Meet Mini Marion!

Railway Coal Mine, Lithgow 1929. Courtesy of the Lithgow State Mine.

Marion is the brand new guide at the Lithgow State Mine and she's just arrived to tell to you about the night of the 1953 fire at the Mine. She’s a captivating guide; wife of one of the miners and she’s on show wearing the very latest ‘50s fashion. Marion tells you about the terrible events of the fire, the dreadful death of the horses and the impacts of the disaster on the miners and the people in Lithgow.

The other thing you need to know about Marion is she’s the latest in clever technology – Marion is a story telling device; she wanders around in her own 3D film perching on various display objects and leaning against the machinery in a Barbie-turns-serious kind of way. She’s engaging, novel and lovable!

The newly installed 3D film is a great showcase for what new technologies can do to bring your Museum alive―assisting people to relate to significant moments in history whether it’s of local or international significance. The team at Lithgow State Mine have an active Facebook page to support their museum and a virtual tour on their website which gives you a great sense of the energy and interest in the place.

So go and meet mini Marion, she’s there every weekend from midday to 4pm. Marion represents some of the benefits of rethinking your Museum interpretation and collection display providing access to personal perspectives, moving stories and a new way to interact with a collection.

Prime7 TV recently did a promotion on mini Marion – have a look at it here

2012 Archibald Prize winner announced!

Announcement of the 2012 Archibald Prize winner
Courtesy Lillian Lim

Winner of the Archibald Prize 2012
Tim Storrier The historic wayfarer (after Bosch)
Courtesy Art Gallery of NSW

 The 2012 Archibald Prize winner was announced at midday today at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This year, the 91st anniversary of arguably Australia’s most popular award saw 389 entries and increased prize money from $50,000 to $75,000. The room was filled artists, subjects, friends and family members, all gathered with baited breath to see who would be the lucky one of the 41 finalists to enter the prestigious Archibald Prize hall of fame alongside winning names such as William Dobell, Margaret Olley, John Olsen and last year’s Ben Quilty. After much anticipation, Tim Storrier was announced as the winner for his self-portrait painting, The histrionic wayfarer (after Bosch). 

Congratulations to the artist who graciously accepted the award and even brought his pet dog, Smudge, up to the stage (you can find Smudge featured in the painting). 

Winner of the Packing Room Prize 2012
Raelene Sharp, A Strength of Character
Courtesy Art Gallery of NSW

The Packing Room Prize was awarded to Raelene Sharp for her portrait of actor John Wood, and Jenny Sages' painting, After Jack, was highly commended by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. 

The 2012 Archibald Prize will be showing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 3 June 2012. Museums & Galleries NSW will be touring the exhibition to 6 regional galleries across NSW: 

Newcastle Art Gallery
14 July 2012 - 26 August 2012

Cowra Regional Art Gallery

1 September 2012 - 14 October 2012

Western Plains Cultural Centre

20 October 2012 - 2 December 2012

Grafton Regional Gallery

7 December 2012 - 20 January 2013

Hawkesbury Regional Gallery

25 January 2013 - 10 March 2013

New England Regional Art Museum

15 March 2013 - 28 April 2013

For more information about the exhibition, please visit the AGNSW website: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2012/

For more information about the 2012 Archibald Prize regional tour, please visit our website: http://mgnsw.org.au/exhibit/archibald_prize_2012/

Story by Lillian Lim, M&G NSW's Gallery Programs and Touring Exhibition Coordinator.

Ignite the Power of Art- An evening with Gail Davitt, Dallas Museum of Art

We were privileged last week to have a visit from Gail Davitt, Chair of Learning Initiatives and Director of Education, Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) Gail's trip to Australia was organised by Museum and Gallery Servicess Queensland through funding from the Australia Council. Over a six year period the DMA undertook extensive audience research which has led them to rethink their relationships with audiences and indeed who those audiences are.

The research was undertaken over two key periods, an initial survey period from 2003-5 and a follow up in 2008. Randi Korn and Associates were engaged to undertake the research, and found that visitors could be statistically grouped into four distinct visitor groups:

Observers (26%)

• neither knowledgeable about art nor comfortable/emotionally connected to art
• interested in basic straightforward information about art
• Least comfortable explaining it to others
• 31% of this group are DMA members, 30% first time visitors

Participants ( 24%)

• want to connect with art in a variety of ways and seek interpretation through different mediums
• Acknowledge that they aren't familiar with art terminology, not comfortable talking about the meaning of a work of art to others
• 33% DMA members, 28% first time visitors

Independents (20%)

• Moderately confident viewing art
• Like to do so on their own terms without explanation and interpretation from the museum
• 32% DMA members, 28% first time visitors

Enthusiasts (30%)

• Confident, enthusuastic and emotionally & intellectually connected to works of art
• Comfortable looking at and talking about art
• Interested in all types of information about art
• Active participants in DMA programs and actively use interpretation offerings

The research has led the DMA to rethink who their audiences are, what audiences expect from the museum and how audiences engage with art.

