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    Horsham Art Gallery curator Alison Eggleton and assistant Adele Rohrsheim digitally archive the gallery's collection.

Gallery uses digital technology to ensure permanent art collection

BY DYLAN DE JONG 

Horsham Regional Art Gallery is using digital scanning technology to create a permanent online record of significant Wimmera artworks through a State Government grant. 

The Creative Victoria grant, as part of a project called Victoria Regional Digitisation Roadshow, will enable the gallery to digitise its entire collection. 

The aim is to provide free online access to collections across the globe.



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Collections will include artworks produced in the Wimmera and Mack Jost’s collection of Australian paintings and works on paper.  

The gallery is one of six public galleries across Victoria invited to participate in the roadshow.  

As the gallery can only display a small portion of artwork at a time, digitisation of the Horsham collection means greater public access to its artworks. 

Completed in two stages, the government will firstly give the gallery access to highly specialised equipment to scan its 2D collections. A professional photographer will then document the gallery’s 3D and extra-large framed works. 

Horsham gallery director Brenda Wellman said she hoped moving Horsham’s collection online would create better access to pieces of historical significance in the Wimmera. 

“At the moment we are digitising the whole collection, going through our hundreds of works, scanning them and photographing them,” she said. 

“Moving through the COVID-19 shutdown, it’s really nice for us to be looking at Horsham’s collection.

“We’re looking at all of the heritage photographs and gorgeous photos of floods and things that have happened previously here.” 

Ms Wellman said as the gallery could only display a small portion of Horsham’s collection, digitisation was an important step forward. 

“Every gallery has more artwork than it can display at any given time,” she said.

“The percentage galleries display is usually less than five percent of their collection.

“Having it online and as a digital resource just makes it so much more accessible to people.

“Not only are they lovely things to look at and enjoy visually, but quite often they have historical or family connections that help to teach about different areas.” 

Stage two of photographing 3D works will start early this month. 

The digital files produced through the project will greatly increase the gallery’s image library. 

Key works from the collection will also be presented at Creative Victoria’s Victorian Collections website at victoriancollections.net.au

To view Horsham’s collection, people can go to www.horshamtownhall.com.au/exhibitions-whats-on/horsham-regional-art-gallery/collection.

The entire May 6, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!