Drop by and get a glimpse of all the work that goes on behind the scenes at the U of L Art Gallery as they host an Open House, Oct. 13-16.
"We invite everyone to come and see what we do to care for artworks in the collection. Gallery staff can answer your questions, you can find out about our latest conservation project and try out our new website and research database," says Dr. Josephine Mills, director/curator. "We'll also launch the new publication Snap, Crackle, Pop."
If you've ever wondered why you are not supposed to touch artwork, this is your opportunity to find out.
"We'll have stations set up with several options for looking at works, materials and images of the conservation process. It'll give people a sense of the scope of the assessment and treatment for conservation as well as our general gallery operations," says Mills. "It will also help people understand the how the Art Gallery supports Art History/Museum Studies students."
Gallery preparator, Jane Edmundson, looks forward to showing visitors the processes used in the Gallery's conservation project.
"Many works in the collection, such as watercolours, drawings and prints are done on paper," she says. "Our job involves repairing and stabilizing the works using the most up-do-date techniques. These methods often change or evolve over time. For example, we now have a new framing procedure. Many of the works in the U of L collection are very old and we do our best to preserve them by integrating new conservation processes."
The new digital collection database provides students, researchers and the curious with a means to learn about all the work in the collection.
"The complete art collection is now viewable online. The database has more than 13,000 catalogued works, making it one of the most impressive in Canada," says Edmundson.
Times for the Art Gallery Open House are: Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit the Art Gallery website at www.uleth.ca/artgallery