head of Learning, Georgia Close, Education Manager, Leanne Waterhouse, Digital Learning Manager, Julia Mendel and Creative Learning Convener, Harriet Body for an introduction to the National Gallery of Australia’s Creative Learning Approach. This session will demonstrate how National Gallery Creative Learning Strategies support relational, inquiry-driven practice.

Developed through a collaborative research partnership with the University of Canberra, the approach reflects Australian national education priorities and embeds the National Gallery’s First Nations Art Through Culture principles. Grounded in Australia’s cultural, geographic and social contexts, it responds meaningfully to learners, communities and histories while highlighting the distinctive character of our National Collection.