A day working with the collection

Today I worked at the Bundanon Homestead and not at Riversdale. It was a good drive down the coast and I always enjoy the trek through the bush to get to Bundanon. Parts of the drive skirt the Shoalhaven River which is particularly spectacular in the early morning.

Bushland at Shoalhaven

One of the tasks for the day was to type up some didactic plates for an upcoming exhibition. This not only anchored some of the lessons in my curatorial practice subject from last semester (cava 361) , it also anchored how much Arthur Boyd’s work was influenced by stories and literature he had studied through his life. Some of these stories are from the Bible while others are from Shakespeare.  The strong works derived by the writings of Shakespeare were of particular interest to me. Why? Because I have never read Shakespeare. On the didactic plates were small quotes and snippets of midsummer night Dream, Ophelia and Ariel and Caliban, to name a few. The link below will take you to some of what I copied onto the didactic plates.

https://bundanon.com.au/bundanon-collection/06-0016-0004-01/

This lesson was important for me as it demonstrated a body of work and that research into what you are about to create is important in terms of knowing your subject.

Soon after we ventured up to the study centre, a place which holds the collection.

Artworks stored in the Learning centre Image taken by J Riley with permission from the Bundanon Trust

It is a secure fire rated building.  I assisted in the unwrapping of artworks that had been on loan and were returning to the collection. The importance of acquisition numbers and a comprehensive date base  to check works in and out was very clear. The data base was updated and noted the condition of every work as it was checked. Careful attention was paid to returning the works to the respective homes. The shelves had a numbering system that allowed the works to be tracked and found at any time ( a bit like a library cataloging system).  But it was a thrill to be up close and personal to the works of Arthur Boyd.

One of Arthur Boyd’s Paintings of his wife Yvonne Boyd. Image taken by J Riley with permission from the Bundanon Trust

I was able to look and study his painting techniques and just admire his work. This collection of works were from the Figure in the Landscape collection and were simply divine.

Unpacking Arthur Boyds Work at the study centre gave me the opportunity to study the technique and brushstroke. Image taken by J Riley with permission from the Bundanon Trust

In the midst of this we also had the task of assisting and artist in residence store his work for a few weeks while he arranged for his work to be transported to the Northern Territory.  His name was Joshua and he had won his residency through an art prize. It was a 6 week residency and this enabled him to produce a body of work to exhibit upon his return home.  He had a combination of works on canvas and works on paper.

Courier work is also a very important consideration when moving valuable works around the country. Bundanon uses International Art Services Art Couriers (IAS) and has specially made crates made by a company called TED. These crates house the works securely without them being able to bump against anything while in transport.

Details of work from Arthur Boyd at Bundanon Trust. Image taken by J Riley with permission from the Bundanon Trust

When we were unpacking the work I noticed that the plastic tables had been covered with a kind of paper, so I asked what it was. It was a paper called Tyvec paper and is a bonded paper and is used for the protection of artworks.

Amongst many discussion on that morning was one of funding. The collection often tours and this is funded by an organisation called NCITO  which stands for National Collections Institutions Touring and Outreach program. One Million dollars is split between 9 organisations all of national standing. Funding is also derived from Australia Arts Council.

I had a great day at the collection and every day I learn just a bit more about caring for collections or running classes and I hope that these skills will be able to be transferred into my own artistic career.

Details of work by Arthur Boyd. Image taken by J Riley with permission from the Bundanon Trust