Open Day!... and the hard questions to open my mind

The last few weeks have been very busy getting ready for the Gallery's Open Day tomorrow (Sunday Oct 27 2012). This coincides with the local town's Fair Day.While I have still been fixing up the Brett Whiteley ed kits (emailing them to Alec George at the Brett Whiteley studio for his thumbs up/ suggestions) and generating questions to ask Wendy Whiteley for her interview (film to be shown in the Gallery's foyer for the duration of the show), it has also been very exciting to see all the inner-workings, gearing up for the Gallery's biggest Open Day of the year.

Back to the Wendy Whiteley questions - I am finding this very difficult!
How do you ask questions to the ex-wife of a late artist (who died in his prime), on topics such as his processes, his emotional state when creating, influences and love of water, wildlife, travel (the themes our exhibition is based on)? How do you be sensitive  but also questioning enough to allow her to speak openly about his works (when much of it would probably be quite upsetting).
I have not been able to really focus on this task, as I don't know Wendy personally. I have heard that she is a very strong willed woman... But who am I to generate these questions which I feel may be intrusive? I have no journalism training, so I don't know how to approach this and have done what I can. I have relayed my feelings to my supervisor and I was surprised to know that she feels much the same....

But for now, the focus is on the Open Day tomorrow! Everyone is invited, there will be performances by Ruark Lewis, Wild Ones - Art and Designer market stalls, kids activities and much more...

I hope to see you there!

... And now for some Whiteley!

With the Ruark Lewis exhibition well under way, all educational resources completed and public programs (including a fantastic audience participatory work - Catscradle) in full swing, my attention is fully on the Brett Whiteley education kit. I still have around five weeks till the Whiteley show opens, but it will be such a blockbuster exhibition for this regional gallery that the pressure is on.

Luckily writing this kit has been much easier than the Lewis kit, whose work can be challenging to write about for younger audiences (and the title of many of his works change with each display!). I have also been fortunate of the generosity of Alec George from the Brett Whiteley Studio, AGNSW. As the show at our Gallery is in association with the Studio, he has been quite generous to share resources, meaning I could use some info from existing Brett Whiteley Studio/ AGNEW education kits, not having to re-invent the wheel. There is such an air of excitement around this exciting exhibition... I am constantly talking it up to my students and am excited to be able to take them on an excursion to view it just before the Christmas holidays.


I don't know if it is the warmer weather; the fact that I just submitted the draft of my research paper; that I only have five more Saturdays left 'til I complete my internship; or that I am just so excited to be working on a Whiteley show (after years of being inspired by his practice and transferring this to my students), but I feel a strong sense of calm for the first time in a long time... This has been an amazingly challenging experience, but I will be happy come November 15.

Brett Whiteley The pink heron 1969 (detail) Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gift of Patrick White 1979 copyright Wendy Whiteley