The Brookes Study Centre for Fine and Decorative Arts

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The Brookes Study Centre for Fine and Decorative Arts is a unique hub of learning and mentoring based at The Johnston Collection. The Centre was established through the generous support of The Sir Wilfred and C H (Roger) Brookes Charitable Trust (via Perpetual IMPACT Philanthropy Application Programs) to enhance skills, knowledge, and career development opportunities for emerging art curators, scholars, and makers, and enable new audiences to experience historic objects and collections. 

Centre activities have included: object-based learning, internships, bespoke curriculum-linked museum visits, career mentoring, symposia, online and in-person lectures, networking, and free/low cost events for students. Outcomes have included: new collaborative projects that connect industry and academia, enhanced career opportunities for students, development of age-diverse audiences, and greater public awareness of the importance of cultural heritage. 

The Centre was named in honour of Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes (1929-2020) — philanthropist and collector — whose significant collection of early silver, ceramics, furniture, and other objects is housed at The Johnston Collection. 

For further information about Centre activities, please contact: hello@johnstoncollection.org or (03) 9416 2515. 

EVENTS

PAST EVENTS
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'Ecstatic about seaweed': eighteenth-century women tourists' scientific collecting with Dr Emma Gleadhill
Saturday 15 Mar 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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‘Only a lock of hair’: Love, mourning and memory with Dr Angela Hesson
Thursday 30 Jan 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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British Art Ceramics: By Design and Example with Dr Andrew Montana
Thursday 31 Jul 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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Collecting Embroidery & Needlework: Starting a collection with Alison Cole
Wednesday 19 Feb 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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Curatorial Conversations: Curating Fashion with Katie Somerville
Saturday 17 May 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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Decorating Government House: Exploring the Interiors of Victoria’s Vice-Regal Residence with Dr Nicole Davis
Friday 16 May 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
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From Needs to Desires: The 18th-century Demand For Beautiful Objects with Genine Wallinga
Wednesday 28 May 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
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Furnishing nobility: The art of the cassone with Dr Callum Reid
Friday 7 Feb 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
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Keeping Up Appearances: Curators and the Australian historic house museum interior with Suzanne Bravery
Thursday 8 May 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
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Lecture & Object Handling | The Corset: Facts, Legacies and Misconceptions with Dr Sarah Bendall
Saturday 8 Feb 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Lecture and Object Handling: Understanding Eighteenth-Century Textiles with Annabel Westman
Friday 14 Nov 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Melbourne Rare Book Week Lecture | Rare and Revealing: Collecting Georgette Heyer’s Novels with Dr Jennifer Kloester
Saturday 26 Jul 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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Online Lecture | Curatorial Insights: Restoration of the Kings Apartments at Hampton Court Palace with Annabel Westman
Wednesday 30 Apr 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
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Online Lecture | The Upholsterers’ Challenge: From Dumfries House to Harewood House with Annabel Westman
Wednesday 25 Jun 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
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Swagger Special Interest Tour: Walk and Talk with Curator Dr Paola Di Trocchio and Designers Max Bell and Cuong Nguyen
Friday 13 Jun 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
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Swagger: The State of Contemporary Menswear with Dr Paola Di Trocchio and Designers Max Bell and Cuong Nguyen
Saturday 14 Jun 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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Taking Travel Home: an introduction to five British women Grand Tourists with Dr Emma Gleadhill
Saturday 30 Aug 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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The Flàneur: the Dandy of 19th century Paris with Sylvia Sagona
Wednesday 25 Jun 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
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The Lives of an 18th-Century Man’s Coat with Paola di Trocchio
Saturday 3 May 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM