Artworks at the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature

One aim of the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature (NCACL) is to collect, preserve and exhibit the work of Australian picture book artists, and the centre holds an impressive collection of works by artists such as May Gibbs, Bob Graham, Narelle Oliver, Graeme Base, Julie Vivas, Shaun Tan, and Alison Lester. Artists are able to donate their art to the centre under the Cultural Gifts Program, assured that the works will be carefully catalogued and archived for preservation, or for future public exhibitions of the artist’s work.

During my internship at NCACL, I had the privilege to work with volunteers Max and Sharon to process the late Narelle Oliver’s art from her picture book, Dancing the Boom Cha-Cha Boogie.

The process begins by sorting the material according to a linear creative process; research, preliminary artworks, and final artworks, and each section of material is sorted and arranged according by the order that it appears in the published book. The artwork is then carefully described, recorded and catalogued in an art framework; which is required for archival purposes, can be accessed by centre users for research, and is also used in determining the value of a donation under the Cultural Gifts Program. Finally, the artworks are prepared for archiving, damaging tape and blue-tack is removed, and the art placed in specialised archival-quality covers.

Whilst undertaking this project, Max was finalising Narelle Oliver’s artwork for Fox and Fine Feathers, Sharon was working on Alison Lester’s Running with the Horses, and Max even let me have a peep at the latest donation from Bob Graham including works from Home in the Rain, The Posey Ring and a yet unpublished book! Needless to say, I was beside myself with excitement. It is humbling to see the artwork from such beloved books in real life, and it is only when you see the sheer volume of work that goes into creating each illustration that one can truly appreciate the talent of these artists.

The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature has a tremendous collection of artworks, the frameworks of which can be accessed online in the Research Materials branch of the NCACL website. Better yet, follow NCACL on Facebook or Twitter, organise a personal visit to the centre to see these artworks in person, or get along to their next public exhibit!