The Johnston Collection
Year in Review
2020 - 2021
TJC - LOOKING FORWARD
image credit: THE REAL DEAL | William Johnston: His Residence & Collection, 2012, photography Adam Luttick, Luts Photography
WHAT WE DO
It was William Johnston’s intention that Fairhall be regularly rearranged and since it was first opened to the public in 1990, a regular program of re-installation and interventions of the permanent collection was established with creative individuals with a background in architecture, design, art, interiors, fashion and antiques, invited to rearrange (or ‘guest curate’) The Johnston Collection. From this three distinct annual exhibition series have emerged.
CHRISTMAS AT THE JOHNSTON COLLECTION
Each year since 2004 The Johnston Collection has commissioned makers from a different region of Victoria to create new works inspired by aspects of the Collection, or relating to the life of William Johnston, or by Christmas itself.
Christmas at The Johnston Collection encourages artists to challenge traditional practice and to push the boundaries of contemporary making. This exhibition offers an ‘inspired’ interpretation of the Collection.
WILLIAM JOHNSTON AND HIS COLLECTION
In this series individuals from the wider community are invited to rearrange Fairhall, generally using only the items in the Collection. William Johnston and his Collection series offers a ‘traditional’ interpretation of the Collection.
image credit: detail of William Johnston outside 14 King William Walk, Greenwich (date unknown) photograph by and courtesy of Laurie Carew. Image manipulation by Hannah Kerr | The Letter Q
JUBILATION: Diamond & Pearls
(1 December 2020 - 23 February 2021)
As part of our continuing ‘inspired by’ series, Alison Cole and Yvonne Walton co-curated JUBILATION, featuring works from members of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria.
The co-curators hand-picked some impressive contributions from Guild embroiderers who exhibited work from over fifteen years or so of Christmas exhibitions at The Johnston Collection.
JUBILATION | Diamonds & Pearls featured works by members from among the 11 Branches and one Country Group of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria. These will be seen along with works from the Guild’s collection of textiles from Australia and abroad collected over some sixty years and an array of new works made especially for our annual ‘inspired by’ show.
Join us as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the public opening of Fairhall.
The Johnston Collection encourages challenges to traditional making, thinking, and practice, through contemporary responses to the Collection, along with more traditional responses that reflect historical techniques, materials, and making.
image credit: Mandy Ginsberg, Christmas tree party hat, 2020 Photography Adam Luttick, Luts Photography
OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION: Stories of Love
WILLIAM JOHNSTON: His Residence & Collection
(9 March – 16 November 2021)
Fairhall, and its collection, was bequeathed with love by William Johnston to the people of Victoria.
OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION was a memorable opportunity to see objects gathered over a lifetime with affection by William Johnston and rearranged to create an English Georgian-inspired domestic interior in his beloved East Melbourne house, Fairhall.
OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION: Stories of love celebrated the 30th anniversary of Fairhall opening to the public on 19 November 1990.
image credit: detail Fairhall The Green Drawing Room
photography Adam Luttick, Luts Photography
LECTURES & STUDY SERIES
TJC adapted to the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns. For the remainder of 2020 and the first half of 2021, TJC remodelled the on-site lecture series to online programming. While we were disappointed that we could not welcome visitors onsite, we were delighted at the high numbers of online attendance at our virtual lectures.
We were still able to present 42 lectures and study series, with many lectures reaching up to 100 participants.
See Appendix 5 for a full list of our 2020/2021 Lectures and Study Series program.
image credit: National Portrait Gallery, courtesy of Kenneth Park
STUDY SERIES | AROUND THE WORLD WITH KENNETH PARK
Kenneth Park's twelve-part virtual lecture series allowed visitors to travel across the globe from the comfort of their own homes during lockdown.
image credit: Nice, courtesy of Kenneth Park
FOR THE LOVE OF EUROPE'S EAST WITH KENNETH PARK
Kenneth Park took us to Budapest, Bucharest and Instanbul in this three-part virtual series exploring the Eastern countries of Europe.
image credit: Philip de Laszlo (1867-1937), Portrait of Olga, Queen of the Hellenes (née Grand Duchess of Russia; grand-mother of the Duke of Edinburgh), 1914, Oil on canvas, Private Collection.
FOR THE LOVE OF MUSEUM WITH KENNETH PARK
Kenneth Park took us to Boston, Chicago & Washington DC for this three-part lecture about museums.
image credit: Chicago, courtesy Kenneth Park
LOVE STORIES WITH SUSANNAH FULLERTON
In response to the COVID-19 Melbourne lockdown and the cancellation of on-site lectures, TJC initiated virtual lectures. The first of these were presented by Susannah Fullerton, writer and President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia and Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, which focused on English literary figures.
image credit: still from Tess of the D'Urbervilles, BBC (2008)