The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory’s (MAGNT) Conservation staff have been preparing and installing Fresh: Connecting New and Old Art now open until 27 June 2021. This thought-provoking exhibition curated by Luke Scholes (Former Curator of Aboriginal Art and Material Culture) and Clare Armitage (Assistant Art Curator) incorporates artworks from MAGNT’s Australian and South East Asian art collections ranging from recent donations and acquisitions intertwined with gems from MAGNT’s early collections.
The 37th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) 2020 has come to a close and staff have been busy condition checking, deinstalling, packing and dispatching all the artworks across two galleries. For those of you who missed NATSIAA 2020 here is the link for the virtual Gallery.
Welcome back Eliana Urrutio-Bernard (Assistant Conservator) from maternity leave.
Lisa Nolan (Conservator of Paintings) was recently invited to talk with Darwin ABC Radio’s Tropical Guide to Living: the Wet Season Edition. The segment discussed the tendencies of mould at a microscopic level. During the Top End’s wet season this year, the influence of La Niña has contributed to above-average rainfalls. Therefore, high humidity has caused an abundance of mould growth in the home in areas with poor airflow and surprising water leaks. There are some easy ways to minimise and prevent mould growth at home through buffering objects in storage, rehousing framed artworks, regular cleaning and keeping the ceiling fans on.
The SA/NT Division is looking at new ways to connect with private conservation practices and art centres so that our content is more holistic and in keeping with the goings on in our local and regional communities.