University of Canberra
The year 2025 has started off with a bumper crop of students starting off their conservation journey at the University of Canberra, our highest intake thus far. This semester’s menagerie of objects includes a peculiarly stained Japanese woodblock print, a pair of riding breeches and a Balinese buffalo skin headdress. Lab Manager Hakim is being kept very busy! We’re looking forward to another exciting semester for the Heritage Lab.
Dr Julia Brand has been awarded the Stephen Parker Medal for the most outstanding doctoral thesis in 2024 for her thesis investigating the use of lasers to clean and conserve the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Congratulations!
Naomi Mcrae and Michelle Butler are embarking on their honours projects this year, looking at management of hazardous publications (arsenic and friends) in the University of Canberra Rare Book Collection and investigating gel cleaning methods for coated papers, respectively. We wish them well on their research journeys and we look forward to hearing about their findings.
Dr Alison Wain has been working on the conservation and reactivation of a 1980s telescope on the UC campus and Angela Deka is helping to develop resources to assist people to set up laser labs within heritage organisations, especially where people who are new to lasers suddenly find themselves defined as the laser ‘expert’ for their organisation!
Australian National Maritime Museum
It’s been surprisingly busy for the early part of the year.
Exhibitions
All of the Conservation team were involved in the deinstallation of James Cameron Challenging the Deep. This was followed by an intense period of updating exhibition manuals and upgrading supports prior to the exhibition’s next phase of travel.
Amy and Alayne dressing a mannequin for James Cameron Challenging the Deep exhibition.
Jeff Fox then dodged Cyclone Alfred to head up to Queensland Museum Tropics in Townsville to work with their team to install the exhibition there. It contains costumes, and small- and large-scale models, including Snoop, which hangs above the exhibition space.
Snoop ROV and Titanic model installed at Queensland Museum Tropics, Townsville.
Amy travelled to Orange Regional Museum to install Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns), which showcases the work of Zenadth Kes / Torres Strait artist Alick Tipoti. If you haven’t seen this show, please take the time to enjoy these marvellously detailed and engaging works.
Collection Care
Andi Macdonald, Jeff and Amy donned the white suits to climb up into the Tasman Light, our ‘indoor lighthouse’ for its regular clean of the structure and glass panels, inside and out. The lens structure floats on mercury, so good care was taken to avoid any exposure to the vapour.
Jeff cleaning the outside of the Tasman Light lens.
Check out our video! https://www.instagram.com/sea.museum/reel/DGcuv5lJjtr/
We have a new cold room! This has been a long-term plan of Agata Rostek-Robak that almost got derailed by COVID-19, but she got it over the line. This has improved our ability to store vulnerable materials in-house. Now to start populating those shelves …
Our newly installed cold store, ready for action.
The drying phase of our Vietnamese refugee boat Tự Do is still ongoing. Jeff, Amy and Andi are continuing to monitor moisture levels and adjust relative humidity under the shrink-wrap cover.
Jeff assessing the condition of Tự Do’s wheelhouse structure under the shrink wrap cover and checking for any tears.
International Conservation Services, NSW
Events
IMAGinE Awards 2024
ICS was once again a proud major sponsor of the IMAGinE Awards in November 2024.
The awards, produced by the Museums and Galleries of NSW, provide an opportunity for museums, galleries and First Nations cultural spaces of all shapes and sizes to showcase their community-building value and impact in NSW. Through local stories, their collections provide historical, contemporary and future contexts, helping to build resilient and sustainable communities.
The awards were held at the heritage Paddington Town Hall. Julian Bickersteth AO, ICS CEO, spoke about the urgency for sustainability and climate action within the museum sector.
Brett Adlington, CEO of MGNSW and Julian Bickersteth AO, CEO of ICS.
Awards
AICCM Awards 2024
Amy Walsh, Julian Bickersteth, Richard Silink, Stophe Chevalier, Ryan Varney, Kingsley Mundey, Matt Foley, Peter Jones, Michelle Smith, Jo Besley and Tina Lee all played valuable parts in the team that won the Outstanding Conservation Project of the Year for the South Solitary Island Lighthouse Optic (SSILO) project, Coffs Harbour NSW.
ICS was engaged by Coffs Harbour City Council to undertake the relocation and restoration of the optic, which was moved from a suburban table-tennis club to its new prime and accessible position on the Coffs Harbour foreshore. The optic is one of the most significant items in the Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM) collection, and now rightly described as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the beautiful Coffs Harbour precinct.
The South Solitary Island lighthouse optic before the big move.
The South Solitary Island lighthouse optic on the Coffs Harbour foreshore.
Paintings
Matteo Volonté, Head of Paintings, with his team of painting conservators including Alis Jitarescu, Claire Heasman, Francesca Elia, Suati Rojas, Monica Renn and Annabelle Silk, have been working on key collection items from the Newcastle Art Gallery in preparation for the opening of the new gallery. The materials within the collection are varied and, in addition to paintings, the extended ICS team has worked on paper and objects.
Newcastle Art Gallery – Lloyd Rees painting during treatment.
Newcastle Art Gallery – Ralph Balson painting during cleaning.
