The annual PGAV conference was held at Swan Hill Regional Gallery on 16 & 17 May 2011. CONNECT: Public Galleries and Communities and explored new approaches to engaging with communities, with a special focus on regional communities.
The conference commenced with Welcome to Country by Aunty Stephanie Charles, followed by a welcome from Mayor Greg Cruickshank. PGAV President Dr Jacqueline Healy officially opened the conference and took the opportunity to outline the PGAV’s new focus on research and marketing – which will enable the organisation to become a more effective advocate for public galleries across Victoria.
PGAV President Dr Jacqueline Healy opens proceedings
Jacqueline introduced the first presenter Dr Jody Evans, Senior Lecturer – Marketing at Melbourne Business School. Jody spoke about the importance of branding within the museum and gallery sector and detailed the research she was about to undertake in partnership with the PGAV. This was followed by a workshop in which delegates considered the public gallery sector as a brand.
Dr Jody Evans & Simon Klose
Ian Tully, Director of Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery and PGAV Board Member, chaired the session on Art & Agriculture. Fiona Woods, a visual artist, writer and curator from County Clare, Ireland, gave the Key Note address, followed by a presentation by artist and farmer Neil Berecry-Brown from New South Wales. Both Fiona and Neil have kindly made their presentations available to PGAV members to download.
The day finished with an update on funding by Ian Rogers from Arts Victoria followed by dinner at Spoons Riverside and a performance by comedian Kevin Kropenyeri – which poked respectful fun at political correctness and had everyone laughing.
Burrinja’s JD Mittmann & comedian Kevin Kropenyeri at dinner
Day two began with a warm welcome by PGAV President Jacqueline Healy and an address from The Honourable Heidi Victoria MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Assisting the Premier with the Arts. Heidi detailed the Coalition Government’s recently announced increase for the arts – $73.5 million over four years – and encouraged delegates to keep her informed of their activities.
Ian Tully, The Hon. Heidi Victoria MP & Dr Jacqueline Healy
Julie Adams, Arts Director, Latrobe Regional Gallery and PGAV Board member chaired Connecting with Communities and introduced Adam Harding, Director of Horsham Regional Art Gallery. Adam provided an entertaining overview of his gallery’s long engagement with the community and gradual shift to supporting cutting-edge contemporary art. This was followed by a presentation by Julian Bowron, Director of Mildura Arts Centre and Jill Antonie, LEAP Coordinator, who together outlined Mildura Arts Centre’s involvement in the LEAP initiative. Julie Adams closed the session by highlighting the importance of community engagement to the work undertaken by public galleries in Victoria.
Dr Vincent Alessi, Artistic Director, La Trobe University Museum of Art and PGAV Board member chaired Stories and Place, the final session of the conference. Visual artist Glenn Romanis provided an engaging overview of his work on public art across Victoria and made a strong argument for public galleries to get involved. Neil Fettling presented a range of work by artists involved in the Murray Darling Palimpsest alongside his own research into the ephemeral nature of objects and of life in regional communities. This was followed by a presentation entitled by Eddie Butler-Bowdon from City Gallery at Melbourne Town Hall which explored the slippery terrain between the democratic and the high-brow and how the community is critical to the work of public galleries.
In closing, PGAV President Jacqueline Healy recapped on the key themes of the conference and reiterated the important role public galleries play in engaging the community through the high quality exhibitions and exciting public programs they present to audiences across Victoria.
The PGAV held its Annual General Meeting at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery on 17 May 2011. At the meeting the members elected six representatives to the PGAV Board:
Metropolitan Representatives:
Wendy Garden, Maroondah Art Gallery
Mellissa Kavenagh, Counihan Gallery in Brunswick
Regional Representatives:
Julie Adams, Latrobe Regional Gallery
Simon Klose, Benalla Art Gallery
Ian Tully, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery
Non-specified Representative:
Dr Jody Evans, Melbourne Business School
PGAV Vice President Lyn Johnson welcomed the new members of the Board and warmly thanked retiring Board members Dr Jacqueline Healy, Grant Sincock and Nicky Klempfner for their invaluable contribution.
The Counihan Gallery In Brunswick is proud to announce the appointment of their new gallery curator, Melissa Kavenagh.
Mellissa has ten years experience working as a curator and producer in the visual and performing arts in Australia and South East Asia. She most recently was Assistant Curator, Contemporary Asian and Pacific Art, at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art where she worked on the development of the contemporary Asian and Pacific art collection through acquisitions and exhibitions.
The PGAV congratulates Mellissa and Counihan Gallery on the appointment.
Mellissa starts at Counihan on Wednesday 11 May 2011.
Edwina Bartlem has left the position of Gallery Curator at Counihan Gallery in Brunswick to take up the role of Exhibitions Manager with the State Library of Victoria.
