The Archibald Prize Packdown

Art Gallery of NSW team de-installing Adam Chang’s John Coetzee

Archibald Prize 2011 artworks being packed into traveling frames

Last Sunday 26 June was the final day of the 2011 Archibald Prize exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) – and the first day of its extended life as a regional touring exhibition. After all of the hype with the judging and announcement of the winner, and thousands of visitors marching through the exhibition space in Sydney, the Archibald Prize kicks on with full speed and momentum to regional audiences in wider New South Wales and Victoria. 

After the AGNSW closed its doors on Sunday night, Sarah-Jane Rennie and myself attended the exhibition packdown. It took 6 strong men from the gallery’s installation group, 2 from Museums & Galleries NSW team, 41 custom-built wooden traveling frames, several electric drills and tools, a scissor lift and 5 action-packed hours to demount, carefully store, seal and label every painting and ensure each artwork was snug and safe in its traveling frame to venture on.

Specifically, our primary role was to document the step-by-step process involved in packing and handling each individual artwork. These instructions are then written up and provided to each of the upcoming host venues of the Archibald Prize as a tour manual to facilitate the proper care of the works at each regional gallery.

The Archibald exhibition left its home at the crack of dawn on Monday morning and will be shown at 7 galleries over the next 11 months, providing access to approximately 50,000 additional visitors in regional NSW and Victoria.

2011 Archibald Prize Regional Tour Itinerary:

Tarrawarra Museum of Art                           2 July – 31 July 2011

Tweed River Art Gallery                                5 August - 11 September 2011
Moree Plains Gallery                                    17 September - 23 October 2011
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery                   28 October - 4 December 2011
Casula Powerhouse                                      9 December – 15 January 2012
Orange Regional Gallery                               20 January - 26 February 2012
Manning Regional Art Gallery                       2 March – 8 April 2012

For further information on the 2011 Archibald Prize touring exhibition and other touring exhibitions click here