Matteo, Alis, Claire, Monica, Francesca and Annabelle have been working on the impressive royal portraits from Government House Queensland. The portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, Victoria and Albert, Edward VI and Alexandra, George V and Mary were conserved. Treatments included varnish and overpaint removal, and correcting planar deformations. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was de-lined from its compromised canvas and re-lined onto a more suitable fabric.
The gilded frames were cleaned, consolidated and retouched to make them shine once more.
Conservation framers Elric Ringstad, Ned Carr and Cameron McMurray did a wonderful job of rehousing the portraits with new spaces, backings and museum-grade glazing.
Matteo Volonté preparing a lining table for Queen Elizabeth II.
Conservator facing the artwork in preparation for de-lining.
Paper
Katie Wood, Head of Paper, Suati Rojas and Rebecca Clendinen have been working with the White Rabbit Contemporary Chinese Art Collection. Together they completed a treatment on a four-metre ink on paper work, which had areas of discolouration as it was adhered to plywood. The PVA adhesive was softened using an ethanol chamber, followed by careful removal with a spatula. Once released from the board, the work was washed on six large blotters with DI water. Stain reduction was then carried out using a chelating agent, followed by a final wash and alkalisation.
Suati Rojas during treatment on the four-metre ink on paper 1.
Suati Rojas during treatment on the four-metre ink on paper 2.
Textiles
Christina Ritschel, Principal Conservator and Head of Textiles, continues to work on carriage blankets that are heavily affected by moth infestation. Treatment on platypus and quoll blankets have been completed, with a possum and fox blanket still under treatment.
In February, Christina conserved and prepared six costumes for a National Trust NSW exhibition. One is a beautiful afternoon dress from the end of the 19th century, complete with lace, ruffles and a long heavy train. The collection also comprised an adorable boy’s outfit and a man’s dressing gown.
Other small projects have included a three-metre-long lace veil that required wet-cleaning and a reductive bleaching and a charming embroidery book.
Lisa Sharp carried out mould remediation on three patchwork panels for the Newington College, and Annabelle Silk aided in mounting two large embroidered scenes in preparation for framing.
Christina Ritschel working on the afternoon dress for National Trust NSW.
Treatment on an embroidery book 1+2.
Objects & Outdoor Heritage
Bondi Mosaics
Shrief Eissa, Objects Conservator, and Richard Isaacs, Conservation Technician, have been working on six of the Bondi mosaic design benches. These were originally installed in time for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as a celebration of the heritage of the Bondi area, the beach lifestyle and its strong links with swimming and surfing.
Over the years, the substrate started to deteriorate in some sections, especially along the joints and in areas with an overhang. Elsewhere, the impact of weather, public accessibility and gravity have caused them to crack and break off.
Two methods were devised to fill in the tile losses and give the impression of a complete mosaic as per the original concept. For both small losses and large losses, grout similar in colour to the surroundings was used before cutting around the edges and/or cutting in a tile design to give the impression of a finished tile.
Bondi Mosaics with grey grout additions.
Bondi Mosaics with scraffito tile technique.
Leichhardt Town Hall Clock Tower
Isabelle Legg, Objects Conservator, worked on a tricky-to-access graffiti removal with the help of JB Vertical, a rope access team. The four clock faces of the clocktower showed significant black spray graffiti from taggers with a head for heights. Once accessed, each clock face and some of the surrounding masonry was cleaned with an appropriate solvent-based graffiti cleaner.
Graffiti on the clock face, Leichhardt Town Hall.
Rope access needed to clean the clock faces.
West Wallsend War Memorial
Karen Wilcox, Senior Objects Conservator, and Isabelle Legg, Objects Conservator, attended the Wallsend War Memorial where they did a wonderful job of inpainting the names of the soldiers, increasing their legibility for future generations to read and remember.
Karen Wilcox inpainting memorial names.
Museums of History NSW
We are very pleased to have Jacinta Sanders returning to Preservation Services as our new conservator! Jacinta was previously with the team in 2023 and has most recently been working at the National Library of Australia. It’s been great to have Jacinta return to the Western Sydney Records Centre.
Conservator Tristan Congreve has been given an opportunity to lead and complete the Office of the Registrar General – Powers of Attorney project and will be focused on treating these volumes for transfer into the State Archives for the next year. The volumes contain Powers of Attorney documents from the mid-19th century and have had significant water damage in the past.
Projects
Preparations for the installation of Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country at the Museum of Sydney continue with the exhibition opening on 19 April 2025.
Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country explores the development of the NSW colony through a selection of significant historical maps, plans, sketches, artworks and objects – including the first land grant issued in the colony – from the Museums of History NSW and other institutional collections, alongside picturesque colonial landscape prints from the collection of Beat Knoblauch. Inscribed over this colonial perspective is an innovative artistic intervention, led by designer Alison Page, that layers First Nations understandings of Country. Traditional owners’ knowledge of Country offers a way to gain a deep understanding of the landscapes we encounter in Sydney today, from the other side of that circle in the sand.
Collections Care Coordinator Sarah-Jane Rennie has been preparing items from our museum and house collections for the exhibition, and at the Western Sydney Records Centre Abigail Hundley has been preparing items from the State Archives and Caroline Simpson Library and Resource Centre collection. Phoebe Clarke from the registration team has been coordinating object movements and loan agreements for the exhibition.
