Tertiary

With this program, The Dax Centre offers an exclusive opportunity for students to go behind the scenes in an operational gallery.

The Behind the Scenes: Curation and Conservation tour encourages students to critically engage with the heritage-listed Cunningham-Dax Collection, explore the curatorial processes behind our exhibitions, and learn about risk and conservation techniques.  

Students are encouraged to flex their institutional critique muscles and engage in thoughtful discussion about our exhibitions and the purpose our collection.  

We pose questions like: 

• What is the purpose and value of the collection within the contemporary arts landscape and the community? 

• What curatorial considerations do we need to make when working with artists with lived experience of mental illness? 

• How do we decide whether an artwork is in good enough condition to exhibit to the public? 

This tour is designed get your students thinking – about the unique place of The Dax Centre within the contemporary arts landscape, the stakeholders and policy involved, the value of the collection within the community, and the nonprofit arts sector at large and its role within society. 

The Behind the Scenes program includes:

• A guided tour of our current exhibition with an overview of the history of The Dax Centre (1 hour)
• Access to the curatorial working spaces and storage facilities housing the Cunningham Dax Collection (45 min)
• A guided conservation activity which explores the agents of deterioration and condition reporting (15 min)

Attending the Dax with a large group? Explore The Dax Centre at your own pace. View a range of artworks within our current exhibitions to gain a broader understanding of mental health. The Dax Centre provides an opportunity to hear real life stories, raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues. Please refer to the Current Exhibitions page for more information regarding the current artworks on display. Bookings are required for all self-guided groups