Collectomania: How many of us are collectors?

ArtsNational will be welcoming Sydney born creative Claudia Chan Shaw to Narrabri when she will be taking us into the mind of the collector in Cinema 1 at The Crossing Theatre on Monday, April 14.

This month’s topic ‘Collectomania’ asks what is the difference between collecting and hoarding? In this richly illustrated arts talk, many of us will be able to identify with this common trait – those items in our homes that we simply cannot bear to part with.

Claudia Chan Shaw is a self-confessed collectomaniac who believes the world is made up of collectors and non-collectors. Some collect for investment, others for fun. Some love the social interaction, and others love to preserve the past. Thrilled by the pursuit, the hunt and the final possession and sense of accomplishment, Claudia likens collecting to an addiction.

Sounds familiar?

As co-host and presenter of the ABC TV series, Collectors, Claudia would encounter many people who shared her passion, people for whom one Bakelite radio or first edition was too little and 100 of them was not enough.

Enjoying a multi-faceted career as a fashion designer, television and radio presenter, author, public speaker, installation artist, photo artist, and curator, Claudia holds a BA in Visual Communication Design from Sydney College of the Arts.

She is co-designer and director with her mother for the internationally acclaimed Australian fashion label, Vivian Chan Shaw. The label is renowned for its exquisite handmade knitwear and jewellery and the designs are represented in the permanent collection of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Claudia presents and produces Arts Friday on 89.7fm Eastside Radio and is a cultural tour leader for the Art Gallery Society NSW in association with Renaissance Tours.

She leads the successful series of “Art Deco to Art Now” international tours to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Miami, Wellington, Cuba, New York and Sydney, where she shares her love of art deco history, art and design.

She is a regular speaker at the Art After Hours and Armchair Travel series at the Art Gallery NSW and has spoken at the State Library NSW, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Sydney, Old Parliament House Canberra, Bendigo Art Gallery, Tamworth Regional Gallery, National Gallery Victoria, S. H Ervin Gallery, Old Government House Parramatta, and many exhibition openings.

She was curator for the City of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival (2016, 2017, 2018), the largest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside China and created the Rabbit lantern installation as part of the festival’s ‘Lunar Lanterns’ exhibition.

Also curating for the Lunar New Year at World Square, Sydney from 2019 to 2021, Claudia designed large art installations for the Year of the Pig, Rat and Ox.

Her multi-faceted career doesn’t end there. Claudia has taught the Master of Design students at the Whitehouse Institute of Design Australia and has been a guest lecturer at the Virginia Commonwealth University, USA; the Institute of Technology Sydney; and Raffles College of Design, Sydney.

ArtsNational arts talks last for approximately one hour, followed by complimentary drinks and canapés in the Crossing Theatre café with an opportunity to chat with our guest speaker.