1936
According to records, in 1936 Geelong Gallery became the first regional art gallery to appoint a Director, with A. E. Anderson assuming the position.
1936 was also the year Geelong illustrator Robert Ingpen was born. Robert is most well known for his Poppykettle series: a tale about a group of Peruvian gnomes, who travel from Peru to Geelong in a sea-faring kettle inspired by Incan pottery.
The Poppy Kettle Fountain, a local landmark celebrating the series, was designed by Ingpen and its remnants were gifted to the city by Dorothy McAlister in 1996. Originally installed at Fairnie Park, the small statuettes were then relocated to their current location at the children’s playground next to Cunningham Pier.
The 2018 exhibition Reimagine featured Ingpen’s work The magic bookcase, an almost seven metre long set of wooden panels depicting iconic children’s story characters like Alice, Humpty Dumpty, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and the Toad of Toad Hall from Wind in the Willows.