Museums Australia's Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNAs) were announced at a dinner held last night at the WA Museum. The dinner was held in the beautiful nineteenth century Hackett Hall Gallery which has been both a museum and library space and now houses both temporary exhibitions and functions. Contemporary WA artworks were placed through the space and provided a wonderful foil to the red brick and polished timber of the building and furnishings.
The evening gave museums and galleries of all sizes an opportunity to shine and it was wonderful to see the array of organisations and projects that were honoured. NSW winners included:
Exhibition
Winner small museum
Mosman Art Gallery Australian Accent: The Designs of Annan Fabrics and Vande Pottery in the 40s and 50s
Highly commended small museum
UNE Heritage Centre Through the collector's lens: Dissecting Booloominbah
Winner large museum Temporary Exhibition
Art Gallery of NSW
The First Emperor: China's Entombed Warriors
Public Programs
Winner Small Museum
Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum
Scattered Bones
Sustainability Project
Winner Small Museum
Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM)
Development of Guidelines for Environmental Conditions for Museums and Galleries
Winner Medium Museum
Orange City Council
Orange, Blayney, Cabonne Regional Sustainable Collections Project
National Winner
Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM)
Development of Guidelines for Environmental Conditions for Museums and Galleries
The ICOM awards that recognise Australia's work beyond our borders were also announced at the dinner. Winners included the Australian Museum for their work with the University of Goroka in Papua New Guinea in the development of the Bird of Paradise exhibition and Vinod Daniels for his work through Ausheritage.
For more information on the MAGNA Awards please go to the Museums Australia website
