meet a migrant artist finding empowerment through art

When Venezuelan-born artist and mum Marynel Jaimes moved to Australia, she found herself searching for connection and an opportunity to showcase her creativity. Through SisterWorks, a social enterprise empowering migrant, refugee and asylum seeker women, she discovered both. With help from programs supported by Bank Australia’s impact fund, Marynel has built confidence, community and a flourishing creative practice.

The grant Sisterworks received from Bank Australia’s impact fund has contributed to employment-focused training programs for migrant women and also the hub next to the café, which provides customer service. It’s where ‘sisters’ (which is what they call the women who come to SisterWorks) come in and they can be placed in employment, whether it’s internal or with an external employer. SisterWorks has seen a 25 per cent increase in women asking for help from them this year compared to last and there is now a waitlist. We spoke to ‘sister’ Marynel about her journey with Sisterworks.

Hi Marynel! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I'm a nature-loving artist and mum. I'm a migrant; I’m from Venezuela originally but I am Australian as well. I love Australia, and I love my home back in Venezuela.
How did you discover SisterWorks? I left Venezuela in 2014 because the economic and political situation was very bad, so we needed to go out and try to find a better opportunity for the family. During the pandemic, at home with my youngest child, I felt very disconnected from Australia. I was asking, “What am I doing here?” So, I started doing lots of very colourful paintings about Venezuela, which made me happy. But I didn’t know anyone and my English wasn’t very good, so I didn’t know what to do. I saw a post about SisterWorks one day and I thought, “I should ask them for help.” The next day they called and asked me what I needed.
How did you get the help you needed? I went to the SisterWorks office and they were offering different programs for women. I started doing a hospitality course – I thought I could open a vegan café, or something like that. I was very stuck, so I started exploring opportunities. Then I started doing other courses like a small-business one, which helped me with my art. They offered me the opportunity to work two days a week in production and lots of opportunities started flowing. I was able to showcase my art in the SisterWorks café and shop, Crafted Culture, in Carlton North, Melbourne, and I was commissioned to create some art at the Queen Victoria Market.

Tell us more about your art. Colour and nature is my thing. I love painting and craft, but most of what I do is painting. I paint a lot of patterns and birds – I chose to paint birds but often I think they chose me! Currently I’m learning more about pattern design.
Your art is featured in the SisterWorks Cultural Fusion Hampers which people could give as Christmas presents! Tell us about it. My illustration in the hamper is a fusion of Venezuelan, Latin American and Australian birds. We create these beautiful hampers to honour not just my roots, but also the roots and talents of all the talented migrant women at SisterWorks.

You’ve taken part in several programs – the hospitality course, the small-business course and the mentoring program. Which one had the biggest impact on you? They have all offered me different things on my journey. Every course gives me more clarity and stability. They have made me more confident and, when you feel like you can take action, that is so important for me. It doesn't matter if you don't know where you're going, but if you’re taking action, you feel empowered. If you're not confident, you can get stuck.

What are your hopes or goals for the future? I hope to keep doing the things that I love, focus on my learning and help others as much as I can. I want to do the best I can, not just for me, but also for society. I love nature and I think we have a big responsibility because as humans we have so much power. We need to use it to help everyone and everything: people, animals and nature more broadly.

See more of Marynel’s work on her website and find out more about SisterWorks here.

This chat was produced in partnership with the lovely folk at Bank Australia, a customer-owned B Corp bank. Feel good banking somewhere that contributes up to 4 per cent of annual after-tax profits to an impact fund, which provides community customer grants to amazing organisations such as SisterWorks. Find out more on the Bank Australia website.