Public Art Galleries

Public Art Galleries are so-called because:

1. They are run for the public good

2. Are funded out of the public purse –

your parent’s rates and taxation

Why have Public Art Galleries?

Non-income producing enterprises like a

gallery were set up in our society because

our elected leaders considered that

exposure to the arts and culture would

lead to a better, more informed and more

civilized society.

Hamilton Art Gallery

Hamilton Art Gallery is run by the Shire of

Southern Grampians with support from Arts

Victoria to enable people within the Shire to see

and experience art that they might otherwise not

have access to.

By using public money this way our lives are made

richer and more interesting and we add to the

livability of the Shire

Functions

A public gallery is set up to display work

not to sell work What other types of Gallery are

there

Public galleries were set up to collect,

exhibit, preserve and interpret art that

eventually necessitated specialist staff to

carry out these functions What staff are

required

Other types of Galleries - 1

Artist Run Spaces are galleries set up and

run by a group of artists to exhibit their

work and that of their friends*

Exhibition Spaces are set up to exhibit art

but not to form art collections e.g.

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art

(ACCA)* * usually at least part-publicly funded or subsidised

Other types of Galleries - 2

Commercial Art Galleries are galleries set up to

sell art but art can also be viewed there

Auction Houses – art can also be viewed but its

is there to be sold by auction

Websites – art can be viewed on the web in an

on-line gallery or on some website a virtual

gallery can be created by selecting your

favourite works and making an exhibition of

them

Watch this space!!!

You can also access art:

In public spaces e.g botanic gardens, at a

roundabout?

In corporate spaces

At Art Fairs and Festivals

In shop-fronts

‘Nucleus’ by Phil Price, Accession no. 2013.080

Staff – the Curator

The Curator cares for the collection and selects the artworks for exhibition: Around a theme or artist – e.g Works by Women Artists, Landscapes of Western Victoria or Prints by Wayne Viney and so on

Or by medium such as KakiemonPorcelain or Etchings by William Hogarth

Or by period such as Prints from the 1970s or Art Deco Silver.

Once the selection is made the items are researched and written up. A catalogue is then published using the Curators research.

Philip Wolfhagen

Australia (b.1963)

The Thirteenth Journey 2013

Oil and besswax on linen

Purchased by the Hamilton Art

Gallery Trust Fund to celebrate their

50th anniversary

2013.079

Staff – the Curator

In larger Galleries the Curator also recommends

what is to be added to the collection. This

requires knowledge of what is already in the

collection, an awareness of what is available in

the marketplace and its value.

This recommendation usually then goes to the

Director or Board of Trustees who make the final

decision.

Charger with Japanese

Map Design c.1840

Porcelain with under-glaze

blue decoration

Arita, Japan

Acquired by the Hamilton

Art Gallery Trust Fund

2014.096

Staff - Conservator

Oversees the maintenance of the

collection

Storage conditions, temperature of the

building, functional light levels

Significance of Preservation vs

Conservation

Essays » To see a world in a grain of sand: a closer look at the ‘Melbourne Blakes’

Christian

Waller (neé

Yandell)

Australia

(1894-1954)

Mt Macedon

c.1915

Oil on hessian

Gift of

Alexander

Campbell Coe

of Penshurst

2013.123

Other staff

Designer/ Exhibitions Officer

Market/Promotions Officer

Education Officer

Maintenance Officer

Publications Officer