One of the study's findings was that many visitors are interested in a variety of art forms. In response to this, the DMA has incorporated performing arts and writing into the interpretation of art through performances in exhibition spaces, the use of literary quotes in exhibition labels and inviting performing artists to respond to works. An example of this was a label in which Raphael Parry Executive and Artisitic Director Shakespeare Dallas (and Director of Texas Boumd, Arts and Letters Live at the DMA) responded to The Cloud Club a work by Matthew Barney incorporating a grand piano. The director's response provides a perspective on the work that was engaging and provided visitors with a new perspective on the work.

A further development was the inclusion of soundscapes in the recent exhibition Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea. The exhibition focused on coastal landscapes in paintings, works on paper and photographs from 1850- present. Faculty and students from the Arts and Technology department of the University of Texas created a variety of soundscapes that provided another layer to the visitor's experience of the exhibition. Similar to the way lighting is used in a gallery, some of the soundscapes washed through the space whilst others were only accessed when standing directly in front of the work.

This deeper understanding of audiences has influenced the developement of the DMA's SmARTphone app which provides users with a variety of opportunities to engage with and gain a deeper understanding of art. Introductory information provides a general understanding, for those who wish to go deeper, information is available about the artist, maker and/or cultural context of the work. This information is provided through photos, video, conversations and music. For those interested in engaging beyond the work itself, Responses uses sound design, film, visitor conversations and interactive opportunities for the audience to engage with and be inspired by the work.

One of the most interesting outcomes of the research has been the development of the Center for Creative Connections (C3). The C3 has been designed as a multigenerational space where both adults and children are invited to be creative and interact with both and exhibitions. The space includes a performance area, exemplary works from the collection and programming to encourage intergenerational activities. Audiences are invited to engage with the works on exhibitions through a range of activities such as Lick and Lather (Janine Antoni) a work involving busts of the artist in soap and chocolate. A barrier in front of the work held a series of magnetic words taken from the artist's work which visitors were invited to play with to piecing together their own reponse to the works.

Gail emphasised that the DMA spent a lot of time finnessing audience definitions. She was really honest about some of their trials that hadn't worked so well and how the DMA continues to learn from each project. The Center for Creative Connections is about to be redeveloped for the third time since it opened. This new iteration will be developed in pods/modules which will allow them to be reconfigured independantly of each other which DMA believes will be a less resource hungry approach but will also enable the C3 to be more responsive to change.

Over time the DMA's work with visitors has led to a 100% increase in audiences with more than 50% of visitors participating in educational and public programs. DMA now understand that different audiences expect different things so provide a range of experiences tailored to their various audience segments.

The DMA has published a book highlighting their approach to visitor engagement entitled Ignite the Power of Art . The book is written by Bonnie Pitman (recently retired director of the DMA and Ellen Hirzy and is available through Yale University Press

Thank you to the Australia Council for providing the funding to bring Gail to Australia and providing the venue for her talk and to M&GSQ, particularly Ann Baillie, for organising her journey in the midst of recent turmoil with Qantas.

IMAGinE Exhibitions Nominations Part Two

The 2011 IMAGinE award nominations have closed and as always we have been inundated with entries from throughout NSW. With less than two weeks to go we continue to highlight the nominees in each category as we warm up for a glamorous night of canapes, wine and awards at the Australian Museum's Terrace Room.

This week we're highlighting the second half of the nominees for Exhibitions and Public Engagement. 

EXHIBITIONS AND ENGAGEMENT: 5-20 STAFF

Campbelltown Arts Centre

Edge of Elsewhere is a major contemporary arts project that commissions artists from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific region to produce new works in partnerships with communities across Sydney. The Project is committed to the development of long-term relationships between the community and artists, sustaining these relationships for the duration of the project and beyond.

