Enquiries: lwag@uwa.edu.au or 08 6488 3707

Out of the Boxes and Into the Desert features extraordinary artworks that have been in storage at the Berndt Museum for many years. Bringing these artworks to exhibition standard has required close attention to their conservation and preparation.

Join conservator Michael Houston to learn some of the stories behind preparing this exhibition.

Image: Opening night, Out of the Boxes and into the Desert, Berndt Museum. Photograph by Ilkka K Photography.

Painting conservator Michael Houston worked within the commercial Indigenous art industry for nearly a decade. He possesses extensive exposure to, and understanding of, Indigenous Australian painting practice both traditional and contemporary in nature. He completed a Masters of Cultural Material Conservation with Dean’s honours from the University of Melbourne in 2014. In 2018 he was tasked with completion of the final objective of the Berndt Museum Storage Improvement Project, entailing the stabilisation and preparation for storage/display of over 150 canvas paintings.