National Museum of the American Indian

On my recent trip to the New York I took the opportunity to meet John Haworth and check out t the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The New York centre is named after George Gustav Heye whose personal collection became the core of  NMAI collection when it became a  Smithsonian Institute in the 1989. The Center is located in the Alexander Hamilton  US Customs House  just near Battery Park and at the begining of Broadway.  Opened in 1907 the building is listed on the National American Register of Historic Places and is extraordinary and imposing. The Museum which opened in 1994, shares the building with the Bankruptcy court but has offices, exhibition space and education centre on the ground floor and on the first floor (or second floor in America) two exhibition spaces off the building's central rotunda  and a shop and information centre of the  foyer. The Washington Campus is located on the Mall and was opened in 2004.

The permanent exhibition (well though to 2020) is Infinity of Nations and represents the indigenous people of the Americas from Tierra de Fuego in the south to Alaska and the Arctic in the north. As you walk though this extraordinary collection of artifact, objects and art you see the relationships between each of the indigenous cultures, the effect of trading routes as well as white settlements. http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/

Also on this floor is A Song for the Horse Nations which examines the effect of the introduction of horses by the Spanish on the American Indian lifestyle. http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/horsenation/

On the ground floor is a function room that also doubles as an exhibition space. The current exhibition is Small Spirits: Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian. Each of the dolls reflects different communities and traditions of Native peoples and are drawn from the collection.

Just opened is a mid career survey of internationally renowned glass artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit). Echoes, Fire, and Shadows. In theses beautiful glass works there is in incorporation of contemporary glass technique and Tlingit motif.

On his website  http://prestonsingletary.com/ he states

I sometimes hope that people will view my work on other levels not associated with “ethnic art.” At the same time, it is this inspiration that gives my work its power. I see my work as an extension of tradition and a declaration that Native cultures are alive and developing new technologies and new ways of communicating the ancient codes and symbols of this land.

Being there in the morning meant I was also caught up in a number of school groups being lead though the exhibitions. Each of the guides was of American Indian decent and spoke with great connection and pride about the knowledge they were sharing.

The Museum is certainly worth the time on your next trip to New York! - Michael Huxley

Images from top left in a clockwise direction. Exterior: National Museum of the American Indian , Small Spirits: Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian, glass baskets from Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire and Shadows, guide with school group in the A Song for the Horse Nations exhibition. Education Centre located in the Old Treasury Room.

Wagga Wagga Grants Seminar

Yesterday I reunited with my funding friends Clare Power (National Maritime Museum, Sydney) and Dianne Dahlitz (National Library, Canberra) who last week had joined me in Dubbo for Access to Funding. This time we were speaking about our funding programs to arts organisations in the Riverina region of NSW.

The Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga were the hosts of this Grants Funding Information session, and attracted a varied and enthusiastic audience of council and arts workers, community groups, and volunteer museums.

Also speaking were
Lani Houston – Regional Development Australia - Riverina
Scott Howie – RADO for Eastern Riverina Arts Program
Louise Conibear – Industry & Investment NSW, Wagga Wagga

It was really interesting to see that all the funding providers stressed the same kind of important points about writing grant applications – such as the imperative of including a clear budget (that adds up!), thinking of a catchy title to grab assessors attention, remembering to actually sign the application, and keeping in good contact with the grant providers to make sure you are on track.

Don’t forget M&G NSW has some helpful info sheets about writing applications, and also project management.

Speaking of Wagga Wagga, everyone loved the giant Chinese dragon in the foyer of the Museum, that was made by local school children to welcome in Chinese New Year. Heres a short video made by the ABC about the project.

MONA

Without a doubt, Hobart’s Museum of Old & New Art (MONA) is the must see visual arts attraction – dare I say, probably world-wide.

With the pulling power of a Guggenheim, MONA opened earlier this year to much trumpeting and excitement. So my visit two weeks ago was an inevitable result of always being attracted to the unusual – or as Andrew Frost concluded in his most recent Artscape for ABC TV – an attraction to feel the weird.

MONA is David Walsh’s $150m home for his 3000 odd work collection. I’m sure you have heard about it! Installed & themed around ideas associated with sex & death, the range of works – from Egyptian mummies to recent (and rude) video art – jettison the rule book one might normally expect institutional caution and curatorial rules to follow. On entering, there is an excitement and theatrical escape from the norm to be felt, and from my observation people were lapping it up. On the Saturday we were there, the audience was huge, they were mixed (dare I say demographically), wide-eyed and sparking with enthusiasm. Solemnity is not a word associated with this place.