The River Project was a major contemporary arts project held at Campbelltown Arts Centre and at sites along the Upper Georges River, Sydney, Australia from 21 August – 31 October 2010. The River Project brought together Australian and international artists to explore the contemporary relationship of cultures to, and the issues facing, river systems in Asia and the Pacific. The project comprised an exhibition, publication, performance and community engaged projects, education and public programs.

Casula Powerhouse

Body Pacifica was successful in cementing the Casula Powerhouse Art Centres’ commitment to the Pacific Communities of Western Sydney and the broader community whilst generating partnerships across the creative and cultural sector. Body Pacifica was a celebration of contemporary and traditional pacific island cultures and also featured seven exhibitions in collaboration with the Australian Museum and the National Rugby League.

Mosman Art Gallery & Community Centre

Australian Accent: The designs of Annan Fabrics and Vande Pottery in the ‘40s & ‘50s revealed a part of Mosman's heritage which linked closely with the development of Australian design history and a growing sense of a modern national identity. This exhibition strengthened relationships between the Mosman Art Gallery and the museum and industry design sector and broke new ground in Gallery programming. This exhibition was the first time that Mosman Art Gallery (in collaboration with Mosman Library) had initiated a design based exhibition.

Newcastle Regional Art Gallery

Curious Colony, a twenty first century Wunderkammer was an exhibition held at Newcastle Region Art Gallery (NRAG) in 2010 as part of the 200th anniversary of Lachlan Macquarie’s swearing-in as Governor of New South Wales which was commemorated with a statewide celebration program. The selection of exhibition items included colonial works of art and objects referencing the era as well as the commission of a contemporary Wunderkammer reflecting on the Macquarie Collectors’ Chest, created in Newcastle, New South Wales around 1818 for Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and currently held in the NSW State Library

Sydney Jewish Museum

Serving Australia: Jewish Involvement in Australian Military History commemorates the wars in which Australia has participated, recognising the roles played by Jews serving in Australia’s defence forces and those supporting the Australian war efforts from home. The exhibition draws upon a large collection of diverse objects donated by the community. Each item tells a story of service, commitment and courage representative of the significant contributions made by Jews to the Australian Military.

Sydney University Museums (University Art Gallery)

The Japan in Sydney project included a curated exhibition, a bilingual catalogue (hard-copy and online pdf) and an extensive public and education program. The exhibition featured the University's collection of Japanese pre-World War II modernist prints, and a selection of works by prominent European and Australian modernist artists, sourced from public and private collections. The fully-illustrated, bilingual catalogue presented concentrated research by Australian and Japanese art historians and scholars, on European, Australian and Japanese modernism in prints

Tweed River Art Gallery

Surface Tension: the art of Euan Macleod 1991 - 2009 was initiated and developed by Tweed River Art Gallery and curated by Gavin Wilson. It is the first major touring exhibition of work by an artist considered to be one the finest painters of his generation. This survey exhibition of 47 works traces Macleod's oeuvre from both the Australian bush and his homeland of the South Island of New Zealand. Surface Tension presents major works drawn from public and private collections, the paintings showcasing the best of Macleod's practice

EXHIBITIONS AND ENGAGEMENT: 21+ STAFF

Australian Museum

Rituals of Seduction: Birds of Paradise is a traveling exhibition and invites the visitor to consider - are we more like birds than we think? This exhibition looks at how both birds and people engage in a variety of decoration, display and dance to draw attention to themselves (for the birds this is usually part of courtship rituals) - and at the close relationship between birds of paradise and people. It features magnificent still photography, film footage and mounted specimens showing the species’ range of eccentric attributes. Also on display are items from the Museum’s anthropology collection including wigs made from human hair and several magnificent feathered headdress.

Australian National Maritime Museum

On their own – Britain’s child migrants' is a traveling and online exhibition that traces the history of child migration schemes from Britain to Australia and Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries. This significant – and previously hidden – part of Australia’s history has not been explored in a major exhibition before. The story of British child migration is placed within the global thematic framework of immigration and child welfare policy. The personal experiences of child migrants are balanced alongside material illustrating the schemes, their motivations and their often tragic impact. 

MCA

The Begin-Again was a two-night art walk through Hurstville CBD. The event, created by Australian artist Angelica Mesiti, was commissioned by Hurstville City Council in collaboration with C3West. Mesiti created four site-specific videos and one performance that directly involved more than 90 local residents as performers in the story of their area. Each one of these works responded to community concerns such as the increase in high-rise development, traffic congestion and growing population, and how they affect Hurstville’s sense of connectedness.

