Illawarra businesses and community members are being called upon to provide funds to help conserve and repair key works within the Wollongong Art Gallery's collection.
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Gallery program director John Monteleone said one of the gallery's primary functions is the development, maintenance, conservation and presentation of its art collection.
"One of the roles of the gallery is we have an art collection; a very good art collection that's well-regarded within regional Australia," he said. "The collection has works that date back to the early 1800s."
However, Mr Monteleone said unless an artwork was made with archival grade materials, it tended to deteriorate over time.
How a work is stored and managed can also impact its long-term condition.
"Our early Australian artworks... They sometimes need quite a bit of conservation work," he said.
"And not just those early works - even works from the '50s and '60s need work.
"Preserving and conserving these works takes quite a lot of effort, and it costs quite a bit of money."
The Mercury recently captured interns and gallery workers undertaking in-house conservation works.
As an extension of this, a group is looking to establish a fund that will be used to enlist experts to fix, conserve and repair works requiring specific or more extensive work.
The Lord Mayor's Art+Care Program, an initiative of the Wollongong Art Gallery Friends seeks support from local businesses and community members to assist the gallery in its work to preserve and care for the art collection now and for future generations.
The Art+Care exhibition, running from August 8 to April 2021 at the BlueScope Gallery, includes artworks from the collection specifically selected by contributing patrons.
"There might be people in the community that are interested in the collection, and interested in helping us preserve works in the collection," Mr Monteleone said.
"So people in the community, businesses or individuals, would donate money, which would go towards our conservation fund to look after, and help care for the works that have the most need.
"(The Friends) will approach particular organisations, businesses or individuals, or they'll open it up to anyone in the community that wants to be part of the program."
All monies donated through this program will go directly to the conservation of artworks in the collection.
The Wollongong Art Gallery Friends are planning to host information sessions on the initiative in the near future. Details will also be posted on the gallery website.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said many cultural institutions - like museums, art galleries and libraries - will be able to open their doors, with restrictions, from June 1.
Mr Monteleone said they were keen to re-open, but couldn't propose a date at this stage as they were waiting on some risk assessments for capital works at the front of the gallery to be completed.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
