Tour: Open House Melbourne - Virginia Rigney and Silvia Micheli

Virginia Rigney will outline the curatorial approaches behind the exhibition and its origins in Canberra at CMAG, the history of the Taglietti Studio Archive, key items of interest in the exhibition, and the fascinating cultural background and lineage that placed the Tagliettis in Canberra during a time of optimism, aspirations for global and urban advancement, and the contrasting reception the Tagliettis received with respect to other emigre designers and practitioners of the time.

Virginia Rigney is a Curator, Writer and Creative Producer who has worked with artists, designers and collections to develop exhibitions, publications, digital platforms, installations, short films, and public programs within museums for over 35 years. Her curatorial practice also embraces the expanded field of temporal and permanent public art.

Virginia joined CMAG in 2018 in the role of Senior Curator Visual Arts. Her most recent curatorial projects there include Taglietti: Life in Design (2025-6), Materiality…But not as we Know it (2024), eX de Medici - Sidney Nolan - Guns and Flowers (2023-4), Mandy Martin: From Queanbeyan to New York 1978-1984 (2021-2) and the co-curation of Canberra/Kamberri Place & People, which was awarded the 2023 AMAGA Award for Best Permanent Collection Exhibition.

Dr Silvia Micheli (BArch, Politecnico di Milano; PhD, IUAV Venice) is Associate Professor and Programme Convener of the Bachelor of Architectural Design at University of Queensland.
Silvia’s cross-disciplinary research addresses the "productive city": how small-scale design improves liveability, resilience and urban food security. Her co‑authored book House, Precinct and Territory: Design Strategies for the Productive City (2024) outlines scenarios for urban production. She co‑designed Blue Bower Pavilion (Crossroads Prize, Seoul Biennale 2021) and One Room Tower, and was co‑curator of Taglietti: Life in Design at CMAG in 2026Silvia has published monographs and edited volumes on Italian and international architecture, and collaborates with institutions including the Seoul Biennale, Triennale di Milano, MAXXI and Vitra. She is a registered architect (Italy) and serves on the editorial board of Springer's Transnational Histories of Design Cultures and Production book series.

Exhibition open daily: Friday 24 July - Friday 28 August 2026, 10am - 4pm
The Design Gallery, Ground Floor, Glyn Davis Building (133)

The Glyn Davis Building is wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions about your visit, email us at [email protected].

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