As part of the move, Edwina has resigned from the PGAV Board. Jacky Healy, PGAV President, thanked Edwina for the invaluable contribution she had made during her time on the PGAV Board.
The PGAV wishes Edwina all the best with the new role and looks forward to maintaining strong links with her at the State Library of Victoria.
New member Glen Eira City Council Gallery will present a survey exhibition of jeweller and goldsmith Robert Baines in September 2011.
The Public Galleries Association of Victoria is pleased to welcome two new member galleries – Glen Eira City Council Gallery and City Gallery.
Glen Eira City Council Gallery presents a diverse and engaging program of temporary exhibitions. In September this year Glen Eira City Council will present a major survey exhibition of renowned jeweller and goldsmith Robert Baines. Curated by Diane Soumilas, the exhibition will feature over fifty works from public gallery and private collections, spanning more than thirty years of making. Visit their website for further information.
City Gallery at Melbourne Town Hall presents free, quarterly exhibitions on city life, past and present. Artworks and artefacts reign supreme in this small space, and the City of Melbourne’s Art and Heritage Collection inspires the exhibitions. Specialist curators – often working in collaboration with artists and filmmakers – offer intriguing views of Melbourne life. Find out what’s on now by visiting their website.
The Cultural Tourism Industry Group (CTIG) inaugural pARTnerships conference on cultural tourism in regional Victoria was held in Bendigo 14-15 October 2010. The conference provided the opportunity to learn, share experiences and explore how partnerships between local government, tourism businesses and arts organisations result in success stories.
“SmART Tourism” – Sheila Hollingworth documented the CTIG pARTnerships Conference through cartoons.
The keynote speaker, social analyst David Chalke, set a number of challenges for cultural organisations. He commented that Australians are interested in cultural activities but require encouragement to participate. He also added that arts organisations needed to stop talking to the converted and effectively market themselves to new audiences.
Regional arts organisations shared their experiences of successful cultural events. Karen Quinlan outlined the impact of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s The Golden Age of Couture exhibition coming to Bendigo Art Gallery – the exhibition being a turning point in the profile of the gallery and playing a significant role in attracting tourists to Bendigo. Greg Pritchard explained how rock climbing and wheat silos created the basis for an arts festival, Nati Frinj Festival at Natimuk. Jacinda O’Sullivan gave insight into the longevity of Australia’s only regional disability arts festival, Awakenings. Cr Ron Webb talked about the continuing energy and innovation of the Wangaratta Jazz Festival.
A highlight of the conference was a discussion with all delegates through the world café. Issues and ideas were debated. Sheila Hollingworth recorded the event with her cartoons.
For information about the Cultural Tourism Industry Group, visit their website.
Burrinja Cultural Centre is delighted to have been awarded The Archival Survival Award for Small Museums for Exemplary Public Programs.
The award was presented at Museums Australia’s (Vic) annual Victorian Museum Awards on 22 July at the Melbourne Museum. “For an independent cultural organisation to win best small museum in Victoria is no small feat. It is a fabulous peer acknowledgement of the hard work and effort that goes into producing a prodigious output of programs, projects, exhibitions and performances from a very small team.”
Burrinja is particularly pleased to have received this award during a year when it is continuing to present a range of high profile public programs whilst in the midst of a redevelopment that will see a new 400 seat theatre open to the public in July 2011.
The Cultural Tourism Industry Group has at last an Executive Officer – a first for the organisation.
Chris Porter has been working in a number of part-time roles at VECCI (Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Now he adds a new one, assisting CTIG provide services for members and increased awareness of the role of the arts in tourism.
Keep an eye on the VECCI website for news of the new CTIG website.
In the meantime the next major event organised by the CTIG is pARTnerships, a conference exploring cultural tourism in regional Victoria. Bendigo, 14 & 15 October 2010.
Horsham’s Education Officer, Michael Shiell received an award for research having profound positive change in regard to community attitudes to the environment, at the Environmental Research Event (ERE); “Transitions to a Sustainable Future”, at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, 27 – 30 June 2010.
Michael Shiell, who is currently completing his PHD at the University of Ballarat, presented a paper entitled; “Direct and indirect learning for students through creation of Empheral Environmental Art”. Shiell’s research was developed through his participation in the Artists in Schools Program at Dimboola Memorial Secondary College in 2008, and his work as the education officer at the Horsham Regional Art Gallery.
Micheal’s project in Dimboola entitled “WATERCOURSE: a creative discourse regarding the journey into and through drought” involved year nine and ten students making a series of temporary sculptures with found natural materials collected along the Wimmera River. More info in the Resources section under Education.
The Cooper Review into Superannuation recommends Australians who manage their own super funds be banned from adding “collectables and personal use assets” to their portfolios and many artists and galleries are worried about the ramifications.
All paintings, fine art, coin and stamp collections, racehorses, exotic cars, boats, antiques, wine and golf club memberships sitting in any of the nation’s 423,000 self-managed super funds will have to be sold.
