Warrnambool Art Gallery is giving you a chance to have your precious objects assessed by professional curators this Saturday.

Lecturers and students from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at Melbourne University will be setting up in the art gallery to help people work out the history of their items, and how to best care for them at home.

Warrnambool Art Gallery curator Agostina Hawkins said it was a good idea to ring ahead and book a time to see one of the professionals.

"People can bring in their items, have a chat to someone and get a little bit of advice," Ms Hawkins said.

"Any type of object from art, a small piece of furniture, anything, from pottery, art, textiles to coins or medals can be brought in."

"Even if you don't have something to be assessed people can come along and watch or look at the other exhibitions in the gallery."

Ms Hawkins said it was important to bring the item to be assessed to the session because appraisals from photos were not possible.

"We often have people looking for advice on how to care for precious items but unless we can see them it is hard to make a proper assessment," she said.

"It is great to see what items are out there in the community and how we can link the stories of these objects to people in our community."

A range of items from the gallery's museum collection will also be displayed in a new exhibition titled 'Rich Pickings'.

"As well as being an exhibition, this is an audit of the museum collection," Ms Hawkins said.

"We will continuously bring out objects from the store room and the curators will be working on them."

Assessments of personal items will run from 10am-1pm on Saturday, May 18. Bookings can be made by phoning Warrnambool Art Gallery.

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