In Conversation | Melissa Mills, Artist in Residence

Image: Photos taken by AIR artist Melissa Mills. Courtesy of the artist

Melissa Mills 

Melissa Mills is a photographer whose cultural inheritance is the innate connection and grounding she has with her Ancestral homelands of the Ghungulu, Karingbal/Garingbal and Bidjara Peoples of the Central Queensland regions.

Mills’ photographic practice is underpinned by a commitment to working collaboratively with her subjects to craft photographic narratives together that allow subjects to feel empowered to share the story of who they are through the images captured. Mills has been photographing professionally since 2015, has won international awards, and holds International Accreditation as an Associate Photographer with The Portrait Masters.

In 2023, Mills self-published her first title, “Her Story: A Collection of Inspiration from the Women of Rockhampton”, a compilation of multiple series of portraits displayed alongside the life stories of local women from Rockhampton. Mills is currently working on the second iteration of the project, “HIStory: the Harmony, Spirit and Vulnerabilty of Men in Rockhampton”, through a collaboration with local not-for-profit group, ProjectBlokes.

In addition to photography, Mills is passionate about a range of creative and community roles. Mills is an avid guest speaker, has hosted a number of artist workshops, and has collaborated with other local artists in her community. Her writing experience includes an essay reflecting on Bendigo Art Gallery’s touring exhibition, Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion, while working at Rockhampton Museum of Art as a First Nations Arts Assistant in 2023.

This Artist in Residence is generously supported in partnership with Haymans.

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