Dr Jonathan McBurnie
Director, Rockhampton Museum of Art
When approached some time ago to write about an aspect of the collection held by the Rockhampton Museum of Art for the occasion of this publication, I had no idea that the following year I would be a part of the team at the stunning new space. It is an honour and a privilege to welcome you to the new space, and to our inaugural exhibitions. This publication, Forever Now ties in with our first collection-based exhibition in the new gallery, Welcome Home. The eagle-eyed will notice a few subtle differences between the two, most notably the thematic arrangement of the exhibition layout. The book you now hold will have a life that extends well past the exhibition period, and I know that it was the hope of my predecessor, the ineffable Bianca Acimovic, built it around the idea of bringing to life the many aspects of the collection through the commissioning of several essays which focus upon particular parts of the collection.
Regional galleries in Queensland operate under specific circumstances and, to a large extent, must be self-reliant. The distances in regional Queensland are pronounced, especially when developing touring exhibitions or bringing in artists from other states or overseas. Queensland is Australia’s second-largest state, encompassing just under one-quarter of its landmass. To put that into a global perspective, the state of Queensland is larger than all but sixteen countries. Travelling from Cairns to Townsville is a solid four-hour drive. From Townsville to Rockhampton, it’s closer to eight. It’s another seven to Brisbane. Rockhampton to Mount Isa s almost fifteen hours. And you still haven’t left Queensland. I think this is part of the reason why collections are such a crucial part of our cultural heritage. Often, we are so far away from what are typified as ‘cultural centres’ (an odious designation that reeks of privilege and self-congratulation if I ever heard one, and in need of putting down permanently; even the smallest, most remote communities can have astounding and complex cultural lives, as our Indigenous friends are showing us again and again) that we simply have to make do with what we have. Rockhampton has a distinguished legacy in this field, seemingly a breeding ground for mavericks, cowboys, nonconformists and iconoclasts. Rockhampton’s outstanding collection and its new gallery space are both a direct result of the efforts of these people, and as such I think they reflect Rockhampton quite accurately; old and new, tough-minded but friendly, and absolutely stunning built and natural environments.
In March 2019, during my time with the Townsville City Galleries team, we experienced the second-worst flood in Australia’s recorded history. Unfortunately, it took out the electricity at Pinnacles Gallery, where our works on paper collection (numbering over 2,000 works and the largest single part of the collection) was stored in climate-controlled conditions. Anybody who has experienced a serious summer monsoon knows that mould and paper are not friends, which prompted us to take immediate action. The storeroom was sealed with a plastic wall, with the snouts of dehumidifiers poking through taped-up holes. The dehumidifiers themselves were jimmied up to several generators while we scrambled for a more long-term solution. Fortunately, an unused archive room was found not too far away, and we were able to restore climate control to it. Over a weekend, we moved hundreds of solander boxes full of works from one store to another in pouring rain and knee-deep water. The operation was a success. Thanks to the team’s quick thinking, we were able to rescue the collection—in my opinion, one of the Gallery’s most significant collections—from destruction. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to save the Gallery itself from serious damage (it took some eighteen months for complete repair), but we saved the works on paper.
To many, this might sound like a strange priority to some—works on paper are frequently overlooked for the perceived prestige of painting. However, works on paper have historically been key to developing significant collections in many regional Queensland centres. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, they are generally more affordable than other media, which is a boon for galleries with a modest collection budget; several works on paper can often be acquired for the price of one painting or sculpture. Secondly, they are easy to store, which is hugely important to institutions constantly outgrowing themselves. Rockhampton has a dedicated philanthropic board and a lively record of acquisition, so planning for the future is vital. The gallery now has room to grow. How exciting for the Rockhampton community, and for art lovers all over, to be soon seeing their reimagined gallery, which will be the largest and best-appointed space in regional Queensland. Thirdly, acquiring works on paper, especially during a collection’s infancy, allows the collection to grow at an accelerated pace, and to eventually leverage donations and acquisitions that would not have been previously possible. And this is to say nothing of the artistic value of works on paper, which cannot be overstated. Queensland has a very rich history of artists working with paper, but this is perhaps for another discussion.
Scrolling through the database of the Rockhampton Museum of Art Collection (I am sure I don’t need to espouse the pleasures of accessing the collections of galleries; seeing treasures appear before your eyes and unexpected appearances of works can really get you thinking about future projects), I was greeted with a beautiful variety and depth to the works on paper collection. Now being a fully-fledged member of the Rockhampton team, I am thrilled with the potential of this collection extending far beyond the wall and into public programming, education and curatorial projects. Many of these are works by notable Australian artists—particularly, artists of the Central Queensland region—and I firmly believe holding works by local artists is an important and necessary part of a regional gallery’s mandate.
Thinking back to the flood, I do have the somewhat alarming feeling that this kind of thing is going to become more and more common, that it was just a taste of the challenges ahead. But I am certain that Queensland’s art collections, especially those in the regions, will require the kind of strength and fortitude that we are seeing right now in Rockhampton. Securing a new, purpose-built space is no small feat, and I am incredibly excited to be a part of this team, embarking on this next phase.
February 2022