Powerhouse Museum Conservation department
Staff News
The Powerhouse Conservation team is delighted to welcome several new members: Jordan Aarsen, Camilla Norman, Sarah Soltis and Wajeeda Tabassum, who are working across Collections and Programs, as well as Patrice Holstock, who has joined us in Preventive Conservation. Kate Chidlow has moved into the role of Lead Conservator Collections, and Katherine Rosenthal has joined the team as Lead Conservator Programs. Skye Mitchell is currently on long service leave.
Professional News
Members of the Conservation and Registration teams participated in Project Management Fundamentals training in January 2025. Additional training in project management databases is being provided to staff to assist in preparation for Parramatta programming.
Additionally, team members have participated in training for handling firearms to enable ongoing conservation care of our firearms collection, as well as general WHS training to equip staff with skills for safe movement of large and complex objects during exhibition installation.
Collection Care
Decant of Ultimo
Following the temporary closure of Powerhouse Ultimo in 2024 in preparation for the museum’s revitalisation program, the conservation team was engaged in the successful deinstallation of temporary exhibitions, including over 2000 objects from 1001 Remarkable Objects, Absolutely Queer, and The Lab. This was followed by the decanting of the permanent exhibitions at Ultimo, involving condition checking, cleaning and conservation of almost 800 objects. This included a number of our most significant objects such as the Dick Smith helicopter, Locomotive No. 1, the Strasburg clock, and the Boulton & Watt steam engine.
Locomotive No. 1 is on display at the Museum Discovery Centre at Castle Hill.
Conservation is taking the opportunity to complete maintenance work on the Strasburg clock in our laboratory at Powerhouse Castle Hill.
The Boulton & Watt steam engine has been in continual service since its installation in Powerhouse Ultimo in 1988. Our Steam Educators will make the most of this opportunity to complete detailed assessment and restoration of those difficult-to-get-to parts, not possible during the regular maintenance and conservation schedules.
Conservation Laboratory Decant
The Conservation team relocated three laboratories – two from Ultimo and one from Castle Hill – to a brand new facility in Building J Powerhouse Castle Hill. This process took six months of planning, discovery and rationalising materials, equipment and consumables, to move 40+ years of conservation history to our new state-of-the-art laboratory.
Variable Media Digitisation Studio
Another decanting and rehousing project taking place over many months was the documenting, packing, moving and installation of the variable media digitisation studio into its new home in Castle Hill. An investment by the Powerhouse into the ongoing need to digitise our variable media collection items, conservator Chris Redman successfully managed this project, establishing the studio and bringing that vision to fruition.
Programs and Loans
Parramatta preparations: As construction of our new museum progresses, the Conservation team is actively preparing for the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta, with exhibition planning well underway.
Objects Conservator Rebecca Ellis treating objects in preparation for Parramatta programs.
Objects Conservator Vanessa Pitt treating objects in our new conservation lab in preparation for Parramatta programs.
Conservator Jordan Aarsen treating objects in preparation for Parramatta programs.
Paper Conservator Beate Yule treating objects in preparation for Parramatta programs.
Treatment of textiles on our new ‘wet lab’.
Objects Conservator Rebecca Ellis treating objects in preparation for Parramatta programs.
Oddy Testing Program
As a part of Powerhouse’s Circular Exhibition Strategy, the Conservation team is working closely with our sustainability team, conducting Oddy testing of a range of material for exhibition construction, with the aim of creating an inhouse Materials Library of sustainable materials for display.
Catalina Cleaning
While revitalisation works are underway at Powerhouse Ultimo, the iconic Catalina flying boat Frigate Bird II is on temporary display at Albion Park’s HARS Aviation Museum. Regular cleaning and assessment of the historic aircraft has been added to the team’s ongoing schedule for conservation maintenance for our regional loans program.
Reflections on 2024
The year 2024 was marked as ‘the year of the decant’ for the Powerhouse Conservation team. The decanting process involved significant efforts from multiple teams, with special thanks to Bronwyn Dunn for her work on movement of our permanent exhibitions, and to Kate Chidlow and Suzanne Chee for their leadership throughout the relocation of our conservation laboratory. The team acknowledges the emotional challenges of moving from our long-term home in Ultimo to our wonderful new lab in Castle Hill, and the bittersweet experience of decanting long-term displays. Despite these challenges, the team remains committed to providing exceptional care for the Powerhouse Collection.
Senior Objects Conservator Tim Morris cares for one of our long case clocks.
Artlab
Projects and Treatments
Paintings
The Paintings Lab’s recent projects include Eugene Taddeo, Marek Pacyna and Dr Maria Kubik completing work on two large Annette Bezor paintings for the Supreme Court of South Australia and a treatment of a significant series of paintings by Rusty Peters and Peter Adsett recently donated to the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). The team is now working on SA Museum’s Warmun paintings for an upcoming exhibition, and several artworks for AGSA’s Dangerously Modern exhibition. Rosie Heysen has recently attended The Dutch Method Unfolded II Masterclass: Wax-Resin Lining at the University of Amsterdam in conjunction with The Getty and the Rijksmuseum, and also caught up with former Artlab and AICCM members Roberto Padoan and Amalia Ranisau who are now working for a book conservation firm in Paris. Rita Costabile has been busy working on private conservation treatments, while Chris Payne is undertaking innovative repairs on a late 19th-century painted leather screen.
