This report provides an assessment of the management of the State Art Collection (the Collection) and efforts to increase access by the public.
We focused on the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), and its approaches to building and maintaining the Collection. We looked at how art is stored and conserved, as well as AGWA’s display programs.
Background
AGWA is responsible for building, maintaining and displaying the Collection for the people of Western Australia. It was formed under the Art Gallery Act 1959, and is part of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
The broad direction for arts in Western Australia is outlined in the Strategic Directions Framework 2015-2030. This includes a focus on increasing the access to high quality arts and cultural experiences for all Western Australians. Delivering programs that connect with, educate and entertain the public is a strategic objective for AGWA.
The Collection is kept almost entirely at the AGWA building in the Perth Cultural Centre and consists of 17,724 works from Western Australian, Australian and international artists. It includes works such as paintings, sculptures and audio-visual pieces, with a focus on Western Australian art, as well as 20th century paintings and sculpture. In June 2016, the total Collection was valued at almost $300 million.
Like many galleries, the lack of artwork storage space is an ongoing issue for AGWA. Similar issues have been identified in other Australian galleries[1]. Nonetheless, the Collection has continued to grow, with 473 pieces[2] added from July 2014 to June 2017. AGWA follows international[3] guidelines in storing and caring for its artwork.
Artworks can need conservation treatments ranging from minor dusting and cleaning to major restoration projects. Not all of these conservation issues pose an immediate threat to the artwork under the controlled environmental conditions of the gallery (for example, cleaning). However, works that are unstable are at a higher risk of deteriorating. AGWA’s conservation team is responsible for assessing the condition of artworks, identifying any maintenance issues, and administering treatments.
Detailed records on artworks are kept in a database, and paper records for each artwork are stored by the artist, in artist files. Together the database and artist files provide AGWA with knowledge of the Collection as well as capturing historic information that may be useful in valuations and future research.
AGWA engages with the public and visitors to Western Australia in a number of ways. It is open to the public 6 days a week, and provides a range of free displays as well as a number of short term (loaned) exhibitions, talks, guided tours, special events for members, and educational programs.
AGWA aims to display 5% of the Collection each year. To reflect the focus on Western Australia, AGWA tries to include at least 20% works from Western Australian artists in displays.
[1] Queensland Audit Office. 2013 Follow up – Acquisition and public access to the Museum, Art Gallery and Library collections; Report to Parliament 3. Victorian Auditor General. 2012 Collections Management in Cultural Agencies.
[2] This included $4.3 million in purchases, and donated artworks valued at $1.5 million.
[3] International Council of Museums. 2014 Environmental Guidelines.