The Collection's mission is to promote widely a greater understanding of people who experience mental illness and/or psychological trauma, and to foster an appreciation of their creativity through the preservation and ethical presentation of their original works.

The Cunningham Dax Collection consists of over twelve thousand creative works by people who have experienced mental illness and/or psychological trauma. This unique Collection is now one of the largest of its kind in the world with only two other collections of similar size.

HIGHLIGHTS

In recent years the Collection has undergone a change of direction that emerged out of a process of community consultation. This process was part of an 18-month project funded by the William Buckland Foundation, to develop the Collection into a community education resource making the works more accessible to the broader community. For most of its 60-year history the Collection has had a clinical focus and has been accessible mainly to health care students and professionals. The change in focus has enabled the Collection to develop into an invaluable educational resource.

In 2007, significant funding from philanthropic sources and the Victorian State Government has allowed the Collection to expand its operations to meet the increased demand from community groups and the education sector. The philanthropic sector grants are from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, the William Buckland Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation and the Myer Foundation.

ONSITE GALLERY

The onsite gallery in Parkville features over 100 works on public display. The increase in operations has resulted in the Collection opening to the public 3.5 days per week: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoon. The remainder of the Collection is also housed at the Collection in storage managed by Collections Manager, Anthony Fitzpatrick. Currently, five students from the Master of Arts in Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne are participating in a project to assess the conservation requirements of the works. Funded by a grant from Heritage Victoria, this project aims to undertake a conservation survey of the Collections 9,000 works on paper.

TOURING PROGRAM

The Collection has an active exhibition touring program with shows travelling to regional centres around Victoria and interstate. Recent touring exhibitions have included:

My Tsunami
An exhibition of works by children who experienced the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2005. The works show its aftermath and its impact on their lives. This exhibition was shown at the ACU Gallery in Fitzroy in 2006 and this year traveled to the Mary MacKillop Place Museum in Sydney in March 2007.

Outside In
This exhibition features the work of two Melbourne-based artists Graeme Doyle and Renee Sutton. This exhibition captures the role that art and creativity has played in the lives of these artists, both of whom have experienced mental illness. A DVD of the artists discussing their work accompanies this exhibition. First exhibited at the George Paton Gallery, Melbourne, this exhibition is touring to Ballarat in October 2007 and Swan Hill in February, 2008

Still-Lives - Between Creativity and Shadowland
This exhibition explores the experience of depression and mania. This exhibition has toured to seven regional galleries and been seen by over 20,000 people.

VISITING AND CONTACT

Visit the Cunningham Dax Collection website www.daxcollection.org.au

For further information regarding the Collection please contact us:

The Cunningham Dax Collection
35 Poplar Road, Parkville, 3052
Tel: 03 9342 2394
Fax: 03 9381 2008
admin@daxcollection.org.au

Opening Hours: Wed, Thurs, Fri (10am-4pm), Sat (1-4pm)