Rosie Heysen and participants from The Dutch Method Unfolded II Masterclass: Wax Resin Lining at the University of Amsterdam.
Paper, Books & Photography
The Paper Laboratory has recently received watercolours on paper from multiple private collections pertaining to Ntaria (Hermannsburg), including iconic landscapes by Albert Namatjira and Walter Ebatarinja. These large works have all required surface cleaning and removal of the top acidic window mount. Following this treatment, we were able to assess the condition and quality of the primary support to inform our decision to remove the backboards. Dry backing removal was conducted on several works to reveal ink stamps and handwritten information and allow stain reduction, flattening and tear repair. Following treatment, the watercolours were rehoused in archival mountboards in preparation for long-term storage and ongoing study.
The lab has also been busy with loan preparation for upcoming exhibitions. Bespoke book mounts have been made for display at The David Roche Foundation. The exhibition is entitled Nature Revealed and features botanical artists Rosa Fiveash and Ellis Rowan, who produced luminous, exquisite and meticulous watercolours of Australia’s native flora at the end of the 19th and early 20th century.
There have also been several rehousing projects undertaken by our team, including providing rehousing for two paper demonstration banners on wooden supports following tear repair and surface cleaning. Beautifully painted paper fans have also required rehousing in a lightweight blueboard box with individual drawers supporting each object.
Objects
The outdoor sculpture team has continued to deliver a range of assessments and conservation treatments for various councils across SA from graffiti removal and cleaning to preventive work, localised repairs, assessments and advice. In addition, Abby provided detailed advice and guidance to Mildura Arts Centre to enable them to successfully treat some unfortunate vandalism.
The challenge of working off-site in numerous popular public spaces during Festival Season and late-summer weather continues to keep us on our steel-capped toes. Large Objects work continues apace, with a clean of the Vickers Vimy aircraft and numerous treatments for Adelaide City Council assets scheduled from now until the end of June. This gives the opportunity for more skill sharing and off-site practical work experience across the Objects team, as well as being good for morale!
Sophie Parker, Senior Objects Conservator, has been working on a large nativity set that sat in damp straw on the floor of a country church suffering from rising damp. Consequently, the painted-plaster-and-hessian figures were moisture conduits, resulting in a spectacular array of mould on the interiors and widespread paint loss from faces and heads where the upward travelling moisture evaporated, causing delamination. The approach has been one of extensive restoration to enable the community’s continued use of the charming figures.
Nativity figure, before treatment. Image: Artlab Australia.
Nativity figure, after treatment. Image: Artlab Australia.
Megan Sypek recently treated a pair of Renaissance-period polychrome angels. They have excellent provenance and have travelled with their owners through several countries. The statues have carved wooden substrates with layers of gesso and paint applied. Both figures have heavy metal eyelet hanging devices embedded in their backs, which presumably would have been used to display them on wall spikes. Both angels showed signs of previous surface restoration and adhesive repairs. The paint surface was tenting and had multiple losses, and a deep flap had opened up on the crying angel’s back.
Stabilisation of the paint layer was desperately needed. Consolidation trials were carried out with rabbit-skin glue, Paraloid B72, Plextol B500, Kollotex AC 1250, starch and fish glue. Fish glue was found to flatten and adhere paint flakes most effectively. Fish glue was injected under the lifting flap, which was then clamped until dry. The surface was brush-vacuumed with low suction and swab-cleaned in areas where the surface was sound. Surface losses were filled, shaped and in-painted.
Angel, before and after treatment. Images: Artlab Australia.
Angel, before and after treatment. Images: Artlab Australia.
The Objects Lab hosted University of Melbourne student Qiyin Zhuang for a six-week internship from July 2024. Artlab’s unique position in providing centralised care for South Australia’s state cultural institutions and various private clients enabled Qiyin to experience numerous collections, sites and materials, working alongside many of Artlab’s conservators. Highlights included accompanying the Preventive team (Stuart Fuller, Rosie Heysen, Rita Costabile and Victoria Thomas) to the National Motor Museum in the scenic Adelaide Hills to undertake IPM checks on historic vehicles on display (see the below image of Qiyin checking the condition of an historic fire engine). Qiyin also assisted Filipa Quintela and Kenny Monger with undertaking pest checks on an extensive entomology collection, both tasks requiring concentration, careful handling and attention to detail.
Qiyin undertaking IPM activities at Birdwood. Image: Artlab Australia.
Qiyin surveying a large entomological collection. Image: Artlab Australia.
Qiyin’s largest project whilst with us was to assist with the examination, documentation and analysis of six Chinese bronze mirrors belonging to AGSA. Along with Objects Principal Conservator Jo Dawe, Qiyin documented and tabulated the pXRF analysis of each of the metal mirrors. Qiyin undertook extensive research into the history and manufacture of Chinese bronze mirrors, in particular how percentages of specific metals used in the bronze alloys varied over time and can assist with providing information regarding possible time periods of manufacture, and applied this to the results of the analyses. Qiyin contributed to an article discussing this work publishedin the most recent AGSA Magazine (Issue 57 March – June 2025, written by Curator of Asian Art, Russell Kelty and Assistant Curator Contemporary Art, Yuexiu Shen), which is an excellent promotion of the analytical and research work undertaken within the conservation profession in conjunction with our curatorial colleagues.
Thanks for choosing to spend your time with us Qiyin – we enjoyed having you at Artlab and wish you all the best for a bright and engaging future in conservation.
L–R: Kenny Monger, Qiyin Zhuang, Filipa Quintela and Jo Dawe. Image: Artlab Australia.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)
Kate McKay has recently joined the Registration and Conservation team as Assistant Conservator for 12 months. Kate is working with Jenny Bird, Senior Conservator (Painting), and Lisa Charleston, Conservation Technician, on the conservation of two colonial portraits by Conway Hart. The project has been funded by the Keith Clarke Foundation and will culminate in an exhibition in February 2026. We’ll be sharing project updates via social media, so please follow TMAG socials to see how the treatments are progressing.
Kate McKay, Assistant Conservator, next to AG9181 Conway Hart, Katherine Chapman, 1856, oil on canvas.
Irene Finkelde, Senior Conservator (Objects), attended the Modular Cleaning Program Workshop organised by the AICCM Paintings SIG and hosted at QAGOMA in Brisbane. At the workshop, Irene learnt about aqueous cleaning solutions, gels, emulsions, micro-emulsions and more. Irene will share her newfound skills with the team and we’re looking forward to applying the knowledge in the lab.
Irene at the Modular Cleaning Program Workshop.
Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (Academic Programs and Grimwade Conservation Services)
Visiting Scholar
Grimwade Visiting International Scholar Jane Henderson, Professor of Conservation for the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, Wales, will undertake a two-month residency at the Grimwade, thanks to the generous support of the Russell and Mab Grimwade Miegunyah Fund.
Jane is a key figure in the discipline of cultural materials conservation, Professor of Conservation at Cardiff and General Secretary of the International Institute of Conservation. She has published widely on sustainability, influence and decision-making in conservation and is determined to work towards equality of access within the heritage sector, whether in terms of users engaging with collections or managers making choices for heritage policy.
During her residency, Professor Henderson will be conducting research on the topic of ‘risk perception and collection care’, an area she believes needs moving beyond risk being understood in terms of tangible threats such as physical forces, vandalism or water to consider the more intangible, such as concerns about appearing unprofessional, anxiety or not being able to conform to sector norms.
As part of her stay at the Grimwade, Jane will contribute to some of the MA Cultural Materials Conservation subjects and will present some of the initial findings from her residency in a public lecture and discussion with colleagues from the Grimwade Centre.
International Professional Placement
From January to March, the Grimwade welcomed Conservator Roger Lee from Singapore’s Heritage Conservation Centre. Roger enrolled in the Advanced Conservation Practice subject with the MA Program through January, and undertook a four-week placement with the Paintings Conservation team following the completion of the subject. During Roger’s placement, he assisted with a complex treatment of a heavily restored painting from the Ballarat Mechanics Institute collection.
Conservation Treatment Project
Over five scorching days in March, Objects, Archaeology and Textile Team leader Dr Holly Jones-Amin led a team of four conservators (Marica Mucic, Vanessa Kowalski, Jordi Casasayas and Holly) to conserve the 1993 reinforced polyester resin sculpture Cultural Rubble by Christine O’Loughlin. The sculpture is featured on the façade of the University of Melbourne Ian Potter Museum of Art and consists of four separate panels featuring architectural, figurative and object forms in very high relief. Each panel measures ~150 x 320 x 100 cm and was accessed via a three-storey scaffold gantry. The sculpture was in poor condition with substantial crazed and flaking pain, heavy soiling and some loss to the forms. The team cleaned and stabilised the reinforced polyester resin, undertook repairs to the iron armature, and repainted a significant amount of the painted finish.
Cultural Rubble, Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne, 2025. Image: Holly Jones-Amin
Conservators cleaning Cultural Rubble, Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, 2025. Image: Holly Jones-Amin
Farewells
In December 2024, our dear colleague Caroline Fry decided to retire from her role as Principal Conservator after 20+ years at the University of Melbourne.
Caroline has been a key staff member within the Paintings Conservation team for almost three decades, undertaking incredible work throughout her career. Her professional highlights are too many to mention but certainly include her Asialink Residency in Vietnam where she conserved Em Thuy by Tran Van Can, a culturally significant painting, thus becoming a local celebrity and recipient of a medal from the People’s Republic of Vietnam.
Caroline mentored countless graduates in her time at the University, sharing her technical knowledge through her development and teaching of an intensive on Inpainting and Colour Theory for conservation students.
Caroline is a generous spirit and has always been willing to share her deep knowledge of art history, local history and chemistry. Her ability to connect with people and communities is one of her great skills. She will be greatly missed in the lab, but we look forward to seeing what future activities she embraces.
In March 2025, we also farewelled our Paper Conservation team leader Libby Melzer, after 23 years at the University of Melbourne. Libby will be taking on a role at the State Library Victoria as Head of Collection Care.
During her time with us, Libby has been integral to the teaching, supervision and mentoring of students in paper conservation and has managed a number of large projects with the GCS team. Highlights include the conservation, analysis and long-term display of the 1297 Magna Carta, the AICCM award winning treatment and analysis of the 17th-century Blaeu Companion Maps, and the Ballarat Mechanics Institute rare book and herbaria specimen treatments. As a team member we are very sad to see Libby leave but certainly wish her the best in her new role at SLV.
Painting Conservation Graduate Intern Rachel Davis also finished up her time with GCS in February 2025. Rachel completed a 10-month internship with the Paintings Conservation team. In that time, she undertook many conservation treatments on paintings and painted artefacts, both in the lab and off-site. Rachel also completed in-depth research on a painting by James Howe Carse from the University of Melbourne art collection. Rachel has accepted a position with the Conservation Department at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. We wish her well on this next career move.
Staffing
The Objects, Archaeology and Textiles Team is thrilled to welcome Penny Byrne. Penny is a well-known Melbourne objects conservator and prize-winning artist. Her works are in collections nationally and internationally. As a conservator, she is a specialist in ceramics and built heritage, working in Australia and the United Kingdom.
ICS Melbourne
The Melbourne team has grown again!
We are excited to announce the appointment of two new painting conservators and a promotion. In March, Lily Monk and Lucy Moore, our new painting conservators, started working on site at Trades Hall. We look forward to welcoming them into the ICS labs when site work is completed in the coming weeks.
Lily Monk (left) with Lucy Moore at Trades Hall.
Our expanded paintings team is now ably lead by Eden Christian in her new role of Senior Conservator and Team Leader, Fine Arts. Eden is a cornerstone of our Melbourne team and we are confident that her experience will be invaluable to the growing paintings department. Congratulations Eden!
Eden Christian, Senior Paintings Conservator and Team Leader.
Trades Hall
Led by Eden Christian, the whole of the Melbourne team is working at Trades Hall to remove layers of paint from the walls to reveal the honour boards painted beneath. Once the early paint scheme and honour boards on the west and south walls have been revealed, the next stage will be cleaning, infilling and gilding to restore them to a stable and legible condition.
Newcastle Art Gallery Collection
The Melbourne paintings team has been working with our Sydney conservators to treat a number of artworks from the Newcastle Art Gallery.
Eden Christian has used this opportunity to apply her training from the Getty thread-by-thread tear-mending workshop. The thread-by-thread technique is an alternative to patching canvas paintings. It employs single linen threads and adhesive to bridge the torn and broken fibres for a virtually invisible repair. Since learning the technique, Eden has conducted internal workshops for her ICS colleagues.
St Joseph Statue
Late last year, Zora Sanders, Objects Conservator, and Jura Stanek, Senior Conservation Project Manager, transported a cast cement statue of Saint Joseph and the baby Jesus from Melbourne Catholic School to our laboratory for conservation treatment.
The statue was stripped of its peeling painted surface revealing significant cracks down the figure which had exposed the structural iron rebar to weather. Jura began repairs by cleaning and treating the iron bar for corrosion before filling and remodelling the losses to the statue. A mineral silicate paint was then applied. The sculpture was returned to the school in February. After repairs to the base, the sculpture was reinstalled at a slightly higher level to minimise the possibility of water damage from pooling water in the future.
St Joseph statue in situ before treatment.
St Joseph statue in situ after treatment.
Liverpool Street Archaeological Assemblage
This month, Kristine Allinson, Conservation Project Manager, and Ella Rimington, Objects Conservator, returned an archaeological assemblage from Liverpool Street after careful treatment and documentation. This project involved the treatment of more than 500 items comprising a range of organic, metal and other composite materials.
Ella Rimington, Objects Conservator, treating a leather object.
Kristine Allinson, Conservation Project Manager, treating objects in the air-abrasive unit.
Vandalism and Graffiti Removal
The objects team has been kept busy with several vandalised public artworks and memorials. The conservators have been travelling across Victoria to quickly remove spray paint and oil from stone and metal works to mitigate any long-term damage.
Fairies Tree
In March, the Objects Team returned to a favourite site for many, the Fitzroy Gardens Fairies Tree, to undertake annual maintenance. Zora Sanders, Ella Rimington, Kristine Allinson and Jura Stanek all took part in the treatment to consolidate cracks and losses and remodel areas of lost carvings. The tree will be cleaned and oiled, ready for another year of visitors and magic.
National Gallery of Victoria
General
NGV Conservation is looking forward to another busy exhibition program that heavily features fashion as well as international and regional loans. Staff have been preparing works for the Floribunda exhibition at Bunjil Place, Narre Warren, and The Stars We Do Not See, a major exhibition of First Nations works from the NGV collection, which will be travelling to several venues across northern America, starting with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in October.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions Conservation is gearing up to deinstall our summer show, Yayoi Kusama. This show was installed in December 2024 and is a comprehensive retrospective of Kusama from her childhood in the 1930s through to the present day. We worked with the Kusama Studio team, and with several other lending institutions and private collectors, to install the show over four weeks. Media varied from archive materials and oil paintings from Kusama at age 21, to infinity rooms manufactured in 2024 – it was a real treat!
The team also worked on the deinstallation of the Reko Rennie Rekospective and is currently preparing for our upcoming Melbourne Winter Masterpieces show, French Impressionism, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Exhibitions Conservator Camielle (inside the flowerpot!) is assisted with vacuuming inside of one of the large tulip sculptures in With All My Love for the Tulips, I Pray Forever.
Time-Based Media
Over the last few months, we have been working towards establishing the NGV’s first Time-Based Media Studio with funding from Creative Victoria as part of the State Agencies Legacy Data Program being put towards the procurement of relevant equipment and hardware allowing for the viewing and digitisation of associated collection assets and historically significant archival material on legacy formats to take place on-site. Manon Mikolaitis has been busy in the Time-Based Media Studio digitising archival material on Mini-DV and DVCAM with nearly a third of this material now digitally accessible. In addition, Manon participated in a one-day training session on Disk Imaging and Emulation training with Cynde Moya from the EaaSi Australian Research Council project of Swinburne University.
Paintings
Back in September, Caitlin Breare gave birth to her son, Hugo. Caitlin has enjoyed six months at home to care for him and will return to work in April on a part-time basis for the rest of the year.
Raymonda Rajkowski is also combining part-time work with parental duties and has coordinated preparation of over 100 paintings that will form part of a large international touring exhibition of NGV First Nations art later this year. This has consisted of condition reporting and remedial treatments for canvas, panel and bark paintings, and, along with Carl Villis, has made careful preparations for five oversized canvases that will need to be installed and deinstalled on-site at each of the many venues over the next couple of years. This has involved strip lining, reconditioning or replacing old stretchers, and upgrading crates and hanging attachments.
Raye Collins has carried out conservation treatments of three paintings: Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s The guitar player (1896), Mark Gertler’s Agapanthus (1914) and Florence Fuller’s A French peasant (1894–99). Each work has required careful removal of varnish coatings from their vulnerable paint surfaces.
Raye Collins cleaning Florence Fuller’s A French peasant.
Emily Mulvihill has overseen the preparation of dozens of flower paintings for the exhibition Floribunda at Bunjil Place, as well as large works by Jonas Balsaitis for the major exhibition of his work at Drill Hall, Canberra. Emily has also been doing some examination and research into NGV works by David Hockney, Lucio Fontana and Brett Whiteley. Carl Villis has continued his large-scale retouching campaign on Romantic Landscape with Mercury and Argus (1650s) by Salvator Rosa.
Frames and Furniture
Jason King has completed attaching compo and plaster ornament to a decorative reproduction frame for WC Piguenit A winter evening, Lane Cove, 1888. He has also been researching reframing options for a pair of 18th-century Philippe Mercier paintings depicting scenes from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, Part 2.
Holly McGowan-Jackson has worked on numerous 20th-century frames for loan to the Floribunda exhibition at Bunjil Place, including several recycled artists frames. This includes Flowers in the moonlight by Eric Smith, 1955, which appears to have been painted in the frame due to small areas of excess paint on the slip, inside a recycled Thallon frame.
Suzi Shaw is working her way through assessment and minor treatments to newly acquired Japanese lacquered hair combs, geta (sandals), kimono stands, head rests and more in preparation for the exhibition Kimono due to open in June – it’s sure to be a visual treat.
First Nations Art
Genevieve Sullivan and fashion and textile conservator Bella Lipson-Smith recently worked with Pacific Sister artist Rosanna Raymond to support the activation and installation of Rosanna’s artworks H’nard K’nore G’nang G’near at Bunjil Place Gallery. Following the activation, Genevieve hosted a day-long discussion of those involved including conservators, curators, registrars, artists and cultural-knowledge holders to consider how future activations can be supported, and how institutions can facilitate greater access to Indigenous art and other cultural collections.
Textiles
The Textiles Conservation team is looking forward to a fashion-rich exhibition schedule for the year ahead. Skye Firth, Kate Douglas, Bella Lipson-Smith and Julia Spizzica have been preparing collection works for the Martin Grant exhibition. This survey exhibition features over 130 garments spanning four decades of the Australian-born, Paris-based fashion designer. A leading figure of the global fashion industry, Martin Grant is known for his reinterpretation of wardrobe classics, cleverly recalibrating historical silhouettes and period references to create timeless and sophisticated designs that exemplify his refined understanding of structure and volume. The Textiles Conservation team was joined by contractors Catherine Shannon, Laure Weir and Vicki Car to assist with installation of this ambitious exhibition.
Objects
The Objects team has been assessing and preparing collection works currently on or about to go on loan to regional galleries. Marika Strohschneider, Di Whittle, Kasi Albert and Robyn McPherson assessed Peter Corlett’s Tarax Play Sculpture, a large-scale work currently on long-term loan to McClelland Sculpture Park. Due to the size and scale of the work, drone photography was used to capture the condition on top surfaces not easily accessible.
