Work to digitise the Central Goldfield Art Gallery's permanent collection is well underway, thanks to the State Government's Working for Victoria program.
Funding as part of the Working for Victoria program meant Central Goldfields Shire could appoint a full-time Cultural Access Officer to lead the project.
The digitisation plan, which is aligned with national and international standards, commenced in December 2020 and will see the collection audited and photographed. Provenance information and condition reporting is also being captured as part of the project.
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Chris Meddows-Taylor said it was hoped that an online database of many collection items would be available by Autumn this year.
"Collections are central to most public art galleries and museums. We're fortunate in that our Gallery's collection is growing and covers numerous themes and represents many views, stories and artists that are in some way connected to the Central Goldfields community and life in the Goldfields.
"Public collections are vitally important in our society as a way of documenting who we are, as well as individual artistic creativity, so we're thrilled to see this project be carried out. Soon, people, anywhere in the world, can enjoy our collection and connect with the history of our region."
Central Goldfields Shire Curator/Education Officer Helen Kaptein said the project would mean anyone around the world could look up what's in the Gallery's collection.
"We've been fortunate to secure Dr Megan Cardamone to lead this project. Megan is an expert in this field and has undertaken similar projects across Australia.
"It's exciting to think we'll have an online searchable database that means our collection is accessible to everyone not just visitors to our Gallery.
"This work is happening right now in our Gallery – so visitors can actually come in and see Dr Cardamone in action on Thursdays and Fridays between 10am and 4pm. It's a fabulous and unique opportunity for our community to see this work undertaken firsthand."
Tiffany Titshall, a local artist from Majorca, who is represented in the Gallery's collection, said the project allowed the Central Goldfields Art Gallery to join the world stage.
"For artists it makes the wider public aware of our work and cements our local provenance and our value as artists of our time. Any way in which we can share our work locally and to the world is of great value to us and the viewer.
"As an artist who had to convert an exhibition (at Central Goldfields Art Gallery) to a virtual one during lockdown 2020 I value the opportunities this project brings. I always digitise my own work for posterity and personal reference and am happy to see it shared and studied by anyone anywhere, just as I love to view the work of others."
