S PR ING/S U MME R 2021― 22
A Conspicuous Object
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In 1849 The Maitland Mercury described the newly opened Maitland Hospital as ‘a conspicuous object’. Located on Campbell’s Hill, the front of the building faced towards town across the Mount Pleasant floodplain. Now, more than 170 years on – and imbued with a layered history – the time has come for a new Maitland Hospital to open to serve the needs of a growing community.
Health Infrastructure and Maitland City Council. The main objective of Collected Memory is to connect the Maitland community with the new hospital by realising a variety of heritage items and artworks in the public spaces of the new hospital. Art, history and health intertwine in the objects and works going on display, which aim to invite reflection and evoke community memories.
As part of the transition from the old to the new site in Metford in early 2022, and as an acknowledgment of the important role The Maitland Hospital has played in the local community through its history, the Collected Memory Project was initiated as a partnership between Hunter New England Local Health District,
Curated by Emeritus Cultural Director Joe Eisenberg, Collection Curator Cheryl Farrell, and historian Janis Wilton, the exhibition at MRAG, A Conspicuous Object – The Maitland Hospital, and its website (aconspicuousobject.com.au) are companions to the Collected Memory Project. For the exhibition, 10
