Rebecca Guest from Charles Nodrum Gallery

  

Rebecca Guest Gallery Manager of Melbourne based Charles Nodrum Gallery talks about life in the visual arts. Established in 1984, Charles Nodrum Gallery represents artists of national and international renown, and whose works are represented in major museums.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A ballerina

What did you become?
A gallery manager with a collection of old ballet shoes

What's your official title?
Gallery Manager

What's your background - how did you end up here?
I always loved art, so as a teenager I volunteered at the Horsham Regional Art Gallery – which was the only real source of art in the whole district. I then moved to Melbourne to study Fine Arts Painting at Monash University but was always much better at organising exhibitions than creating the artworks to go into them, so I decided to work in a gallery. At uni I was involved in the Fine Arts Student Union putting on exhibitions and was offered a part time job at the University Gallery when I finished my degree. I walked off the street and handed my CV into Charles Nodrum Gallery in 2000 and they took me on as gallery assistant – I have been here ever since. During my time with the Gallery I also completed a Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies at Deakin University.

How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
It’s really project management and sales. Making sure exhibitions run smoothly, on deadline and that everyone involved is happy with the end result.

What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
Figure out what deadlines are due that week or day and how I am going to get it done.

Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
The great thing about this job is that it varies so much. Working for a small company means that on any given day I could be packing an artwork, organising freight, planning next years calendar, discussing a painting with a client or designing the next catalogue.

Who or what in the arts world most inspires you?
For me it is the relationship between artists and collectors. Our artist’s create these personal objects that collectors analyse and if they feel connected to it, spend serious money and take it home to live with. It is a really strange and remarkable relationship to be in the middle of.

What's the toughest challenge you've dealt with on the job?
Trying to find a happy balance between what an artist wants and what is possible and practical to achieve.

What's the best piece of advice you were ever given for your career?
My mum always said to just do what you love and the rest will follow

What are the top three skills you need in your particular role?
Flexibility, people skills and patience

What's the best thing about your job?
Being around art all day

And the worst?
Wanting to buy all the art and take it home

If you had to sum your working life in a word or phrase, what would it be?
Fortunate

Tell us something unique about your gallery in 300 words or less
Established in 1984, Charles Nodrum Gallery represents artists of national standing, and whose works are represented in major museum collections.

The gallery’s list of represented artists embraces a diversity of media and styles – from painting, sculpture & works on paper to graphics & photography; from figurative, geometric and gestural; to expressionist, surrealist & social comment. As a whole the artists are a strong cross section of current contemporary practice, many regularly showing in curated exhibitions in public institutions and are finalists in major art prizes.

Prior to opening his own gallery, the Director, Charles Nodrum, worked at the Joseph Brown Gallery, 1971-4, represented and managed Christie’s in Melbourne, 1975-8, and worked as a principal researcher for Alan McCulloch for the expanded edition of his Encyclopedia of Australian Art, 1978-82. This background is the foundation of his strength in researching works of art and his extensive knowledge in Australian art history.

Charles Nodrum's personal interest for the abstract and alternative art movements from the 1950s through to the 1970s, is reflected in a comprehensive representation of artists and artworks of the period. Each year the gallery holds themed group exhibitions, which highlight the significance of this period as well as giving a broader context to these styles. The exhibitions are a mixture of works sourced from the artists, from private collectors, and from the galleries extensive stock.

Charles Nodrum is a member of the Australian Commercial Galleries Association and is a qualified valuer for all periods of Australian art with the Federal Government’s Ministry for the Arts. The gallery provides advice on collection management, regular valuations, and recommendations on conservation, framing and installation.