In retrospect what really stood out was the overall level of detail, of course architecturally, but also significantly, in visitor services and installation practice. The staff were remarkably attentive, unobtrusive and superbly helpful. The building has been beautifully designed, each install empowers the artwork. Overall intimate encounters and commanding views are provided, inside and out.

Much has been made of the lack of traditional instruction; there are no labels or didactic panels to inform visitors – no names, titles or hints towards artistic intention – the closest we came to this kind of old school formality was a wine list. Cleverly, they have combined a form of locative media, with the above information, which can be read through an ipod device ‘on demand’ in front of the artwork you wish to know more about. Selected works also have an audio component attached to their file. This technology allows your visit to be recorded in great detail, providing the museum with valuable visitor data. It can also be  emailed home and revisited with artworks ‘liked’ & ‘disliked’ highlighted.

Attached here is a link to the ABC website and more about Andrew Frost’s encounter with MONA. 

If the opportunity arises, make sure you get down there soon.

Michael Rolfe

Accessing Fun in Dubbo!

Sarah-Jane and I were on the road again last week, this time we headed northwest to Dubbo for the yearly Access to Funding workshop.

We put this workshop on in a different region of NSW each year, in this case bookending the Standards Program that took place in Orana last year.

We were pleased to have the following speakers:

· Arts NSW (Gabrielle Eade)
· Regional Arts NSW (Annette Eassie)
· Department of Veterans’ Affairs (Wendy Miralis and Hilary McClure)
· National Library of Australia (Dianne Dahlitz,)
· Australian National Maritime Museum (Clare Power)

I also spoke on our VIM Grant Program.

It was a great opportunity for people from arts organisations to have a one on one chat with funding providers, ask questions and float some funding ideas. I found there were lots of people to catch up with at the workshop – from past Standards participants to groups who had previously had VIM Grants. Again it’s always so nice to meet people in person, some of whom we had been talking on the phone to and emailing yet never met!

We were also lucky to hear an inspiring keynote presentation from Angela O’Brien of the 2828 Committee, an innovative community venture based in Gulargambone (a small town of 395 north of Dubbo). It was incredible to see how a wide cross section of the community had come together and worked really hard to build a cafe, art gallery and gift shop, a successful function centre and a quality catering service.

We were so pleased to be able to put the workshop on in the stunning Western Plains Cultural Centre, an excellent venue for a workshop. Thanks so much to Andrew Glassop and his team for all their help in putting this on.

Hopefully people took away with them some new inspiration for getting their projects off the ground, maybe even from funders they hadn’t thought would be relevant.

Clare Power from the National Maritime Museum presents on their funding program

Annette Eassie leads a practical session on the Regional Arts NSW funding program

Broken Hill

Michael Rolfe visits the Daydream Mine

On a recent trip to Broken Hill and Wilcannia it was heartening to witness first hand the collegiate and supportive relationships that exist between Broken Hill Council museum and gallery staff, Broken Hill Historical Society volunteers and West Darling Arts.

As Gallery Director, Bruce Tindale leads a committed team that has, in recent years, overseen the redevelopment of the gallery within the impressive Sully’s Emporium precinct. That work continues apace, with construction of a new collection store now well underway. When completed, it will enable the gallery’s sizeable and historic collection to be housed in the one place. With easier access, environmental controls and improved security, this project will ensure that the gallery’s collection continues to grow its profile within the dynamic history of public collections in NSW. Equally, Angela Bailey, manager of the Albert Kersten Mining & Mineral Museum runs an impressive museum dedicated to the mining history of one of NSW’s most iconic destinations.

I was also fortunate to meet several members of the Broken Hill Historical Society and to visit The Silverton Gaol Museum, Broken Hill Synagogue and the Railway, Mineral and Train Museum. In particular I want to acknowledge the work undertaken by the society in bringing to life stories associated with the Synagogue and Railway Museum. Margaret Price (a society committee member) showed great delight in telling me about the commitment and work undertaken at the Synagogue and my meeting with Clr Christine Adams and Society Chair, Shorty Reville, at the Railway Museum was loaded with my own memories of train travel and of the significant capacity and great energy volunteers bring to the museum and gallery world.

In a meeting with Broken Hill Council’s General Manager, Frank Zaknich, it was clear that council is focused on the need to maintain support for the town’s symbolic arts and cultural infrastructure. Funding of course remains an issue and the sustainability of programs is demanding that an entrepreneurial approach be pursued. This is clearly evidenced through council’s involvement in the Broken Hill Film Studio development, which will transform Central Power Station complex into state of the art film studios.

