Join curator and writer Kelly Gellatly, and influential artist-goldsmith Robert Baines for a conversation about BAINZ JEWLZ. The evening will offer insights into Baines’ celebrated gold and silversmithing practice that is underpinned by extensive research in the field of archaeometallurgy.

Robert Baines OAM is widely regarded as Australia’s foremost artist-goldsmith expert. He is an internationally recognised artist, a leading scholar in archaeometallurgy and a prominent voice in contemporary craft. In 2010, the Australian Design Centre named Baines a Living Treasure: Master of Australian Craft; and he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the creative arts, particularly as a jeweller, and to education, in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List. His work is held in prestigious collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Kelly Gellatly is an experienced arts leader, curator, writer and arts advocate. She has curated numerous exhibitions of the work of leading Australian and international artists and has published extensively on contemporary art, Australian modernism and photographic practice. Kelly was Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne from 2013 – 2020; Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne from 2003 – 2013, and has held curatorial positions at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne and the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. 

This is a FREE event, registration essential. Out of respect for the presenters, no late-comers will be admitted past 5:40pm.

Image: Installation view of BAINZ JEWLZ, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 2025. Photo by Christian Capurro.