Emilya Colliver

About

Sugar Glider Digital, Art Pharmacy, and Culture Scouts  

Emilya Colliver is Art Pharmacy & Sugar Glider’s highly respected Founder and CEO. With over 20 years of experience in the art world across the public and private sectors, Emilya is driven by her passion for supporting Australian art in a global landscape, and the practitioners who create it. Her work is characterised by strong leadership, inclusivity, deep stakeholder engagement and a focus on creating outcomes which not only satisfy but exceed her clients’ requirements, to surprise and delight in equal measure. 

Emilya’s work spans digital strategy development, curatorial practice, facilitation, commissioning, project management, and implementation and installation.  Her entrepreneurial spirit has seen her develop four successful arts and culture businesses in Australia in the last five years, all with a strong vision to create a sense of place through arts and culture. Emilya has also written two books about the arts and culture industry since 2020. She has been a finalist in a number of leadership and entrepreneurial awards including the Business News Young Entrepreneurs Award in 2019 and the NSW Business Chamber Leader Awards in 2017. 

Emilya works in a diverse array of arenas, from community-driven arts activations in public spaces, corporate boardrooms and private art collections to internationally prestigious art institutions and key establishments. Such diversity has made her a skilled communicator and an influential leader who energises and brings people with her. Since establishing Art Pharmacy in 2015, she has developed a strong core team who are highly experienced in collaborative and multidisciplinary projects.

In addition to her leadership, Emilya boasts her unique breadth of experience, having worked for some of the top art institutions and collectors in the world including The British Museum. Since returning to Australia from London some years ago, Emilya has become a key contributor to the NSW & VIC arts scene, as her advisory committee memberships overleaf attest. 

Emilya’s experience, passion and influence in the sector see her sitting on a number of board and advisory committee positions, while her commitment to social and environmental governance with B-Corp certification has seen her support over $1.4 million dollars into the creative community with art consultancy Art Pharmacy.

Qualifications 

Bachelor of Arts, Art History and Archaeology
School of Oriental and African Studies
University College London, England

Professional Background 

Founder and CEO, Sugar Glider Digital 2021 to present 
Founder and CEO, Art Pharmacy 2015 to present 
Founder and CEO, Culture Scouts, 2016 to present 
Co-Founder, the Place Academy collaboration, 2018
Guest Speaker, Global Cities After Dark Conference, 2017
Guide, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, 2015 & 2016
Director, The Other Art Fair, Sydney, 2015 
Creator/Manager of art activations for Fringe Festival, Sydney 2014
Private Collection Manager, James Birch Esq, London, 2009 
Gallery Assistant, Eskenazi, Bond St, London, 2007 
Partnerships and Events Manager, The British Museum, 2005 

Committees & Boards 
Art & About, Evaluation Panel, City of Sydney 2020 to 2021
Lendlease Public Art Advisory Panel, Darling Square, 2019 
Sydney Biennale Benefaction Committee, 2019 to present 
EO Sydney ‘Women of EO Australia and New Zealand & Co-Membership Chair, 2019- 2022
City of Sydney Night-time Economy Panel, 2018  
City of Randwick Night-time Economy Panel, 2018 - 2019 
Museum of Contemporary Art Young Ambassador Committee; 2015 - 2020

Awards & Prizes 
Named ‘Arts Rising Star in Australia’, Harper's Bazaar, March 2022 
Finalist, Business News Awards, Young Entrepreneurs Award, September 2019
Finalist, NSW Business Chamber Leader Award, 2017 
Finalist, Audi “Women of Style” award, 2015 
Finalist, NSW Business Chamber 'Young Entrepreneurs' Award, 2014 
Winner, Tessa Brennan Scholarship, School of Oriental and African Studies, 2004

Emilya is a wife and mother of two children.