The Substation/​ Artist/​Being Biracial /

Maria Birch-Morunga is a Māori/Pakehā facilitator and craft queen. Kate Robinson is an Iranian/Australian artist and award winning podcaster. Together, they’re two biracial women who are endlessly fascinated by the juggling of cultures, identities, and family gossip that can come with being mixed-race. Their podcast Being Biracial is filled with heartfelt and funny interviews with guests discussing the dualities of living across multiple cultures. Guests include, comedian Lizzy Hoo, AFLW star Darcy Vescio, and musician Jen Cloher amongst many others. Maria and Kate are part of Museum Victoria’s Culture Makers program, where they created a stop-motion animation Threads. The piece explores the small, nourishing ways in which culture can be practised, rooting identity in place and rituals, and is currently exhibited at the Immigration Museum.

Maria Birch-Morunga (she/her) is a Māori/Pakehā podcast host, facilitator and craft queen. Maria’s practice includes fabric art, collage and co-creating the Being Biracial podcast. She is passionate about storytelling, race, identity, class and mental health. Alongside Kate Robinson, Maria is part of the current cohort of Museums Victoria’s Culturemakers. The pair created an immersive digital film, Threads, to be exhibited at Melbourne Museum and will run workshops on belonging with school groups. Maria is also part of Museums Victoria’s Creative Advisory Panel.

Kate Robinson (she/her) is an Iranian/Australian award winning podcaster and multi-disciplinary artist. Kate’s practice includes painting, colourful craft and murals. She has held solo exhibitions at ArtsGen and as part of the Groundwork exhibition program in Melton. She was the inaugural Feminist in Residence at Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, where she curated the community craftivist exhibition ‘Make a Fuss’. Kate has been an artist in residence at ArtsBox, and is part Wyndham City Council ‘Artist as Curator’ program. For Kate, craft is a place to delve into her own family’s history, where stories are woven from fragments of memories, gossip between sisters and filled with sparkles. She serves on the boards of NextWave and QVWC Trust and is a member of the Arts West Committee and Museums Victoria’s Creative Advisory Panel. Kate was one of the storytellers on Find and Tell, which won Best New Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards.