National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
The Conservation Department at the National Gallery of Australia has been busy with a variety of projects. A major capital works program is about to commence within the Gallery and the offsite storage facility. All sections are heavily involved with working with project planners to ensure the care of the collection with significant relocation and construction activities. As these works will impact access to parts of the collections, partners were informed of the potential impact on the availability of loans, and so the teams are currently working on over 70 new loan requests.
In the Objects and Time-based Media department, Kim Goldsmith has been treating ceramics for the upcoming Anne Dangar and Ethel Carrick exhibition, while also preparing for the Lindy Lee exhibition opening in October. Courtney Crane has been preparing First Nations objects for Ever Present, re-imagined for its NGA presentation after touring throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Courtney has also been working with Nyx Mathews to maintain the sculpture garden—including maintenance of Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculpture Foggy wake in a desert: An ecosphere. Beata Tworek-Matuszkiewicz has been conserving the NGAs bark painting collection. Melanie Barrett has been preparing objects for the installation of Nature and has been working with Paul Coleman on the deinstallation of Jordan Wolfson’s animatronic robotic artwork, Body Sculpture. Paul has also been preparing neon artworks for loan.
Jocelyn Evans and Emily Vearing have been busy preparing paintings for various upcoming loans and exhibitions. They have also been spending a lot of time on the gallery floor as they have been heavily involved in the installation of Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao and deinstallation of Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour.
Preventive has been working on a large range of concurrent projects including capital works, the new café, and storage upgrades. They have also been undertaking pest monitoring and cleaning in art storage areas alongside regular gallery checks and preventive treatment of artworks. In addition, they have been revisiting lighting guidelines and conducting further research into LED lighting.
June was a particularly good month in the Paper and Mountcutting section, with new Paper Conservator Kassandra Coghlan joining the team. Paper conservation was heavily involved with the Gauguin installation and interacted with numerous couriers from northern hemisphere institutions—some virtually. The team is now focusing on upcoming loans including a large collection of Carol Jerrems photographs to the National Portrait Gallery, Lesley Dumbrell drawings to the AGNSW and Nan Goldin colour photographs, which will continue to tour. Amongst treatments of Japanese scrolls, Sonia Delauney lithographs, Lionel Lindsay wood engravings and Julia Margaret Cameron albumen prints, the team has been preparing for a show of contemporary Japanese woodblock prints by Masami Teraoka. They are also preparing drawings and sketchbooks for a forthcoming exhibition at the end of the year, highlighting Anne Dangar’s unique ceramics.
The Textile team has recently completed installation of a series of new acquisitions from Australian fashion designers Romance was Born and Jordan Gogos. They had some fun experimenting with attaching accessories such as face decorations and acrylic nails to mannequins. They have also been preparing several textiles for upcoming loans and facilitating textile viewings with curators, which have included Pichhavai and Sonia Delaunay textile lengths and Ballet Russes costumes. Carmela Mollica attended the AICCM Textile Special Interest Group meeting in Naarm/Melbourne, where she presented on the care of hot air balloons Skywhale and Skywhalepapa. The textile section also recently hosted the Canberra Textile Conservators group for a private tour of A Century of Quilts, which closes at the end of August.
Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW)
Preventive Conservation
The team has been conducting extensive light monitoring across Gallery campus to develop display maps for positioning light-sensitive artworks. These maps will aim to assist the Curatorial, Design & Conservation teams in determining suitable locations for works for display. Jessie also continues to manage the IPM program across all our sites with regular pest trap checks, monitoring of high-risk works on display and treatment of high-risk material entering the Gallery. Jessica has recently completed certification to become a health and safety representative for the Collections department and has developed a Radiation Management Plan for ionising radiation equipment in the Conservation Laboratory.
Time-Based Art Conservation and Digital Preservation
Joanna Fleming, Rebecca Barnott-Clement, Lisa Mansfield, Emma Ward and Felipe Olivares have been busy working on a range of activities across the Gallery including:
Listening to: ‘Can’t Hold us Down’ by Christina Aguilera and Lil’ Kim, part of Susan Hiller’s artwork Die gedanken sind frei (Thoughts are free) on display in Naala Badu, AGNSW. Installation included burning 100 new audio CDs (Gold archival quality).
Watching: Newly emulated CD-ROM artworks from the Mike Leggett archive, using AusEaaSI (https://auseaasi.org/), and sharing with colleagues as part of the Archiving Australian Media Arts (AAMA) project run by Swinburne University.
Reading: Our updated acquisition proforma, which now includes specific documentation and files related to dynamic lighting systems for contemporary art installations, informed by theatre industry standards. Big thanks to our lighting guru Leigh Perrett! More details in the next newsletter.
Getting our hands dirty with: Building a small portable alarm (with the AGNSW electrician) that generates a vertical curtain-like field that triggers if a hand is put through it. Useful for vulnerable works on opens display in wall recesses.
Developing: Inhouse digitisation capabilities to assist with preservation activities for the Gallery’s National Art Archives collection.
Paper Conservation and Mountcutting
Kate Hughes completed preparation of works for Lesley Dumbrell: Thrum, including washing a pastel work from the 1980s to be rephotographed for the web catalogue. She has recently prepared artworks for outward loans to Drill Hall, NGA and Wollongong. Other projects on the go include changeovers in the Grand Courts and planning for the upcoming Cao Fei exhibition My City is Yours.
Analiese Treacy has been involved in the pack up of the Brett Whiteley Studio in preparation for replacement of the roof and further upgrades to the Raper Street site. This has involved the assessment of close to 1600 works on paper to determine packing requirements for offsite storage in addition to assessment of close to 1650 items included in the artist’s materials archive. Analiese has also recently installed the exhibition Hoda Afshar: A Curve is a Broken Line (which includes 122 works on paper) at the University of Queensland, where it will be shown until 18 January 2025.
Lois Waters has recently prepared a selection of works from the Collection for the Alphonse Mucha exhibition, which opened in June, and the Lee Ufan exhibition, which is due to open in late August. For Mucha, this included the stabilisation of metal-thread work using woven tengu tissue repairs and the consolidation of copper-based media.
Kiki Lawler Dormer has completed the treatment and digitisation of 550 items for the Women Artists Archives Project and is working on several installation and paper works for the next show in the Gallery’s monograph series: Nusra Latif Qureshi.
Grant Hawkes in Mountcutting has been working across multiple exhibitions and changeovers including Lee Ufan, Emily Hunt and Lesley Dumbrell. Grant has also been busy preparing large-format photographic works for display in the Asian Lantern Galleries.
Frame Conservation
Basia Dabrowa has completed the major conservation treatment on Philips Fox’s Autumn Showers frame. This major project has been kindly funded by benefactors and has allowed thorough examination into the issues associated with bronze paint removal.
Mark Searle is continuing work on the major treatment of Louis Douzette’s Moonlight. The cleaning has been completed, with the next steps as reinstatement of losses in ornamentation. Frame assessments and treatments for Brett Whiteley Inside the Studio touring exhibition are now complete.
Tom Langlands is constructing a large bespoke blackwood frame with gilded oak slip for a contemporary Nepalese work by Lok Chitrakar. He is soon to begin a frame for a 1920s painting by Australian painter Bessie Davidson.
The team is continuing assessment and treatment of frames for loan, furnishing loan, exhibition, display and acquisition.
Objects Conservation
Bronwyn Tulloh has been on the road installing the first iteration of the new Brett Whiteley touring exhibition in Logan, Queensland. She has also been preparing a range of large sculptural artworks for an upcoming display changeover for the Gallery’s large open spaces in the Naala Badu building.
Sofia Lo Bianco has been preparing for the new iteration of the Making Worlds exhibition, including a collection of Christine Borland artworks consisting of hand-blown glass vessels containing preserved bleached specimens.
Asha Gilmour recently prepared collection sculptures to be displayed alongside the Alphonse Mucha exhibition and travelled for the closing of the final 2023 Wynne Prize deinstallation in Wagga Wagga. She has also been preparing several large scale Reko Rennie installations for outward loan to Melbourne later this year.
Painting Conservation
Selina Halim and Andrea Nottage are at the final stage of the extensive treatment of Autumn Showers, 1900, by Phillips Fox. The painting and recently conserved frame will soon be reunited, bringing this extensive Conservation Benefactor project to completion and the painting will go on display after decades in storage. Andrea is also treating the painting Moonlight, Louis Douzette, 1879, to accompany the treatment being carried out on its frame. This is another painting that has been languishing in storage for many years but after treatment will rejoin the collection on display.
Madeleine Ewing, Celine de Courlon and Selina Halim have been working on finalising the Fusion 2: Asia-Pacific workshop, which started in early July with the online sessions. This three-phase workshop, taught by our colleagues – specialists Petra Demuth (Germany), Hannah Flock (Germany) and Laura Eva Hartman (USA) – focuses on minimally invasive treatment methods for the conservation of paintings’ textile supports, with an emphasis on the single-thread bonding technique of local tears, cuts and losses to reconstruct the physical and aesthetic integrity of canvases.
At the end of July, 30 painting conservators from across the Asia-Pacific region took part in the onsite workshop component of the program in the AGNSW Conservation lab.
A big thank you to Carolyn Murphy, Celine de Courlon, Maddie Ewing and Selina Halim, and to the Getty who have so generously funded the workshop.
Celine de Courlon has been working on assessing and preparing paintings for various changeovers happening in both buildings, and assessing new acquisitions.
Madeleine Ewing is currently treating two paintings that required extensive treatments, one collection painting by Danila Vassilieff and one painting from the Lismore Regional Gallery collection that was damaged during the flood.
Simon Ives is preparing paintings for exhibition and loans and has been involved in exhibition installations and the pack up of the Whiteley studio.
Australian Museum
The Collection Care program has undergone a renewal of essential preventive programs as Melissa Holt and Elizabeth Reed have stepped in to expanded roles as Collection Care Conservators. Lizzie and Mel are building on the work of Sayang Rehan, who has taken a new role as Project Officer at the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute. We wish her the best in this new position and career.
Clare Kim, Collection Enhancement Project Conservator, is on leave for 12 months, taking an opportunity to gain new skills as Conservator at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Big news for the lab is that after 39 years Michael Kelly will retire in mid-September this year. Michael is a much-loved member of the team who has dedicated his career to the care of the Australian Museum’s Library, Archives and Rare Books collection. He began his career in 1985 as an Assistant Exhibitions Preparator but found his calling in paper conservation. Trained on the job in the Materials Conservation lab, over the next 35 years Michael has become one of our senior team members working across major exhibitions, collection relocations and major treatments, undeniably contributing to the spirit of the AM CC&C team. He will be missed but we wish him all the best in the next chapter of life.
Michael Kelly in the lab at the Australian Museum.
In May, we wrapped up the blockbuster exhibition Ramses and the Gold of the Pharoah, which broke records at the Australian Museum, bringing in more than half a million visitors. Only a few weeks later, Heather Bleechmore and Kyra Kim set off for Cairo, Egypt, as recipients of a Gordon Darling Travel Grant to build on relationships with Egyptian colleagues at the Egyptian Museum and to tour the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and Conservation Centre. Heather and Kyra visited major cultural institutions in Cairo, including the Islamic Art Museum, to gain a better understanding of the approaches and challenges to care for these collections. The tour of the GEM Conservation Centre was incredibly inspiring, as they have over 120 conservators working across eight different conservation labs! The opportunity to connect directly with and learn from Egyptian conservators and museum professionals was truly an invaluable experience.
Main atrium at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Giza.
Heather Bleechmore and Kyra Kim at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
Exhibitions
Fantastical Sharks & Rays
Sophie and Mel are currently working on the upcoming exhibition Fantastical Sharks & Rays. Young Australians, aged 15 and under, were asked to submit works of art inspired by uniquely Australian shark and ray species, with the 10 winning entries to be reinterpreted by 10 leading Australian artists, including Blak Douglas, Ken Done and Jennifer Turpin.
These new artworks, along with the artworks made by the young Australians, will be displayed as part of this exhibition. Mel has been working with the artists to understand the materials being used in these new works so that required pest treatments are carried out to ensure the safety of our collections. Several of the shark and ray species that have inspired the artworks will also be on display, and Sophie is currently condition-assessing five jars of wet specimens, which will sit alongside the artworks they have inspired.
Balinese masks
Kyra is preparing some Balinese masks from the World Cultures Collections for display in August. Some of these masks represent iconic heroes from Hindu epics and mythological creatures from Balinese culture.
Treatment projects
Sumatran rhinoceros skeleton
A partially articulated skeleton of a Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) has come into the conservation lab for a clean and some re-articulation. The Sumatran rhinoceros has a hairy body and two horns on its snout. Although it can weigh upwards of 800 kilograms, it is the smallest of the five living rhino species. Found only in Indonesia and possibly Myanmar, this species is critically endangered, with only about 30 mature adults left in the wild.