I accompanied West Darling Arts RADO, James Giddey, on a trip to Wilcannia where he has been actively involved in plans to build a community focused arts/cultural centre. We met with a range of people including local artists Eddie Harris, Waddy Harris & Kevin Cattermole along with Wilcannia Central School Principal, Michelle Nicholson. While plans for the centre are still being developed the school is actively involved in supporting efforts to generate art making and skill development opportunities for artists from throughout the community. The Darling River was roaring through town, at maybe just a metre below the bridge. In fact there was so much water, bird life and green landscape throughout my visit that one can only believe that such positive forces act as a metaphor for what was also a dynamic arts and cultural landscape.

There's a War On! Website Launch

On Tuesday 1 March, M&GNSW launched our new wiki website There's a War On! at Chifley Home Education Centre, Bathurst. The website has been developed as a follow on to the earlier thematic studies on collections and sites associated with World War I and World War II activities in NSW which led to the travelling exhibition There's a War On!

Launching the wiki website at Chifley Home Education Centre, gave people the added opportunity of viewing the exhibition There's a war On! and visiting Chifley Home. Ben Chifley's significant contribution to the Australian community during World War II, first as Treasurer, then as Minister for Post War Reconstruction and finally as Prime Minister following Curtin's untimely death in July 1945.

The website provides an opportunity for users to look at sites and collections associated with the homefront during WWI and WWII across NSW. Utilising google map technology, the sites and collections are mapped out on a map of NSW with the capacity to zoom into particular locations and view the map in either satellite or map mode. Each entry has a "pin" on the map, clicking on the "pin" takes the user to a page for that particular object or site. These pages provides information about the object or site which can include description, location, history and an image.

It is hoped that the information on the site will expand over time as users are invited not simply to visit the site but to become contributors adding information about their own collections or sites associated with World War I and World War II in NSW. The site also invites contributors to include their memories of particlar sites or object. We hope that this will allow people to share their thoughts about sites such as air training bases, POW camps or Women's Land Army Hostels.

Thank you to Bathurst Regional Council for hosting the event, in particular Sam Malloy, Grant Weatherstone and the other Chifley Home Staff. Thanks also to Carah's Bakery for the marvelous catering. It was also great to have Ian Rufus, heritage re-enactor from Lithgow, reveal the inner secrets of the .303 rifle and its dispersed production in feeder factories across the central west of NSW during World War II.

2011 Standards Program kicks off in Bega

Last Friday Sarah-Jane and I were lucky enough to travel the beautiful South East and meet with eleven museums who have signed on for this year’s Standards Program. After a scenic flight down the coast to Merimbula, we drove up to Bega for the workshop at the Bega Council Chambers. We were delighted to have a representative there from each of the participating museums, and it was great to see some familiar people as well as meeting some for the first time (after many emails and phone conversations!). Many had driven some distance to be there, which was greatly appreciated.

The Introduction to Standards workshop introduced the museums to the range of activities they will be completing throughout the program. It was also a chance for the museums to meet some M&G staff, and to get to know their fellow standards participants for the year.

The eleven museums that are embarking on the program are a diverse group, including the Thredbo Museum, the Eden Killer Whale Museum and the Cooma Corrective Services Museum. Each museum had the opportunity to give a short presentation about their unique organisation. We can tell this group will make for a really interesting program this year.

We were also lucky enough to have a pair of Standards Program veterans join us all the way from Gilgandra in the Orana region. Jeff and Shirley Marks completed the program in 2010 and generously provided their invaluable experiences and advice. One of the main recommendations they stressed to the incoming group was the necessity of working through the activities as a team, in their experience this made completing them much easier.

The participants are now busy completing their first activity, and will all get together again in August for a mid program practical workshop. Keep an eye on our weekly email Alert where we will soon be featuring each museum’s profile.

The Standards Program is initiated by Museums & Galleries NSW, and is an important museum development program that is being put on this year in partnership with the South East Arts Region (SEAR), and is supported by local councils including the Bega Valley Shire Council, the Cooma Monaro Shire Council, Eurobodalla Shire Council, and the Queanbeyan City Council.

Participating Museums include:
Adaminaby Snowy Scheme Collection
Bega Valley Historical Society
Bermagui Historical Society
Clyde River & Batemans Bay Historical Society
Cooma Correctional Museum
Eden Killer Whale Museum
Moruya & District Historical Society
Merimbula Old School Museum
Queanbeyan Museum
Tathra Wharf Museum Committee
Thredbo Museum

Jenny Drenkhahn and Stevi Goldsworthy from the Eden Killer Whale Museum, Kerrie Ruth from the Queanbeyan Museum

Robyn Levy and Denise McGlashan from the Bermagui Historical Society.