Meet Your Local FM: Art Gallery of NSW’s Dermot Rodwell on the rewarding unpredictability of his work days

When attending a concert at a theatre, moseying around an art gallery or museum, strolling past your local community centre or experiencing child-like wonder at the zoo, do you stop to ponder who is in charge of the management and operations of this bustling facility?

In ‘Meet Your Local FM’, we talk with the facility and operation managers, technical service and safety operators, and sustainability officers of iconic Australian institutions.

We’re diving deep to reveal a facility’s inner mechanics, along with the who and what it takes to keep these special spaces running so smoothly. We’re putting a face to a facility and debunking any assumptions surrounding this essential profession, which many don’t know a lot about.

Art Gallery of New South Wales head of facilities, heritage and sustainability, Dermot Rodwell, will rise to any challenge. 

“Every job or project, no matter how big or small, is important,” he says. Rodwell never truly knows what awaits him each day at the gallery, which is what he loves so much about his dynamic and diverse role. 

“Every day brings challenges and something to learn.”

With a vast career background in engineering, facilities management and the film industry, Rodwell says the honour and novelty of working at a prestigious state gallery that showcases “world-class” exhibitions and celebrates First Nations art, never fades. 

Rodwell is proud to lead a “talented” team and provide safe, accessible and memorable experiences for the two million patrons who visit the gallery annually. 

“All the art belongs to the people of NSW,” he says. “We promote art as something available and accessible for everyone.”

This week on ‘Meet Your Local FM’, we unpack Rodwell’s unpredictable yet nourishing days – learning of the challenges of upholding stringent gallery and international standards while adhering to sustainability requirements, discovering the importance of proactiveness and appreciating the rewards of working at a heritage public space.

Facility Management: Can you provide a career background and outline what led you to be the head of facilities, sustainability and heritage at the Art Gallery of NSW?

Dermot Rodwell: I am a fitter and machinist by trade and have worked across the engineering and film industry. In 2001, I started working in facilities management, specialising in attractions, shopping centres and hospitality. 

In 2015, I joined the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia at The Rocks as a building services manager, overseeing facilities and security. In 2023, I began working with the Art Gallery of New South Wales as a facilities manager, and the next year, I was fortunate enough to be promoted to head of facilities, heritage and sustainability.

Can you paint a picture of your average day and what your main roles and responsibilities are?

I help manage the operational aspects of numerous sites to ensure the gallery operates efficiently and provides staff and visitors with a safe and stable environment. 

While most visitors would be familiar with our main Art Gallery campus in The Domain, we also manage and run the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, along with an off-site artwork storage facility. Each of these sites presents unique elements.

The facilities team is responsible for maintenance, heritage, sustainability, cleaning, logistics, exhibition construction and capital works. Our average days feature anything from ensuring the sites are clean and presentable to managing construction works in preparation for a new exhibition or the revitalisation of a heritage part of our buildings.

What other departments do you work with?

The facilities team works with all departments in the organisation to varying degrees. The team is responsible for maintenance, cleaning, exhibition construction and capital works projects, so we have the opportunity to work with every department. 

What are the biggest challenges and difficulties of your job?

As the gallery is a public building, safety is always front of mind and we need to react quickly to any issues that may be a concern for visitors. Managing the expectations of many different stakeholders, each with their own priorities, is challenging. 

Every job or project, no matter how big or small, is important. However, there is only so much that can be done at any one time. It can be tricky to ensure we give everyone an appropriate amount of attention to address their needs.

Another challenge we face is maintaining the strict environmental controls for our gallery spaces. These controls are required for the conservation and protection of the artworks from our collection and those we may have on loan from other museums. 

It is difficult to keep the temperature and humidity within the gallery’s strict parameters and international standards, while simultaneously upholding sustainability requirements. We allocate considerable time and effort to meet these conditions.

Are there any misconceptions about facilities management you’d like to address? What do you think people envision when you say you’re the head of facilities at the Art Gallery of New South Wales?

Facilities management can cover many different disciplines depending on the industry and building. For the Art Gallery, it involves much more than just maintenance and cleaning – we are also responsible for construction and major capital works projects.

It is an enviable position to be in. I am very fortunate to head up a talented team at such a prestigious organisation. Most people I talk to are interested in how you can get a job at the gallery, even if they don’t know exactly what it involves.

Does smart technology play a part in your day?

We use new technology wherever possible to improve efficiencies and automate tasks that previously would have been undertaken manually. These improvements in technology free up staff for other work and help with both environmental and financial sustainability for the organisation.

What are your career highlights?

Being involved with Sydney Skywalk from its conception to opening was definitely a career highlight. I will never forget having the opportunity to help commission, design and construct a walkway on the roof of Sydney Tower. I am eternally grateful for the experience and chance to work with such an incredible group of individuals on the project.

What do you love about your job? What have been some heartwarming moments? 

I love that you never know what you may encounter from day to day. Every day brings challenges and something to learn. The heartwarming moments come any time our team receives recognition for their hard work from other teams or leadership. 

Facilities management can be a thankless task, with people sometimes only noticing the jobs you have not done, so it pleases me when anyone takes the time to show gratitude for the huge efforts the team make every day.

What do you think the museum gives back to Sydney and Australia? 

The Art Gallery provides free access to the NSW art collection – all the art belongs to the people of NSW. We promote art as something available and accessible to everyone. 

With over two million visitors annually, the Art Gallery provides a safe space for visitors to experience cultural and educational programs, entertainment and our world-class art exhibitions. The Art Gallery is a great repository of Indigenous art and plays an important part in telling the story of First Nations communities and informing locals and international visitors about the significance of First Nations culture.

Photography supplied. 

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