Correne Wilkie is an experienced music industry professional with over 20 years in artist management, and was the first recipient of the Australian Association of Artist Managers (AAM) Legacy Award in 2022. She took Melbourne band The Cat Empire to the worldwide stage, has been the coach and strategist behind many other prominent music managers and artists, and is a dedicated champion of creative culture in the Australian music and entertainment scene.
Applying her expertise in the broader entertainment space, Wilkie and her partner David Strong opened the immersive entertainment experience Museum of Desire in Melbourne at the end of 2024. Around 20,000 visitors attended in the first 16 weeks of opening. Wilkie speaks to ArtsHub about her latest role as museum curator.
That’s a huge transition, leaving the music business to be involved in curating a museum. What prompted the move?
When I left the music business I did not know my next major career chapter would involve opening an entertainment space/museum experience! However, after 22 years in music, I knew I was ready for a change and, after I had some time off, my creativity and energy returned and I wanted to apply what I knew, but in different ways. My partner and I decided to build something together, instead of just servicing clients and this wild idea is where we landed.
What’s a day in your life like co-curating the Museum of Desire?
Dave and I co-created the original ideation and creative direction. It was a great process and one that required both of us to really consider the idea from all angles. Once we had confirmed the overall direction, we divided and conquered to deliver it all in a very short time frame, giving ourselves six months to opening in December 2024. Dave looks after all things to do with the delivery and operations of the physical space and I deliver the marketing and ticketing side of the equation. So my position is actually very desk-bound.
I direct the overall marketing and campaign directions, social media strategy, the major seasonal events series ‘A Night at The Museum’, partnerships, promotions, photoshoots, PR, ticketing, audience engagement and collaborations, and also the legal and financial side of the operation, as well as new business direction. It’s not hard work (compared to managing bands!), but it is a lot of work.
What was the rationale behind setting it up in the first place?
I wish I could remember! Jokes aside, Melbourne has a reputation as the arts capital of Australia, but not a whole lot of delivery in recent years to back up the claim to that title. Dave and I have both worked in arts and entertainment since our early 20s and both found our start in Melbourne, so we felt it would be great at this stage of our lives to build something for the city.
We were watching the immersive entertainment wave coming out of the US and Europe and decided it was timely to deliver something similar. We revisited the sex museums in Europe and had the insight that they could be so great if they were art-led, classy, beautiful, playful experiences without the smut and intimidation factor. So we started from that base and considered how we could best bring this idea to life for Australian audiences. And here we are!
If you were looking to hire someone for your job, what qualifications or experience would you look for?
CEO experience, combined with marketing director experience, ideally in entertainment.
What are some of the misconceptions about being a curator? And being a curator of this particular, provocative museum?
That we created it because we have some secret sexual perversions or bents! To us it’s just content, albeit interesting content. I am no closer to being a sexologist than I was to being a musician when I managed bands! My lens to all of this is through understanding audience and entertainment, I don’t need to be a sexpert for this role!
What are the pros/cons of doing your job?
Pros: The joy of creating something new, challenging, courageous and actually quite ridiculous.
Every day there is another story or happening at Museum Of Desire to add to the band of unexpected and hilarious moments. The staff/management’s WhatsApp chat often starts with ‘you will never believe what just happened…’
Read: So you want my arts job: MusicNSW CEO
Cons: It has taken me away from my other business, which is consultancy – providing professional development and business strategy for individuals and organisations working in creative industries. I’ve been juggling both roles, as well as parenting and all other things, which is intense!
