#MUSEUMFROMHOME

#MuseumFromHome

As the National Gallery remained closed to the public due to COVID-19, staff quickly adapted to running the institution while working from home, writes Keren Nicholson.

On a Friday in March, many Gallery staff loaded the contents of our desks onto trolleys, departed through the staff entrance and headed home to set up our new temporary offices: on dining tables, in lounge rooms, on balconies. Some borrowed library books, and those of us who were really on our game borrowed office chairs. The IT department became our new best friends. Since then the Gallery has been (mostly) delivered to you from our homes in various parts of the country, including Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide and Darwin. Some staff remained; essential personnel continued to work behind our closed doors – to keep the national collection secure, to conduct major conservation treatments on works that rarely come off display and to continue to build new public spaces for you to enjoy in the future. We adapted to a new normal: we shifted exhibitions to online, we educated our children while managing full-time work, and we physically worked alongside our families and of course our beloved pets. Importantly, for all of us, we know that these times will change us. We are both challenged and enlightened – we’ve stretched our communication muscles, our work processes are altered forever and our relationships have been tested.

Here, five staff talk about their experience.

Annie O’Hehir Curator of Photograph y

I’ve worked at the NGA for … too long possibly! I worked in the Library years ago which I loved.

I used to come to the Gallery in the early days. Seeing a Diane Arbus photo for the first time, it blew my socks off.

My daily #WFH routines are … I am keeping regular working hours a bit more successfully than I might have thought. I wander around the garden then get straight to work. I have more time for doing things I like — yoga and my Zen Chi machine.

My COVID-19 isolation buddies are … the Gallery’s Exhibitions Designer Jing and her husband Kevin are staying with me while their house is getting built. Their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel McKinley is here too. We think he might be needing some ‘me time’. Last night he slept in the loungeroom by himself. Having access to a dog all day to hug and talk to is excellent.

The pandemic has taught me … that our need to control the world doesn’t always work out. The knowledge that so many people are suffering in so many ways is confronting. Hopefully, it is the beginning of a big change in how we are on this planet so that we can heal it and ourselves.

Wayne Duroux General Maintenance Officer

I’ve worked at the NGA since … January 2019.

I wanted to work for the NGA because …

I wanted to be part of an organisation that is highly respected and to undertake a role that is challenging.

My daily #WFH routines are … not that different. I am actually still on site at the Gallery to undertake essential work. My work entails ensuring that the Gallery is maintained and ready to accept visitors and those staff who have been working from home upon re-opening.

I’m currently working on … reviewing the slate and concrete areas that surround the building and Sculpture Garden to ensure they are clean and safe for access when the Gallery reopens.

The pandemic has taught me … not being able to visit family members in person and the effect of the social isolation rules in regards to funerals and weddings has impacted on me.

When this is over, I’m looking forward to…

visiting my family members, and those who are elderly and vulnerable.

Maryanne Voyazis Head of Developm ent, Executive Director NGAFoundation

I’ve worked at the NGA for … approximately 200 years! I started in the shop in 1997 during Rembrandt: A Genius and his Impact. I ducked out to work at the Embassy in Washington DC and returned to the Gallery in 2007.

My daily #WFH routines are … I love to get up in time to go for a walk to see the world waking up. Then it’s home to get ready for the day, including getting our little 6-year-old Olympia sorted – with fingers firmly crossed that there will be some level of learning that HAS to be an improvement on the previous day. A cup of coffee signals the start of my workday at 9am. From then on, it’s a jumble of Skype meetings and home learning activities. I am incredibly grateful for my mother-in-law and Zoom.

My COVID-19 isolation buddies are … Olympia and my husband Fred – a deeply talented songwriter and storyteller who moonlights as a diplomat. Yesterday, he was outside doing weights and squats, using Olympia as a 20kg koala on his back to increase resistance. A delightful memory to take away from this time. I could not hope for better isolation buddies. The pandemic has taught me … that kindness matters. Generosity matters. I got a thumbs up as I attempted a run yesterday and felt so encouraged. I love to see the kindness and compassion that people are showing to one another. I hope this is one of those lessons we can all carry forward.

Simon Underschultz Sp ecial Collections Officer, Research Library and Archives

I’ve worked at the NGA for … seven years.

I wanted to work for the NGA because… I wanted a job in the GLAM sector (Galleries Libraries Archives Museums).

My daily #WFH routines are … stepping around my dog, Shadow, on my way down the hall is the only traffic I face now. I’ve learned to navigate the world of Skype meetings and video calls. My partner and I have lunch on the front lawn — lovely weather in Canberra this time of year — and I get through the afternoon one cup of tea at a time.

My favourite part of #WFH is … being close to my partner, and my dog Shadow. It’s also a good excuse to get through a backlog of work that’s been piling up over the years.

My COVID-19 isolation buddies are … I’m lucky to have my own workspace—a lovely office with natural light and a big colourful work of abstract art hung above my desk to gaze up at. My partner’s working in the room behind me, but other than Shadow’s snoring and the odd conference call, it’s pretty quiet. The pandemic has taught me … how important it is for us to look out for each other.

One of my favourite works in the collection is …

The origin of the Milky Way 1964 by Janet Dawson. It is no secret that I love abstract art and this work is a sublime example. I could just sit and stare at it all day. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint’s works. They are portals into another plane of existence.

Ellie Misios righ ts and permissions officer

I’ve worked at the NGA for … 18 months. It is my dream job because it aligns with my Masters in Cultural Heritage & Museum Studies, as well as my personal ethics around supporting the economic and legal rights of artists and creators.

My daily #WFH routines are … I like to wake up early and start my working day before anyone else is online! I’ve also been taking a selfie in my ‘work outfit’ each day to make a photo essay of my time working from home. My housemate Ings is studying her Masters, so I have a desk buddy which is great. When I go back to the office I’m going to miss our chai in the sunshine after lunch and our stroll around the wicking beds.

My COVID-19 isolation buddies are … Ings and my partner Ray. We share a cute 60’s brick house that Ray and I bought last year. We also have our beloved hens Greg Steele, Becky and Lil Wain. Our tjanpi papa (dog, pictured) by Margaret Smith was a farewell gift from Ray’s last workplace, and she keeps me company in the studio during the day.

The pandemic has taught me … that there’s still a lot for us to learn. I’m actually grateful that there has been an opportunity for the people in power across the globe to see how fragile the dominating systems are, and that our reliance upon unsustainable practices is flawed.

One of my favourite works in the collection is…

Albert Namatjira (Western Aranda people), Sunset in Orminston Gorge 1939. The luminescence in this work gets me every time. It’s so peaceful and powerful at the same time.