Feature Article
DR STEFANO CARBONI - a Gallery in need of massive repairs, and a shrinking budget have not deterred the new Director of the Art Gallery of WA who relishes the challenges ahead.
After just one week into the role of new Director of the Art Gallery of WA, Stefano Carboni admitted to his first week being 'confusing, of course'. He had driven to work for the first time without becoming lost and said jokingly he hoped he could get back home. In a new position in a new country, he is finding his way very quickly. 'The most important thing at the moment is to meet a lot of people, and for people to meet me so I can get a feel for the Gallery structure and the city itself. In the end it's all about Western Australia.' While
Dr Carboni finds his feet, one thing is clear - he is here to help.
Dr Stefano Carboni. Photo courtesy the Art Gallery of WA
Born in Venice, he has held the position of Curator and Administrator of the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 2005, having held curatorial positions there since 1992. He has a PhD in Islamic Art and Archaeology and a BA/MA in Arabic Language, and has lectured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the USA. He is the author of ten books and forty articles, with his major exhibition Venice and the Islamic world 828-1797 ranked one of the five best exhibitions in 2007 by the Wall Street Journal, and the catalogue for his 2002 exhibition The Legacy of Genghis Khan, Art and Culture in Western Asia 1258-1356 won the prestigious Alfred H Barr Prize. In addition to being fluent in Italian and English, he speaks, reads and/or writes classical and modern Arabic, colloquial Egyptian, Russian, French and Spanish. Dr Carboni has also played a role in international art issues, being a key member of the team of directors, curators and conservators who proposed action regarding the looting of Iraq's artistic heritage and its dispersal after the occupation of Iraq by the USA in 2003.
The new appointment follows an extensive Australian and international search to replace previous Director Alan Dodge who retired last December. Art Gallery of WA Chair Helen Cook said Dr Carboni has an outstanding background. 'The Board and I are thrilled with this significant appointment and the opportunity to bring an internationally acclaimed curator, art historian, administrator, teacher and author to lead the Art Gallery of WA. Dr Carboni will bring a fresh and truly international perspective and vision to the Gallery and the Western Australian art community.'
In an isolated city with a Gallery building in need of major repairs, an ever shrinking budget, and a raft of issues ahead, what exactly brought Stefano Carboni to Western Australia? For starters, his wife of Russian descent comes from Victoria, and he has been visiting Australia for the past decade becoming fascinated with the environment and Australian collections, in particular Aboriginal art. During this time he has gathered connections with academics and curators around the country. His appointment, he said, happened quite quickly.
The facade of the Art Gallery of WA which Dr Carboni says in uninviting. Photo courtesy the Art Gallery of WA.
'From a strictly professional point of view I'd grown as a curator in one of the greatest institutions in the world and that allows you not only to grow in your own field of specialisation, but also in general as a manager - you have to do fundraising, you have to look at the budget of the department, you have to talk to trustees and possible sponsors, so I felt, especially after I had finished a very big project (Venice and the Islamic world 828-1797), which was in many ways was the largest project I have been involved with, I was at the top of my career at The Met, and the only possible step forward would be not a curatorial job, and I could have settled in to my job there easily, but I felt it was time for me age wise, experience wise and the right moment in my career to serve a museum, or art gallery as you say here, in a different capacity, more as a leader who can bring energy and creativity to the role. Coming to Australia was also appealing to be near my wife's family.'
In Australia at the beginning of this year to lecture at a symposium at the University of Melbourne Stefano happened to see the position advertised, sending a short email with his CV to 'head hunters' in Sydney asking if they were interested in his background. With just a few days left of his visit to Australia, a contact person from Sydney flew to Melbourne to meet him. 'Often these are matches which are made in heaven,' he said. 'You sometimes find from the beginning it works, and it was like this throughout the process.'
'It will take a few months before the whole family (he has two children aged five and seven) settles, but we are excited. I'm certainly coming to the Gallery with commitment, and to try to help as much as I can.'
'Helping' involves a gamut of issues from making the Gallery more inviting for the public and local artists, to creative ways of garnering sponsors, to the refurbishment of the Gallery building, as well as finding a balanced relationship with the Board of the Art Gallery of WA, the new Minister for Planning, Culture and the Arts John Day, various agencies and departments, peers, and staff.
