Icing on the Cake: Yamba Museum on winning an IMAGinE Award

Ghosts of World War I – 101 Local Heroes at Yamba Museum – The Story House in 2012. The Port of Yamba Historical Society built the exhibition around Peter Edmund’s research using local records, National Archives at the War Memorial, and interviews with veterans’ families. Image courtesy of the Port of Yamba Historical Society.

In 2012, Port of Yamba Historical Society won an IMAGinE award in the Exhibitions and Public Engagement category for Ghosts of World War I - 101 Local Heroes. This exhibition included the service records of 101 local heroes (including local Aboriginal Diggers) and objects from WWI, loaned by local families, partner organisations, and donations.

This wasn’t the first time the Yamba Museum had won an IMAGinE award. In 2008, Society President Marea Buist won an Individual Achievement award and, in 2011, the Museum received a Highly Commended award for their exhibition, Nursery Rhymes Exposed.

Because the museum is a successful veteran of the IMAGinE awards, I asked Marea Buist to offer advice to newcomers.

Why was Ghosts of World War I a successful exhibition?

It was successful but not for the reasons we anticipated. We plan exhibitions that will appeal to all ages but we didn’t think Ghosts of World War I would appeal to young people. As it turned out, we had many school visits and the children were interested in learning about this part of our history.

We also didn’t anticipate the community response. The exhibition was in the Old Kirk (the old Presbyterian church next to the main museum) and this created a spiritual context for the exhibition. It didn’t matter how many visitors were in the space they treated it more like a memorial than an exhibition.

Is it easy to prepare an IMAGinE nomination?

No, it’s never easy. How do you articulate a large project in so few words and images? How do you convey the goals of what you were trying to achieve? While your museum may think a project is fabulous, to a stranger it can mean absolutely nothing.

Completing the nomination takes a few weeks. Rather than trying to figure it out at once, we write a draft and then return to it repeatedly until we feel we’ve captured the essence of the exhibition. 

How did it feel when you won the IMAGinE award?

Fantastic. So many people put in so much work and effort and this rewarded their effort.

When you’re preparing an exhibition you don’t do it for accolades, but when your peers say that you put together an exhibition of real value then it’s the icing on the cake.

Beyond peer recognition, what value do you think there is in getting an award?

Winning an IMAGiNE award can provide great publicity. People are interested in what you’ll do next and expect a high level of quality. Maintaining this standard can be hard but it’s part of the challenge of sustaining a significant and relevant museum.

Peer recognition also builds networks between our museum and others. There’s nothing better than sharing advice with other museums and having this support reciprocated.

Any chance you’re nominating this year?

Yes, we are. VISION4CHANGE is a collaborative exhibition project between the Yamba, Grafton, Maclean and Lawrence Museums and is a first time partnership with a number of Aboriginal Elders throughout the Clarence Valley to share their stories. It’s been very special.

For further information about the IMAGinE awards including downloadable nomination forms go to our website.