The skeleton will receive a well-deserved sponge bath. Sheldon and Sophie are giving every bone a gentle clean, using non-latex makeup sponges and water. The thick black dust covering the specimen is responding well to this simple application and it is proving a very satisfying project. CC&C will work with preparators to re-articulate the two forelimbs and integrate them back onto the skeleton.
Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) skeleton before and during treatment.
Dehydrated fluid specimens
Several fluid-preserved specimens have come into the lab because they have dried out due to failure of the seals on their jars, allowing the liquids to evaporate. Sheldon will be taking these specimens through a series of steps to re-hydrate them. Surfactants, warm water baths, and ladders of increasing ethanol are required.
Removal of fat deposits on two weevils
Two large weevil specimens (Brachycerus ornatus) with common names red-spotted lily weevil or moose face lily weevil have come into the lab for some treatment. Large lipid/fat deposits were forming across the surface of the specimens. Sheldon carefully applied some ethanol and water to soften the deposits and gently dislodge them.
Weevil specimen (Brachycerus ornatus) before and after treatment.
Collection Care
In July, the whole CC&C team came together to help process a large acquisition of faunal skeletons from Timor that were being treated through the nitrogen chamber. The collection was originally housed on a private property where it was stored in hundreds of ziplock bags and vials, all of which had to be prepared to ensure the success of the nitrogen treatment. It was a great team effort to turn a mundane task into a fun and successful afternoon.
The team preparing a recent fossil faunal acquisition from Timor for treatment through the nitrogen chamber.
International Conservation Services (ICS) NSW
Julian Bickersteth – CEO
On 21 May 2024, Julian Bickersteth, CEO of ICS, was invested as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the museum and arts sector, conservation, and the environment. We are thrilled and very proud to be part of the company led by Julian with his big vision and trusted eye on sustainability and the future of conservation.
Julian Bickersteth AO and the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW.
Events
The Talbot Oration, Australian Museum
On 5 June, ICS was the official sponsor of The Talbot Oration. Hosted by the Australian Museum, the oration is a free event celebrating the tireless work of environmental scientists and campaigners striving for our planet’s future. This year saw Cynthia Houniuhi, Pacific climate champion, sharing her story of fighting for change in the world’s highest court.
Sponsoring the event reflects our belief that preserving cultural heritage is intrinsically linked to preserving our planet. Climate change poses a significant threat to cultural heritage sites, exacerbating risks such as erosion, flooding and extreme weather events.
Cynthia Houniuhi, Pacific climate advocate.
National Trust NSW Awards
Members of the ICS team attended the National Trust NSW 2024 Awards held at Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont in May. We were keen contributors to three of the award-winning projects:
- The South Solitary Island Lighthouse Optic (SSILO) Project, entered by ICS and the City of Coffs Harbour, was highly commended in the Interiors and Objects category. The SSILO was moved to the Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore and relit this March, to the delight of the local community.
- The NSW Parliament Chambers Restoration Project, entered by the Department of Parliamentary Services, won the Interiors and Objects award. ICS undertook the conservation of brass and glass door handles, and the gilding of lettering on the glass panels in the doors. Additionally, we assisted architects in developing specifications for treating various decorative finishes and materials.
- The White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, entered by Placemaking NSW, Design 5 – Architects, CBRE and FDC, won the Built Conservation award. ICS undertook condition assessment reports for the nine murals located in the entertainment hall.
Urban Taskforce, Development Excellence Awards
The Locomotive Workshop, South Eveleigh, entered by Mirvac, was the winner of the 2024 Urban Taskforce, Adaptive Reuse Development Award. The former Railway Workshop in Sydney was once a key industrial site, and after recent development has re-emerged as a model of adaptive reuse with office and retail space. ICS conserved and displayed over 100 pieces of heritage machinery on the site, both large and small, maintaining its industrial feel.
(R to L): Julian Bickersteth, Michelle Smith from the City of Coffs Harbour, and Kathryn Pitkin AM, President of the National Trust (NSW).
Professional development
Isabelle Legg, Objects Conservator, spent June in the Republic of North Macedonia at a field school run by the Balkan Heritage Foundation. The school, located at the archaeological site of Stobi, focused on conserving Roman pottery and glass. The site is a well-excavated Roman city with beautiful mosaics and a wealth of movable finds.
Isabelle said: ‘During my time there, I was fortunate enough to work on recent finds including a 1st–3rd century glass plate that had been unearthed by the excavation team that week!’
Isabelle Legg
Archaeological site of Stobi, Macedonia.
Paintings
Australian Artists Collection
Alis Jitarescu, Principal Conservator (Paintings, Murals & Decorative Arts), Francesca Elia, Painting Conservator, and Annabelle Silk, Conservation Technician, have been busy working on 35 paintings from some significant Australian artists including Arthur Streeton, Elioth Gruner, Brett Whiteley and Grace Cossington Smith.
Working on such a diverse range of important Australian artists’ paintings simultaneously offered a wonderful opportunity to collect a comprehensive body of knowledge on both the art history and historic conservation treatments of the paintings. The artworks were assessed, stabilised and cleaned.
John Glover painting
Alis Jitarescu completed the treatment of a John Glover painting where white mould had caused severe decay to the varnish and media.
Biological samples were taken to determine the type of mould and to establish the safest and most effective treatment. During this time the artwork was isolated and monitored to prevent cross-contamination and to perform preliminary testing. Interventions included the cleaning of affected varnish and media, stabilisation of the artwork, and mould treatment. After treatment, the artwork was returned to its pre-damage condition.
John Glover painting before treatment.
John Glover painting after treatment.
John Glover painting before and after treatment, details.
Braemar House
Senior Paintings Conservator Claire Heasman, Francesca Elia and Annabelle Silk were invited to investigate the original decorative paint schemes of Braemar House, in the Blue Mountains.
The conservators scraped back small sections of each painted surface to reveal elements of the building’s original colour scheme. During this research, the entrance hallway emerged as a focal point of interest with evidence of a vibrant Victorian-era aesthetic.
Claire Heasman performing a paint scrape at Braemar House.
Paper
The Paper team welcomed Rebecca Clendinen, Paper Conservator, to the Sydney office after six months with ICS Melbourne. She has already become an invaluable member of the team. Bec recently completed a backing removal on an oversized watercolour from a surf lifesaving club.
Caroline Whitley, Paper Conservator, travelled to Retford Park in Bowral to repair damage to walls caused by previous picture hangings. The historic wallpaper was consolidated and retouched and with the assistance of volunteers the entire wall was surface cleaned. The historic wallpaper is now presentable for house tours.
Katie Wood, Senior Paper Conservator, treated a beautiful Margaret Preston artwork with mould staining. Typical of the artist, it was on a fine Japanese paper so washing involved first allowing the artwork to relax face down on a sheet of Mylar. The slip of the Mylar allowed the artwork to flatten without having to lift the fragile paper.
The whole Paper team has been working on removing foam core backings from some pastel artworks. They were attached with spray adhesive and the pastel was very soft, so not able to be turned face down. They were tricky removals and quite hard on the wrist, hence the whole team being involved!
Rebecca Clendinen, Paper Conservator.
Watercolour before and after backing removal.
Margaret Preston artwork, before and after treatment.
Objects & Outdoor Heritage
Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park
Keir Bayley, Senior Heritage Trades Specialist; Kristina Taylor, Objects Conservator; Karen Wilcox, Senior Objects Conservator; Shrief Eissa, Objects Conservator and Richard Issacs, Conservation Technician, were all involved in the recent conservation of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney.
ICS was tasked with conservation at the site, with the cleaning and corrosion treatments giving the memorial a fresh feel.
Conservation included:
– the bronze bas reliefs on the eastern and western facades of the building—cleaning, corrosion treatment, and hot waxing for ongoing protection
– Sacrifice, the sculpture by Raynor Hoff—cleaning and waxing, and the brass flooring treated to remove red oxidation and a protective coating applied.
Further works include cleaning and waxing of the bronze bars on the exterior windows; the cleaning of Fiona Hall’s artwork in the Hall of Service; repairs to cracks in the marble flooring; and the gilding of lettering on the stone plaques on the eastern side of the Memorial.
Sacrifice after brass flooring treatment.
Bronze bas relief before and after treatment.
Adaminaby Trout
Isabelle Legg, Objects Conservator, used her skills as an illustrator to create new designs for the Adaminaby Trout. The new look, painted by mural painter Ryan Loughnane, has proved to be a big hit with the people of the Snowy Mountains and those who hold ‘Big Things’ dear.
The trout was in very poor condition when ICS was first appointed to conserve the sculpture in 2023. Our conservators removed the old flaking paint by water-blasting, applying paint stripper and finally pressure washing the trout clean. With the fibreglass exposed it became clear just how much of the trout needed repair. Most of our conservation time was then used in surface repairs and consolidation.
The 2023 paint job was based on the previous automotive finish. However, poor weather conditions at the time of painting severely hampered finessing to the finish and, after completion, it was considered too bright and stylised.
In 2024 the Snowy Monaro Regional Council commissioned Issy to create four new design options for a people’s choice vote. More than 2600 people voted in the poll, the highest level of engagement the council has ever had with a poll of this kind.
The winning scheme features more traditional trout colours, with a silver back and breast, blush pink striping and characterful black mottling, and is very reminiscent of the scheme used by the original artist, Andy Lomnici.
Adaminaby Trout before intervention.
The fresh face of the Adaminaby Trout.
O’Sullivan Conservation
Staff news
Our mid-year staff training day in July had us rolling up our sleeves as we tried our hands at blacksmithing! We learned the fundamentals of forging techniques, including hammering, cutting and shaping steel into our very own knives and keyrings. It was an incredible hands-on experience that gave us a deeper appreciation for this ancient craft.
The OSC team learning forging skills in the blacksmith workshop.
In July, we welcomed student intern Felix Millar, from the Grimwade Masters in Conservation program at the University of Melbourne. Felix has undertaken several object treatments in the workshop under the guidance of Katherine Rosenthal, including treatment of a woven bag and wooden spear from Arnhem Land, and the lead-light window component of a contemporary artwork. It was a pleasure to have Felix’s input on this range of treatments!
Felix Millar treating a wooden spear from Arnhem Land.
Professional news
In April, the whole team undertook training in asbestos awareness, a crucial requirement for working on many sites, particularly in the ACT. We are now skilled in identifying asbestos-containing materials (ACM) across a range of cultural materials and sites, including masonry pointing, building materials, friable paints and coatings, plastics, textiles, and paper products. Additionally, Hannah Newman has held her qualification in removing non-friable asbestos (over 10m2) for many years.
Treatment projects
We recently completed the conservation of three historic lanterns from the Victoria Park Gates on City Road, Camperdown. These gates, an iconic entry to Victoria Park, are a significant part of Sydney’s heritage. The project involved comprehensive repairs and the fabrication of metal components in our workshop, encompassing condition assessments, structural repairs, sourcing replacement glazing, and extensive restoration work to preserve the original character and integrity of the lanterns. Our metals conservation specialist, Mathew Geale, led the efforts, which included meticulously treating or replacing corroded elements, fabricating and installing new copper crowns, and applying protective coatings. Thanks to these efforts, these iconic lanterns continue to shine brightly.
Before, during and after fabrication of new crowns for the Victoria Park Gates lanterns.
Mathew undertaking repairs to the Victoria Park Gates lanterns.
The Victoria Park Gates lanterns after treatment.
Rain and shine, our dedicated conservators took on all weather in a recent project conserving war memorials in the Shoalhaven region, including the Kangaroo Valley War Memorial, Nowra Boer War Memorial, Nowra Soldiers Memorial and Berry War Memorial. The project involved the cleaning and repointing of several marble and sandstone monuments, restoration of incised lettering and copper alloy plaques, rewaxing the bronze sculpture of an Australian serviceman at the Nowra Soldiers Memorial and stabilising the three flagpoles on top of the Memorial gate. Over several weeks of treatment, Emily Bramich and Anna Broome enjoyed the opportunity to explore the beautiful Shoalhaven region!
Emily applying wax to the Nowra Soldiers Memorial.
The Nowra Soldiers Memorial after treatment.
Anna cleaning the Nowra Boer War Memorial, and after treatment.
At the western end of the Anzac Bridge in Sydney stand two bronze statues as a memorial to Anzac soldiers from both sides of the Tasman. To the left, facing the setting sun, stands a four-metre-high Australian WWI digger; and, to the right, looking towards the rising sun, is a New Zealand soldier. The OSC team, including Eoin O Suilleabhain and Emily Bramich, carried out maintenance cleaning, corrosion treatments, and rewaxing of the bronzes, working at height and enjoying spectacular morning views across the city!
Looking east over the Sydney skyline from the Anzac soldier memorial.
Eoin treating the Australian WWI digger on Anzac Bridge.
The Australian WWI digger on Anzac Bridge, after treatment.
Recently, we have observed an increase in graffiti, including political statements and general vandalism, targeting cultural heritage sites and public spaces. Our team remains committed to addressing these challenges through tailored conservation treatments and preventive measures for public artworks and monuments in a variety of materials, including stone, bronze and painted surfaces.
Fluorescent paint graffiti on a stone monument, before and after treatment.
Vandalism in fluorescent paint on a bronze sculpture, before and after treatment.
Tasmania Division
Just recently, the AICCM Tasmania Division attended a tour of the Port Arthur Historic Site. Conservation Project Officers Michael Smith and Sylvana Szydzik gave a fascinating insight into the conservation work undertaken at the site. They discussed the fumigation of the Master Shipwright’s House built in 1834, which is the only timber house extant from the convict period. It is important architecturally for being a very early form of ‘brick nogged’ building. The fumigation process was complex and highly orchestrated. Michael and Sylvana also showed us inside the collection store, and we had a detailed discussion on the care of the archaeology collection. This was all followed by a lovely lunch at the Lavender Farm where we could share conservation stories and information on projects happening across the industry.
Master Shipwright’s House, Port Arthur Historic Site. Image credit: Irene Finkelde.
Collection Store, Port Arthur Historic Site. Image credit: Irene Finkelde.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)
The conservation team at TMAG has been occupied with installing the Lloyd Rees show Lands of Light and the Islands to Ice reboot. The Islands to Ice exhibition is the permanent gallery that focuses on Antarctic history and science. The redevelopment of the exhibition has taken advantage of some of the extensive collection of Antarctic-related objects collected by the Australian Antarctic Division and recently acquired by the National Museum of Australia, to include in the new exhibition. As well, the exhibition will draw on TMAG’s own Antarctic-related collection. Items include a fibreglass Apple Hut and a box of cans of pemmican dog food. Irene Finkelde and Michelle Berry have been undertaking condition reporting, photography and treatments of the objects as required.
Conservation Technician Lisa Charleston has been involved in a review of the IPM schedule as well as preparing outgoing loans, including the treatment of an interesting early 20th century Louis XV revival style swept and pierced frame belonging to a beautiful Ethel Carrick-Fox painting.
Michelle Berry vacuuming the Apple Hut.
Irene Finkelde brush-vacuuming the Apple Hut base.
The Apple Hut dismantled and cleaned in the lab.
Box of pemmican dog food used to feed huskies in Antarctica.
Model of a leatherback turtle before treatment.
Grimwade Conservation Services
Professional development
GCS Paper and Photograph Conservators Katy Glen and Noni Zachri recently undertook a two-day professional development course at Gold Street Studios, where they learned about the history and process of carbon transfer printing and were able to create prints for their own study collections.
Katy Glen immersing a carbon transfer print on opal glass in a bath to remove residual pigment and gelatin from unexposed areas.
GCS Painting Conservator Vanessa Kowalski attended the Analysis and Conservation of Applied Finishes course offered by the Longford Academy and held at the picturesque World Heritage-listed Woolmers and Brickendon Estates in Longford, Tasmania. Led by Dr Donald Ellsmore, founder of the Longford Academy, the four-day program was both theoretical and practical. The theoretical component focused on the range of traditional applied finishes that are encountered on historic Australian buildings. Practical tasks included paint sample removal from the buildings on both estates, embedding paint samples for cross sections in polyester resin, cutting and polishing the cross sections, researching and analysing the samples in order to understand their significance and conservation options. The course was attended by conservators, heritage architects and heritage professionals working with traditional applied finishes in an Australian context.
In the lab
General Manager Penny Tripp, together with the paper lab team of Libby Melzer, Peter Mitchelson, Noni Zachri and Hayley Nolde and students from the master’s program have been busy preparing for the Albrecht Dürer exhibition, Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance. The exhibition provides an in-depth encounter with German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) and the material culture of his home city of Nuremberg. It explores how print and book production developed in Nuremberg from the late 15th century alongside constant innovation in the city’s craft and manufacturing trades. The exhibition is co-curated by University of Melbourne staff Hansen Associate Professor Jenny Spinks, Dr Matthew Champion, Professor Charles Zika and Dr Shannon Gilmore-Kuziow, who have worked closely with colleagues in the University’s Special Collections, Grimwade Conservation Services, and State Library Victoria. Research towards the exhibition was funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project: Albrecht Dürer’s Material World—in Melbourne, Manchester and Nuremberg.
As part of the preparations for the exhibition, Grimwade Conservation Services analysed two rare hand-coloured leaves from early printed books held in the University’s Prints and Drawings collection, using Micro Fade Testing (MFT) to see how quickly and in what conditions they are likely to fade. This analysis allows sensitive material to be more safely displayed. To learn more about this research, visit: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/about/arts-west-gallery/albrecht-durers-material-renaissance/investigating-fading
Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance is on display in the Arts West Gallery at the University of Melbourne from 22 July to 29 November 2024.
Micro Fade Testing of the green colourant on Fall of Lucifer. Gift of Dr J Orde Poynton 1959, Prints and Drawings Collection, Archives and Special Collections, University of Melbourne.
Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation
Staff
Earlier this year we were very pleased to welcome Dr Caroline Kyi as a part-time Teaching Specialist to teach into our master’s program. Having worked privately as a specialist on architectural finishes and wall paintings, Caroline is keen to share her conservation science background and professional skills with both students and staff at the Grimwade Centre.
In July, we also welcomed to our team Objects/Textile Conservator Victoria Thomas, who will concentrate on teaching into our treatment-based subjects, sharing her expertise in textiles and organic materials with students.
External projects
Gina Levenspiel recently curated an exhibition entitled Three houses of the 1990s: Peter Brew, Sean Godsell, Michael Markham, which emphasised the use of primary resources and artefacts in the field of architecture. While the 1990s may seem too close to living memory for some of us, to today’s young student of architecture it may seem like a distant historical period. Yet both groups are likely to agree that between 1996 and 2024 great changes have emerged in Australian architectural practice. The recent exhibition asserted one last inalienable right of architects to engage with built heritage from the perspective of architecture. The aim of this exhibition was to expose three valuable works of architecture (the architects’ first family homes) through primary resources: study models, planning permits, architectural publications, historical precedents, engineering computations, building contracts, construction photographs, project correspondence, and full working drawings. The artefacts offered students a nexus to a historical record of Melbourne architectural culture. The potential to advance their own lines of inquiry/contestation was activated in a student forum, together with the architects of the three houses. The exhibition was held in Cache Gallery, the former office of Edmond and Corrigan architects, from 28 June to 20 July 2024. It was accompanied by a catalogue extensively listing the material displayed.
ICS Melbourne
Awards
Katie Smith, State Manager VIC, and Eden Christian, Painting Conservator and Project Manager, were invited to the AIA Awards (Australian Institute of Architects), where the Conservation Studio won the award for Heritage Architecture – Conservation, for work undertaken at the Princess Theatre Auditorium. The ICS Melbourne team investigated the auditorium’s 1922 paint scheme through paint scrapings and cross-sectional analyses in over 252 locations to inform planning around its future colour scheme.
Katie Smith performing paint scrapes for Princess Theatre Auditorium.
Katie Smith and Eden Christian with the Conservation Studio team.
Royal Exhibition Building
Eden Christian and Senior Paintings Conservator Claire Heasman were invited by Museums Victoria to the Royal Exhibition Building where a comprehensive project is underway to better understand the condition of the building and safeguard its highly significant decorative surfaces.
ICS was invited to conduct a detailed condition assessment of the internal east, south and west lunette murals.
Following the assessment, Eden, Claire, and Paintings Conservator Francesca Elia applied a temporary facing to the entire surface of the murals. Together with a crew of heritage builders from Stokes Rousseau, the team went on to install a robust protective structure to the murals, the design of which was carefully put together by conservation architects from Conservation Studio. The protection and facing will remain in place whilst Museums Victoria undertakes a long and thorough program of environmental monitoring in and around the Royal Exhibition Building.
South and West murals during facing.
South mural after treatment.
Relocation of Rabindranath Tagore bust for University of Melbourne
In June, Conservation Projects Manager Kristine Allinson, along with Katie Smith and Eden Christian, relocated the bust of Rabindranath Tagore to its new home at 501 Swanson Street for the University of Melbourne.
The marble bust was carefully removed from its plinth by cutting through the dowel system and was placed carefully on a bed of sand for transport. The plaque was also removed and retained, ready to be placed with the bust on a new wooden plinth for display.
Rabindranath Tagore bust, before relocation.
Katie Smith removing the bust from its plinth.
Rabindranath Tagore bust, after relocation.
Manningham City Council tapestry
In late June, Objects Conservator Zora Sanders, aided by the ICS team, was engaged by Manningham City Council to undertake a condition assessment of six artworks. One of the most impressive pieces in the collection was a large untitled tapestry by Jenny Powell, 1983. Measuring 3.5 x 4.9m, the tapestry was initially assessed in situ before being deinstalled and brought to the ICS lab for further investigation and cleaning.
Untitled tapestry in situ for assessment.
Detail of Untitled tapestry by Jenny Powell, 1983.
Zora Sanders, Objects Conservator, making repairs.
Relocation of First Nations artworks in Shepparton
Zora Sanders and Kristine undertook another artwork relocation in Shepparton, moving three very large First Nations artworks into the sparkling new offices of the Academy of Sport, Health and Education (ASHE). A mosaic, an engraved work on copper, and a large painting on board were safely relocated to their new homes, which was no mean feat given their individual weights! Watch out for Zora and Kristine taking their places on the podium in the weightlifting events at the Paris Olympics.
The largest work prior to deinstallation.
Ready to hang in its new home.
In the ICS Melbourne lab
In the ICS Melbourne lab, Senior Paper Conservator Caroline Whitley has been working on several small projects for private clients. These include two maps from around 1807, which were part of an atlas. Due to continued use and frequent handling over the years, the maps had developed multiple tears. Both maps were stabilised to ensure the client can continue to enjoy them for many years to come.
Map of Australia, before treatment.
Map of Australia, during treatment.
Map of Australia, after treatment.
Eden has also enjoyed the variety of paintings moving through the Melbourne lab. One was a portrait of two sisters from the mid-1800s, one of whom was the client’s great-great-great-grandmother. The portrait was badly damaged in transit from South Africa and came to ICS for a tear repair. The treatment has allowed the family to not only have the tear repaired but also have the old discoloured varnish removed, losses filled and retouched, and the frame stabilised—all in all, returning the portrait to its former vibrant state.
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
General
The NGV Conservation department has relocated to a temporary home onsite at NGV International for the duration of the NGV Contemporary build. Our new facility is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built, shared lab. Consolidating several speciality labs as well as technical equipment and offices into this shared space marks the successful conclusion of years of planning and coordinating. The new labs provide increased flexibility and can be adapted to suit the departmental shift to more collaborative ways of working and the increased size requirements of contemporary artworks, as well as providing space to support its outreach programs.
New conservation lab. Image credit: Kane Multimedia.
The Conservation department has also hosted several training initiatives, including conducting art handling for new starters in NGV’s Exhibitions, Collections, Operations and Registration teams, as well as a workshop on condition reporting of artworks for exhibition and loans for members of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV).
Holly McGowan-Jackson presenting during art-handling training. Image credit: Rahila Merchant.
Workshop on condition reporting of artworks for exhibition and loans for members of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria. Image credit: Rahila Merchant.
In addition, the NGV has received funding from Creative Victoria as part of the State Agencies Legacy Data Program, which is focused on preserving collection items on legacy formats in line with the National Film and Sound Archive’s (NFSA) Deadline 2025 campaign. With this important funding opportunity, the NGV will complete the organisation’s Digitisation Project, led by Michael Varcoe-Cocks, Associate Director, Conservation, and newly appointed Time-based Media Conservator Manon Mikolaitis, focused on digitising time-based media collection items on magnetic tape. Notable titles from this collection include Hermine Freed’s early feminist video work Art Herstory (1974), Ken Unsworth’s live performance documentations Five secular settings for sculpture as ritual and burial piece (1975) and Marr Grounds’ (son of architect Sir Roy Grounds) Sculpture at the Top Ends (1977–78). Additionally, the funding will go towards the procurement of hardware and equipment for viewing and digitising associated collection assets and historically significant archival material on legacy formats, ensuring material on these formats is captured and preserved for perpetuity.
Textiles
The Textiles team hosted the 2024 AICCM Textile Special Interest Group Symposium with three days of papers, discussions and amazing guest speakers.
Julia Spizzica presenting She’s got the (Period) Look at the 2024 AICCM Textile Special Interest Group Symposium. Image credit: Rahila Merchant.
Paper and Photography
Paper Conservation hosted two interns from the University of Melbourne Grimwade Conservation program, Rose Gertsakis and Constance Yee Lok Jim, who assisted with treatment of works of art on paper and were given an insight into the conservator’s role within a large institution.
In preparation for a future exhibition, Ruth Shervington examined a Henri Toulouse-Lautrec colour lithograph to find that it was lined onto two West African maps, published in Paris in the early 1900s.
Bonnie Hearn and Bella Lipson-Smith presented two talks at the recent AICCM Textiles Special Interest Group Symposium hosted by NGV. Their Cloth Colour Change: Colorimetry presentation was about assessing colour change during display of Fernando Laposse’s The avocado legacy tapestry, exhibited during NGV Triennial 2023. Their second presentation, Complex Composite Collections, discussed the NGV’S Tibetan thangkas’ condition issues, past treatment, and recent rehousing for permanent storage.
Louise Wilson has been continuing her research into the papers used by Fred Williams during his time as a student in London during the 1950s. This research will be presented at the forthcoming conference of the British Association of Paper Historians in Oxford, UK.
Paintings
The past few months have seen a huge amount of activity with the NGV Painting Conservation team. The relocation of the studio’s operations from its traditional home to the temporary labs on the third floor took place in late April, a process that took several weeks to complete.
Around the same time, we received the joyous news that Raymonda Rajkowski had given birth to her son Luca. This major event has not prevented Raymonda from participating in the AGNSW/GCI Fusion 2 workshop for minimally invasive treatments for canvas supports, and contributing a presentation on her work on Peter Upward’s circular canvas painting, Io Sono. Raymonda has recently returned to work on a part-time basis. She will shortly be joined in the motherhood stakes by Caitlin Breare, who will commence parental leave in late July. Caitlin has worked diligently to finish off some major projects before taking leave, namely her major treatment of Hercules and Antaeus by Peter Paul Rubens, the deinstallation of the NGV/GCI Acoustic Emissions research project, and preparations for the NGV’s upcoming Cats and Dogs exhibition. The unstretched canvas by Alan Winderoo Tjakamarra entitled Native cat and water Dreaming at Yinpirrkawarnu required a bespoke mounting system to make it display-ready, while respecting its unconventional material structure.
In June we welcomed Emily Mulvihill to the Painting Conservation team to assist us during Raymonda’s and Caitlin’s maternity leave. Emily has picked up important duties with loans, exhibition preparation and treatments. Among these have been treatments of Reggie Jackson’s Parrtjartanya for Cats and Dogs, and Helen Frankenthaler’s Cape, Provincetown.
Raye Collins saw the culmination of many months of work with the opening of the Grace Crowley & Ralph Balson exhibition at NGV Australia in May. In many respects the exhibition was a collaborative effort with curator Beckett Rozentals, with Raye providing a lot of new material and technical content, and the major treatment of the recently rediscovered Constructive painting by Balson. Raye and Beckett have co-authored a paper on the artists, to be published in the NGV’s Art Journal later this year. In July, Raye attended a workshop at RMIT on advanced techniques in FTIR spectroscopy conducted by Perkin Elmer.
Carl Villis has contributed to Cats and Dogs with his treatment of SE Waller’s Jealous, a painting that entered the collection in 1875 but has not been on display at the NGV for many generations. Carl is concurrently working on the major restoration of Salvator Rosa’s Romantic landscape with Mercury and Argus. He has completed removal of old varnish and retouchings, revarnished the painting and has commenced what will be many months of retouching of its highly abraded paint surface.
Emily Mulvihill at work on Helen Frankenthaler’s Cape. Image credit: Carl Villis.
First Nations art
Conservator of Indigenous Art, Genevieve Sullivan, has been continuing treatment on Lajamanu paintings on composite board following the completion of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project, including a major treatment of Fred Jampijinpa Jigili’s Ngapa Jukurrpa (Big Rain Dreaming).
NGV Conservation was pleased to host two painting conservation interns from the Master of Cultural Material Conservation course, Sofie Larkin and Ken Singh. Working with Genevieve, both undertook cleaning treatments on Lajamanu paintings from the 1980s.
Objects
The Objects Conservation team has been settling into the new labs and office spaces well. The opportunity to share the large lab with paintings and frames and furniture is especially nice and having extra space for larger items is proving very useful.
The team has been working hard on widespread collection changeovers across NGVI and NGVA, especially as the last of the Triennial artworks are deinstalled. As well as returning many old favourites to display, some rarely seen objects have been prepared, including a display of Wedgwood cameos and intaglio gems, and a large set of important sculptures by Hans Arp, which were acquired recently.
Conservators are also preparing for a major treatment of a large contemporary chandelier, which is coming off display and requires washing and repair. This will likely require all hands on deck and a take-over of the old textiles lab.
Decorative arts fellow Robyn McPherson is continuing the major treatment of a 19th century micro-mosaic, experimenting with a variety of methods to reproduce the complex pattern, texture and colour required to gap fill large losses. Robyn also had the opportunity to contribute to the major installation of the Pharoah exhibition, with works from the British Museum.
Exhibitions
During May, Catherine Earley, Janelle Borig and Camielle Fitzmaurice installed the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces show Pharaoh. This was a loan of 500 works from the British Museum. The team worked with ten couriers from the BM over four weeks to install works varying from fine jewellery to a three-ton stone sarcophagus. This is the largest show that the BM has put on externally to their own premises. The team was challenged with a complex installation due to the scope and scale of the precious artefacts and build requirements. Design and construction of the exhibition architecture, combined with the construction of many of the works in-situ, for example the mastaba (type of Egyptian tomb) wall, made for a dynamic installation period!
The Exhibitions team also installed Grace Crowley & Ralph Balson—an exhibition walking the viewer through the history of Australian abstraction. It included almost 80 loaned works, from both major institutions and private lenders.
Exhibitions Conservator Georgia Smedley examines a shroud. Image credit: Exhibitions Conservation, NGV.
Mastaba mid-construction, with British Museum conservator Steph expertly toning brackets in situ. Image credit: Exhibitions Conservation, NGV.
The NGV installation team and British Museum colleagues utilised gantries for all heavy objects. Image credit: Exhibitions Conservation, NGV.
Frames and Furniture
Hohi Ikeda joined the Frames and Furniture team for two and a half months to cover staff leave. Hohi has undertaken the cleaning and repair of a magnificent Pendant light shade made of plaster by Marion Mahony, dating to 1924. Additionally, Hohi has undertaken extensive cleaning and repair of the marble top for a late 18th century Commode by Jean-Henri Riesener and worked on the Cabinet doors from the E.P. Irving House, Decatur, Illinois, also by Mahony (c.1909–1910).
For the Grace Crowley & Ralph Balson exhibition, Jason King, frame maker, made silver-painted reproduction frames for Ralph Balson’s 1941 paintings (Constructive painting) (new acquisition) and Painting no.14, and Non-objective painting, 1958, based on historical examples. He has also been making a bevelled timber reproduction frame for Sunshine and shadow by Hans Heysen, 1904–1905, based on the frame depicted in a newspaper article from 1963.