On his long wish list is a desire to engage the local art community and to improve the Gallery building which he calls 'uninviting.' The building, first opened in October 1979, is showing its age. Stefano said only the most urgent of repairs had been attended to in recent times. He would like to see the whole building reclad, and the outside walls used for light shows, and LED screens acting as a beacon to draw people to its location. He is also exploring the roof terrace of the building as a possible location for special opening events, instead of using the main concourse.
Earlier reports that he called the building a 'fortress' are untrue, but he says it's a good image when you look at the building from the outside. 'It's a good location, but the logistics of the building are not ideal. You never face the entrance of the Gallery when you get to it, you have to look at it from the side. It's not obvious what the building is, and I think we should correct this. There are different ways to approach the problem. The concourse is ideal for large sculptural works, of which there are many in the collection, but at present it is difficult to show them when the area is used for events.' He also plans to bring more sculpture from the collection to the area outside the building as another way of drawing people into the space. 'Obviously there are other stakeholders within the Cultural Centre and we have to strike a balance.'
There are many things to put before the new Minister, he says. In an unusual coincidence, both are new to their position. 'In a way, coming from outside, not knowing anything, and pretending not to know any- thing,' he says with a smile, 'is a good thing for me because I can be naive, and go to the Minister and ask, I don't care about the bureaucratic steps. The Minister is also obviously feeling his way. He is a good politician, so obviously he cannot commit to anything yet. I gained a very good impression of him when we met, he was engaged and listened to what we said. He praised the Board and in general what the Gallery is doing because we are actively thinking about ways not only to improve the Gallery itself, but to interact with other institutions. I hope he will continue to listen, and at some point we can move to the next phase which is asking, and getting, what we can. This is only one step, and it will be slow, slower than I'd hoped. I know I have to be patient, and I'm not very patient! He is also Minister for Planning, which is a good thing when you think about the Northbridge redevelopment.'
The financial health of the Gallery is an area on which he cannot fully comment as yet, suffice to say, 'have you ever heard of a director say he is happy about the budget? Obviously I wish we had much more cash flow, and I wish the government would give us a much bigger budget to do as many things as we can, but this is not the reality. We need to put together a budget to ask the Minister for what we need. It is different from earlier times. Now we have to fight for everything, and we need to be aggressive.'
When asked of his experience in garnering sponsorship as Curator and Administrator of Islamic Art in New York Stefano said each of the eighteen curatorial departments at The Met, of which he was head of one, are little cities within the institution, all as independent as possible within the structure, securing their own funding for projects. 'The Met being a private institution lobbies across many areas for sponsorship including state and federal government and corporate bodies. Each department may have a network of supporters around the world, who may be directors of other institutions or individuals, but who pay an annual membership, and can also be called upon to assist in enabling special projects through their own contacts.'
Fundraising with individuals is the most common source of support in America with corporate sponsorship a poor second. 'You need to be creative,' says Stefano. 'It's not only about going around Western Australia, but maybe also looking at successful Western Australians who have settled abroad and making them proud of giving something back to Western Australia. It's an idea, and I think we should take a novel approach to fundraising. Obviously it's different here from America, and I will be fully appraised as to the way fundraising is done here. We have officers here who can teach me a lot about it, and I will be a good pupil!'
John Day, the new Minister for Planning, Culture and the Arts, just as the new Director of the Art Gallery of WA, is meeting as many people as possible to gain a fuller understanding of his role.
For his part, Minister for Planning, Culture and the Arts John Day is also still adjusting to his new role. He said, 'Colin Barnett rang me in my electorate office to ask me to take on the Planning and Culture and the Arts portfolios. The Premier explained that he saw the two portfolios as having a natural fit, considering the significant infrastructure planning currently underway for new or upgraded cultural facilities in WA. Since then I have been meeting with organisations and individuals involved in the culture and arts arena and have been exposed to a vast array of exciting performances, productions and exhibitions.'
'I am well on my way to getting a thorough under- standing of the issues faced by WA's culture and arts community. I look forward to making a valuable contribution to help ensure Western Australia continues to evolve both culturally and artistically.'
John Day welcomed the new Director at the Western Australian Indigenous Awards in late October at the Gallery, Dr Carboni's first official function. In his speech Minister Day acknowledged the deep and wide-ranging understanding of art heritage the new Director will add to the further development of the Art Gallery of Western Australia as an institution which celebrates and collects significant contemporary, historical and Indigenous art.
'I have met with Dr Carboni and the Board of the Art Gallery of WA and am impressed by their commitment to improving the Gallery. I look forward to working closely with them over the coming years.'