Artbank Staff Profile: Sigourney Jacks

Name: Sigourney Jacks               

Job Title: Registrar

What year did you join the Artbank team: 2021

Describe your role and what you enjoy about working for Artbank:
As Registrar, I coordinate the safe transportation of artworks for clients and new acquisitions, and manage Artbank’s Gallery loans program.

My day-to-day work involves liaising with clients, specialist art transporters, handlers and installers to obtain quotes and coordinate logistics. I also work closely with our Collections Officer to condition report, pack and move artworks for dispatch and return.

Through the Gallery Loans program, artworks from the Artbank collection are loaned to public exhibitions across Australia and internationally. I enjoy working with galleries to support artists and help their work reach new audiences and contexts.

One of the things I value most about working at Artbank is our closeness to the collection. From my desk in the Collingwood office, I can look up and see works by artists such as Bronwyn Bancroft, Marion Borghelt and Jeffrey Smart. Because the collection is constantly moving, there is always something new to discover, and I am continually finding new favourite works and learning about different artists.

Favourite artwork from the Artbank Collection: #13697, David McDiarmid, Disco Kwilt, c.1980

Short explanation of your artwork selection:
I could not go past Disco Kwilt, the only work by David McDiarmid in the Artbank collection. Throughout his career, McDiarmid used kitsch, dark humour and unconventional materials to create powerful, engaging works that brought attention to important social movements, including gay liberation, feminist politics and the AIDS crisis.

Made while McDiarmid was living in New York, Disco Kwilt captures the energy and movement of underground nightclubs. Its holographic adhesive tape mimics the shifting lights of a club and creates an active exchange with the viewer. As you move past the work, your body is reflected in the mirrored surface, creating a sense of movement and almost a dance between viewer and artwork.