Objects Conservator Georgia Harvey assessed and prepared the 130 flower specimens cast in resin that make up Azumo Makoto’s Block Flowers installation work that is part of the large loan towards the Floribunda exhibition at Bunjil Place. Other projects during this period include the condition assessment, cleaning and parts numbering of a 300-part Brilliant Sapphire glass chandelier by artist Dale Chihuly by Di; the treatment and reports for Rarru baskets, shields and sculptures by Marika and Kasi for The Stars We Do Not See travelling exhibition to National Gallery Washington later this year; and the treatment of a Tournai Porcelain Factory pot-pourri container and carved napkin casket by Robyn towards the permanent collection changeovers.
Drone footage of condition reporting in progress.
State Library of Victoria
Social News
Albertine Hamilton, Paper Conservator, published a short blog post in February entitled Unique format, unique challenges: pop-up and movable books at State Library Victoria. The blog gives a glimpse into the field of paper engineering, highlighting the factors the make pop-up and movable books so captivating, yet uniquely susceptible to physical wear and tear.
Left: ‘Volvelle’ of an astronomical chart in Selenographia by Johannes Hevelius, 1647; (RARESF 523.3 H48, State Library Victoria). Right: ‘Carousel book’ entitled Snowy world: 360˚ book by Yusuke Oono, 2017; (RARES 398.2 SN670, State Library Victoria). Image credit: Albertine Hamilton.
Events
In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, SLV hosted bestselling American author Dava Sobel for a public lecture on the scientific contributions of Marie Curie and the lesser-known young women she mentored. Dava has written several books highlighting the lives and achievements of women of science. Following a tour of the conservation lab and a viewing of rare books by women scientists acquired through the Library’s Women Writers Fund, Dava met book conservators Katrina Ben and Emily Keppel, who shared their current projects: a survey of 19th-century arsenic-green cloth bindings, and the treatment of a ca. 14th-century medical pharmacopoeia.
The Conservation Department recently hosted second-year paper conservation students from the Master of Cultural Materials Conservation course at the University of Melbourne. The book conservation team shared their extensive knowledge of book structures and how to make custom phase boxes over a full day. The Paper Conservation team offered a half-day workshop in mounting works on paper for storage and display.
Treatment Projects
The Preservation Team has been busy, working on a myriad projects, ensuring collections are sorted, cleaned, re-housed, listed and labelled. These include several on-going projects such as the archives of chef Stephanie Alexander, photographer Bruce Postle, sculptor Norma Redpath and musician Paul Kelly.
Preservation Technician Josh Cassidy continues to look at the range of preservation materials we use – their life cycle, durability and sustainability, and the cost of storing them. His investigations will guide our decision-making around quality, quantity and cost, essential in managing a tight budget. Preventive Conservator Leah Williams and Preservation Technician Ross Lowe have completed the mammoth job of surveying our off-site mixed manuscript collections for at-risk photographic formats. Commencing in May 2024, the survey of almost 4,000 individual boxes has revealed large quantities of flexible film bases, colour prints and audio-visual components requiring re-housing and/or low-temperature storage. The next job will be prioritising collections for preservation work and potential digitisation.
Book Conservator Emily Keppel recently completed the consolidation treatment of a ca. 14th century medical pharmacopoeia. The vulnerable and cracking red pigment and crumbling paper edges of the manuscript were stabilised under a stereomicroscope, in a painstaking process that has taken almost two years.
Marginalia from Medieval Pharmacopoeia, ca. 14th century (RARES 091 M31, State Library Victoria). Image credit: Emily Keppel.
It has truly been a team effort, with the treatment pathway initially devised by former SLV colleague Bonnie Hearn, and consolidation checking by Katrina Ben, Hayley Nolle, Katy Glen, Albertine Hamilton and Jess McElhinney. The treatment continues – next stages will be to pull down the broken 19th-century binding, prepare the manuscript for digitisation, and hopefully facilitate a closer examination of the watermarks.
Exhibitions
Exhibition preparation is in full swing in Conservation with a busy year ahead. Make Believe: Encounters with Misinformation opens to the public on Wednesday 16 April. The exhibition asks five Victoria-based artists and academics to respond to objects and stories from the State Library Victoria’s collection, which touch on the topic of misinformation in unexpected ways. Collection highlights include: two beautifully illuminated 16th-century Khamsas; rare anatomical texts spanning the 16th to19th centuries; and modern ephemera from the Shell Company of Australia, including albums of collecting cards depicting Australian flora and fauna alongside the original designs in watercolour and gouache by Ralph Warner (1902–1966).
International Conservation Services WA
Claire Rowson, State Manager WA, with help from Aedan Sykes of Aesyk Contemporary Fine Furniture in Osborne Park, worked on the National Trust WA Spencer table. The table is a part of the significant Strawberry Hill site at Barmup, located in Albany, which was established in 1827 as the first government farm in Western Australia. It was later acquired by Sir Richard Spencer in 1833, who served as the Government Resident. The Spencer table underwent treatment from March to November 2024 to return it to its original form as two demi-lune drop-leaf tables with two removable leaves to the centre.
Claire and Lorna Sweetwood visited Kings Park and Botanic Garden where they braved the 40-degree heat to begin a comprehensive condition audit of the artworks and monuments throughout the park.
Spencer table – Two demi-lune tables and a central panel were fused together at a point in history.
The table sections were separated to allow the table to be adapted to varying sizes.
Lorna Sweetwood at Kings Park and Botanic Garden.