Louise McCullagh specialises in textile conservation. She provides treatments of historical textiles to the private clients and the public institutions in Queensland, interstate and internationally. She has been working in the field of textile conservation since 2013.
Since her training at University College London at the Institute of Archaeology and University of Melbourne at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation in 2013, she has worked on projects for the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Queensland Museum, Royal Historical Society of Queensland, Museum of Brisbane, RAAF Amberley Heritage Centre, Queensland Parliament House, Queensland Police Museum, Queensland Olympic Council, Redland Art Gallery, Museum of the Order of St John, Strawberry Hill House and Clandon Park (National Trust, England) and including a number of private clients.
Her projects involved a conservation and storage audit for the Easton Pearson collection at Museum of Brisbane, costume mounting and conservation treatment of wedding attire for ‘I Do! Wedding Stories from Queensland’ at the Queensland Museum. In 2018 she prepared textiles for the Anzac Legacy Gallery at Queensland Museum involving many flags, ribbons, lacework, military hats, souvenirs and vestment. Another project was for the Easton Pearson exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane costume mounting 50 outfits. She has worked on two Dior exhibitions at the NGV and V&A exhibition ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ which opened in February 2019, and more recently the exhibition ‘Alexander McQueen: Mind Mythos Muse’ in 2023.
She has performed object handling and preventive conservation workshops and public speaking on the conservation of the Easton Pearson Archives. She also provides training for object handling and preventive conservation including IPM (Integrated pest management) and Preservation Needs Assessments for RSL Caloundra and Goondiwindi Customs House Museum.