State Library Victoria, Collection Care
Staff changes
After more than 30 years at the Library working in various roles across Preservation and Conservation, George Matoulas has hung up his Toledo rulers to enjoy a slower pace in life. George has mentored, assisted and supported colleagues in Collection Care and the wider Library during his time here, and his larger-than-life personality will be missed. Congratulations George, we wish you every happiness in your next chapter.
In April, we hosted second-year University of Melbourne conservation students Aiden Carroll and Kate Webster for their six-week professional placement. They worked on a variety of materials and assisted on some long-term projects we have underway. We thank them for their efforts.
Professional news
Preservation was very excited at the recent delivery of a brand-new power guillotine (IDEAL 7260LT guillotine), to replace the 40-year-old beast that was well and truly past its use-by date, in terms of safety and reliable output. The new machine matches the cutting capacity of the existing machine, while providing significant safety and performance upgrades. This includes an air table to reduce manual handling, side tables to support oversized and heavy material, a full laser curtain and E-stop button, and increased accuracy and efficiency through a digital programmable control module. Training is currently underway.
Treatment projects
Reinstating pennant of Jeanne d’Arc (State Library Victoria). Image credit: Jane Hinwood.
The well-loved forecourt sculpture Jeanne d’Arc [Joan of Arc] underwent maintenance this year. The bronze statue by Emmanuel Fremiet was acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria while it was located at the Library site in 1906 and installed the following year. Under conservation guidance, contractors Meridian Sculpture carried out the repair and strengthening of the pennant and lance held by Joan before returning it in place, much to the enjoyment of the public and front-of-house staff who had fielded many questions in its absence. More information on the history of the statue can be found here.
The large John Wesley Burtt oil painting on canvas, Batman’s treaty with the aborigines at Merri Creek, 6th June 1835, [painted ca. 1888] (H92.196) was recently treated by external contractor Catherine Nunn. The work was undertaken onsite due to the size of the painting. After removing two layers of cloudy and discoloured varnish, the painted surface revealed is much brighter and the image details clearer. The painting is being prepared for the upcoming Treaty exhibition presented by the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre in consultation with the Wurundjeri community.
Paper Conservator Albertine Hamilton recently stabilised an exciting new acquisition, the cartoon for Howard Arkley’s 1986 painting The Ritual (H89.55). This full-size preparatory drawing comprises four paper sheets that have been drawn on, airbrushed, painted, cut for use as a stencil, and affixed with masking tape. The cartoon displayed all the signs of a hard working life with widespread mechanical damage. Unlike most other treatments undertaken here at the Library, the goal of this one was to preserve the tape rather than replace it. The tape, in varying stages of oxidation, had partially separated, several had cross-linked and experienced carrier loss, and others had separated and re-adhered in the incorrect location. Unexpectedly, we found that the lifting and misaligned masking tape was able to be effectively re-adhered using undiluted wheat starch paste.
Detail of Rue Tirechape (H88.19/84, Picture Collection, State Library Victoria) before and after treatment. Image credit: Katy Glen.
Paper and photographs conservator Katy Glen has been addressing the conservation and storage needs of Photographic views of Paris (H88.19/1-317) by French photographer Charles Marville (1813–1879). The collection of albumen silver prints was originally presented as six portfolios that were sent to Melbourne by the City of Paris for the International Exhibition of 1880. At the close of the exhibition, they were donated to the Government of Victoria and bound into two volumes by Melbourne Public Library (now State Library Victoria). Volume 1 consists of 133 images depicting the medieval buildings and narrow streets of the city slated for demolition during the modernisation era overseen by chief urban planner Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann between 1853 and 1870, as well as the broad boulevards and grand structures that took their place. The photographs, pasted onto thin green board, recto and verso, are heavily undulated, have become brittle over time and vulnerable to tears during handling. These damages were stabilised and a support board placed within each new, custom box to hopefully prevent further occurrences.
The Conservation team is excited to share the completion of an enormous Quarantine backlog project, which has been in progress since at least 2005 and will no doubt be remembered by many who have passed through the Library over the years. We are speaking, of course, of the Papers of Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, 1915–1998 (YMS 13492). The Santamaria collection is vast, comprising over 600 boxes of the collection and taking up 115 linear metres of storage space. Our conservators brush-vacuumed around 250 boxes of mould-affected manuscript materials, including files relating to his biography of Daniel Mannix, the Vietnam War, the National Civic Council (Australia), and the Democratic Labor Party. We now hand this material over to our wonderful Preservation colleagues for rehousing with thanks and commiserations!
Exhibitions and loans
It’s been a busy time for Conservation and Registration with a number of outgoing loans being prepared. The pistol used by Peter Lalor at the Eureka Stockade has gone on loan to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra. Key early printed material from the Rare Books collection is on display as part of Albrecht Dürer’s Material World at the University of Melbourne. Material from several of the Library’s heritage collections will be on display in the Designing Remembrance exhibition at the Shrine of Remembrance in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the design competition for the war memorial.
The annual changeover for the much-loved World of the Book exhibition has taken place with a suite of fabulous new material to explore. Key themes explored in this iteration include books and ideas, the imagination, and the intersection between art and nature. The moment of calm post-exhibition changeover was short lived, however, as we busily start preparing material for two large exhibitions for the end of 2024 and 2025.
Conference and workshop attendance
Book conservator Emily Keppel has just returned from attending the three-week workshop on Minimum Intervention Conservation Techniques for books in Recanati, Italy. We look forward to hearing about what she has learnt and the insights she’s gained from her travels.
ICS Perth
At ICS Perth, Claire Rowson, State Manager WA, has had a busy few months, including travelling all over the state, from Karratha to Karalee Rocks, with the National Trust. She has undertaken assessments of artillery heritage and assessments of industrial heritage along the Golden Pipeline heritage trail, and has finalised some public art surveys for university collections.
Earlier in the year, Claire delivered disaster preparedness training with the City of Wanneroo and had lots of fun destroying objects (for a change) in preparation for practical sessions in disaster salvage and triage with the Cultural Services Team.
Work has begun with the National Trust of WA to restore a Georgian mahogany demi lune table, owned by Richard Spencer and family of Strawberry Hill in Albany. This was made possible by funding from the Copland Foundation. Claire also worked on the restoration of a Maltese silver teapot from the same collection.
Claire Rowson delivering disaster preparedness training with the City of Wanneroo.