On the 18th of June 2025, we wrapped up our first iteration of Future Culture – our pipeline program that embedded two early-career artists (Cassandra Li & Emma Pham) as well as two arts worker interns (Kirsten Maglalang & Kobra Sayyadi) into CuriousWorks’ operations. This is to benefit the artists, arts workers, and the organisation symbiotically; and in turn to nurture sector development and foster sustainability for the community arts and cultural development sector.

As we mentioned in our wrap-up blog post, we are in awe of the entire Future Culture cohort and we thank them for their incredible energy, knowledge-sharing, and generative conversations.

Here, we hand the microphone to Future Culture Artist-in-residence, Cassandra Li, who shares her experience of being in the program, her work in progress as well as the impact of the program on her artistic practice.

Tell us the story of your time with the program.

I came to the Future Culture program seeking creative opportunities, tools, and connections to further develop a documentary project that I started called conjunto não precisa chorar (Together*, There Is No Need To Cry). In 2024, I undertook an artist residency supported by CreateNSW and Accessible Arts, where I was able to initiate research and trace my family’s stories as Chinese Timorese refugees in Portugal, where they lived for 6 years. 

Post-residency I wanted to continue the momentum of the work I had started, as well as find creative community locally, which is what I was able to do and more in the Future Culture program. There was such a strong sense of kinship with the Future Culture peers and CuriousWorks team, and really beautiful shared storytelling in our sessions that allowed me to be more vulnerable in sharing in-process work. 

I worked on developing conjunto nao precisa chorar and with the help from mentor Monica Zanetti, whom Miranda introduced me to, and was able to really start crafting a narrative out of the material I have collected over the past year or so. Whilst I have put the project aside for the moment, the program has been a catalyst for the momentum I am experiencing in other areas of my practice and it has opened doors for more opportunities and creative connections.

Share what you worked on over the past nine months.

Over the program I worked on curating images and developing a short documentary film that explores mourning rituals, cultural inheritance, and personal archive, following the passing of my grandfather. I was also able to reflect on my time in Portugal, where I visited the cities my family stayed in and was able to locate documents of my late-uncle who passed away as a baby there. With the help of my mentor Monica, I was able to start writing and editing footage together and outlining the key narrative to shape the story I want to tell. 

My practice can be quite isolating, so it was refreshing to have progress updates when we came together, even when it felt like no progress had been made at all. It helped me process filial guilt and I found that the oral storytelling – the sharing of stories within our sessions and simply talking about the work – were significant in unknotting some of the complicated emotions I felt and making the work feel more accessible to myself.

How has your arts practice been impacted by the Future Culture program?

The Future Culture sessions instilled me with such a renewed sense of purpose and positivity towards art and community and what it means to have a community-led practice. I feel a deeper connection to Western Sydney and am inspired by the abundance of community and arts resources that are available. The workshops facilitated creative and critical thinking, practical skills such as marketing as an artist and terms of engagement, and were always led by hope and wonder.

During these sessions, Miranda invited us to engage with beautiful prompts to share perspectives and ideas, and really open up veins for storytelling and connection. I can see that the leadership CuriousWorks offers has inspired me to connect to my communities and to show initiative in bringing people together. Since the program I have hosted a workshop and panel at National Young Writers Festival and am now hosting online Zoom writing workshops for friends who have expressed creative blockages. 

I am still contemplating how I can make my knowledge and skills—and the confidence cultivated through the Future Culture program—more accessible to others, so that we can continue learning and growing together! My hope is to drive positive change, foster meaningful relationships, and inspire others to continue honing their creative crafts. I also hope to embed more reflective practices into my process and facilitate reflection with others.

Make sure that you check out and follow Cass’ Instagram art account here.