S.T. Gill and the Colonial World: British prints expert Sheila O'Connell comes to Melbourne

In collaboration with the British Museum, and in partnership with the State Library of Victoria, the Faculty of Arts is excited to announce the S.T. Gill and the Colonial World conference, presented by the Australian Institute of Art History.

Taking place on July 17 & 18, the conference will present a series of papers and discussions focusing on the art, life and times of the 19th century Australian artist S.T. Gill.

The keynote lecture for the conference, 'George Cruikshank: S.T. Gill and the Colonial World Conference', will be delivered by Sheila O'Connell, who has been curator of British prints before 1880 at the British Museum since 1990. Sheila worked in the Department of Prints and Drawings as a Research Assistant from 1979 to 1985 and then spent a year as Paul Mellon Fellow at the Yale Center for British Art before returning to the U.K. where she was a curator at the Bar Convent Museum, York, and Kenwood House, London. She has published articles in Print Quarterly, The Burlington Magazine, The Age of Johnson, and Publishing History, and is a member of the Council of the London Topographical Society. In 2016 Sheila will take over as editor of the Society's annual publications. She is also curatorial adviser to Dr Johnson's House, a trustee of the William Hogarth Trust and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

The Faculty of Arts is excited to welcome Sheila O'Connell to Melbourne in continuation of the learning partnership between the Faculty of Arts and the British Museum.

The Harold Wright scholarship, offered annually by the Faculty of Arts, allows holders to carry out an intensive study of prints at the British Museum, London, for a period of up to twelve months. Harold Wright was an authority on prints with a world-wide reputation. In addition to academic honours and other marks of recognition, his advice was sought by almost every major art gallery with a department of prints. A rare and privileged, appointment, previous recipients of the scholarship are now in museums and galleries throughout Australia. Kirsty Grant, current Director and CEO of Heide Museum of Modern Art, was a worthy recipient of the prestigious Harold Wright Scholarship in 2005.

The S.T. Gill and the Colonial World conference is presented in association with the State Library of Victoria's exhibition Australian Sketchbook: Colonial life and the art of S.T. Gill. The exhibition will be presented from July 17 - October 25, 2015.

If you would like to learn more about donations and making a gift towards scholarships in the Faculty of Arts, please visit our Make a Gift web page.