The Museum of Australia Democracy

The Museum of Australia Democracy commissioned an artwork, in partnership with the Canberra Glassworks, to reflect the celebrations of Federation in 1901. Our aim was to create a work that embodied Australian communities’ celebrations of Federation, both in the artwork itself and, through community engagement, in the process of its creation. The resulting artwork, The Illuminations by Wendy Fairclough, is a collection of 20 blown glass vessels which echo contemporary domestic glassware, with a panorama of night-time celebrations sandblasted onto them. The panorama was inspired by research and hand-coloured photographs in an album in the museum’s collection

State Library of NSW

In 2010 New South Wales celebrated the bicentenary of the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie. The Governor: Lachlan Macquarie 1810 to 1821 project included a major exhibition with over 100 original items, presented at the Library in Macquarie Street; a touring exhibition with 40 original items hosted by regional galleries and museums; a display presented in western Sydney public libraries; public events held in 10 regional public libraries, presented by specialist Library staff and a display at NSW Parliament House highlighting the state-wide bicentennial celebrations.

IMAGinE Exhibitions Nominations

The 2011 IMAGinE award nominations have closed and as always we have been inundated with entries from throughout NSW. Over the next four weeks we'll highlight the nominees in each category as we warm up for a glamorous night of canapes, wine and awards at the Australian Museum's Terrace Room.

This week we're concentrating on the Exhibitions and Public Engagement. We've had so many nominations we need to split this category in two. This week we're looking at volunteer run organisations and those organisations run by 1-4 paid staff.

Without further ado, here are the nominations:

EXHIBITIONS & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT - VOLUNTEER ORGANISATIONS

Australian Railway Monument
Stories from former Werris Creek rail employees a well as original footage from the days of steam up until modern day diesel and electric. This theme is believed to be unique in the Australian context and is based on the fact that Werris Creek is the first and last railway town in NSW.



Glenalvon Museum
This was a program of changing displays on local heritage themes whilst interpreting Glenalvon, classic Georgian two-storey town house located in Campbelltown and simultaneously undertaking a progressive upgrading of the room displays to create the experience of life during the last 180 years.


Port Macquarie Historical Society
A series of temporary exhibitions themed to link to local, statewide and national history festivals, other celebrations and visiting exhibitions. Each of the temporary exhibitions also included a public program event, usually an open day with free or gold coin entry and coffee morning with curatorial speaker or other relevant local guest speaker/s.

Port of Yamba Historical Society

A special exhibition, titled Nursery-Rhymes Exposed – Delve Deeper than the Ditty, depicted thirty-one Rhymes. Each was displayed alongside a colourful illustration and information labels explaining background and historical context, sourced from hours of research. Surrounding each was a collection of items. eg ‘Polly Put the Kettle On’ featured a collection of tea-sets and pots; ‘Baa-Baa Black Sheep’ - wool and shearing equipment.



Thredbo Ski Museum

The Kiandra Story which endeavours to display to the visiting public through historical photographs, DVDs, skis, apparel, historic newspaper articles, the rich story of organised alpine skiing beginnings in Australia and arguably ,the world to acknowledge and celebrate the 150th Anniversary of organised alpine skiing in Australia, beginning at Kiandra in 1861.




Willoughby District Historical Society Inc
The Tales of Flat Rock Creek exhibition explores the impact of urban development on a pristine natural environment since the European settlement through the eyes of Willoughby residents. The story is told through three primary themes: the Rugged Landscape to the 1930s; the Ruined valley resulting from industrial waste, the Willoughby Incinerator and the garbage tip that impacted on the downstream landscape, flora and fauna; and its Reclamation, which explores the rehabilitation of the area and restoration of the incinerator as public recreational facilities and a bushland walkway.
EXHIBITIONS & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT - 1-4 PAID STAFF

Coffs Harbour Regional Museum

The Museum Pop Up was devised when the museum was flooded and closed in March, 2009.It was of vital importance to be able to reassure local residents the collection was in good condition and that their history was intact and was being managed in a responsible way although the objects were in storage. The "Pop Up" museum concept was embraced by the community.


Cowra Regional Art Gallery

The project was the co-curated presentation of the touring exhibition There’s a War On!  World War II at Home . The Cowra component was curated by the Gallery Director Brian Langer and showcased visual art and craft objects, photographs and memorabilia from community and private collections in Cowra that were linked in various ways to the works and curatorial themes of the touring exhibition.




George Hanna Memorial Museum

Audacciousville: the Story of Dacey Garden Suburb’ explored the history of Australia’s first public housing estate. Daceyville, as the suburb is known today, began construction in 1912 and was a product of the first labor government in New South Wales. Unfortunately, due to World War I and a change of government, the finished suburb was a fraction of its planned size.


Glasshouse Regional Gallery

People Of the First Sunrise was a project in partnership with Port Macquarie TAFE, MCA and the Gallery. Over a 9 month period, Aboriginal TAFE students developed a curatorium and selected works from the MCA Collections under the mentorship of Keith Munro, Curator Aboriginal projects, MCA. 24 works by 17 renowned Indigenous artists from eastern Australia were selected exploring current issues about identity and place

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery

GW Bot: the long paddock A 30 YEAR SURVEY is a solo survey exhibition of past and recent work by GW Bot and includes some new work. As one of Australia’s leading artists her printmaking, sculpture and painting is justly exhibited on its own. Bot’s unique visual language and imagery offers alternate ways of viewing the familiar.



Grafton Regional Gallery

The project involved two exhibitions Fire, Form and Fruition Geoff Crispin: a regional practice in clay and An Artist’s Influence on the Collection presented simultaneously in September 2010 at the Grafton Regional Gallery. Form examined the interactions between an artist and local and remote communities with in Australia and overseas. An Artist’s Influence demonstrated the interaction between an artist, Geoff Crispin, working in a regional area and his impact on the collection development of their regional gallery.
Macquarie University Art Gallery

India ─ Past, Present and Abroad provides broad access to the understanding of our multi-cultural nature of Australian heritage, by presenting the perspectives of local photographers and historians on the contribution of Indian culture. Travel photography and newspaper heritage is made accessible for audiences to conduct similar research.



Peacock Gallery

Auburn Youth Art Showcase-"Own it"- An exhibition of works by local young people aged 12-24 during Youth Week and School Holidays ( 1 April to 1 May 2011) at the Peacock Gallery, Auburn Botanic Gardens. The strategies used resulted in the provision of an engaging exhibition and public programming aimed at engaging youth in the arts



UNE Heritage Centre, University of New England
THROUGH THE COLLECTORS LENS - DISSECTING BOOLOOMINBAH exhibition at NERAM exhibition provides an opportunity to use a large `museum standard' exhibition space to explore the diversity of collections held by the university and to introduce them to a general audience. The project was to develop an exhibition which could use scientific and cultural collections to explore a common theme which would be interesting to a general audience

Newcastle Museum set to open

The new Newcastle Museum will have its official opening this Thursday, 2 August. As a thank you to all those who've been part of this fantastic new development, the Museum held a "soft opening" yesterday evening. What a wonderful event! With a live broadcast from ABC radio Newcastle, the new museum was filled with people of all ages from new born babies to great grandparents. With smiles all round, the building was buzzing with happy laughter, no doubt helped along by generous glasses of bubbly and fizzy drinks for the kids.

The Museum is conveniently located adjacent to the Civic train station in the Honeysuckle precinct in a wonderfully gritty industrial building. The address (corner of Merewether St and Workshop Way) gives some hint to the former use of the building with references to its heritage continuing throughout the site. It's truly wonderful to feel the sense of the building's industrial past oozing through the edges of the very contemporary exhibition spaces. The exhibitions have been lightly placed over the industrial infrastructure and the staff and designers have clearly put a lot of thought into meshing the original use of the building with its new life as a 21st century museums.

The exhibition areas are divided into three main zones. The history of BHP in Newcastle is explored through an engaging exhibition that includes a light and sound performance involving an enormous smelting crucible and a great deal of smoke and noise! The exhibitions draw on a range of materials including life sized photographs of the smelting works by the likes of Max Dupain and Harold Cazneux, reconstructions of work spaces such as a chemistry lab and men's wash room and the personal belongings of people who worked with BHP.

Newcastle's story is shown through the main gallery which includes an audiovisual wall with faces from the Newcastle community including panels that change every few minutes. Many of the images have been given by local people and it is the museum's intention to continue to add to the wall. The more environmentally sensitive objects are displayed within two rooms created within the larger industrial space. These rooms are more intimate than the main exhibition areas providing visitors with a change of pace. Themes such as immigration, Newcastle's role during times of war and the local surfing culture are included.

One of the great delights of the Newcastle Museum is the SuperNova exhibition. Part of the original Newcastle Museum, SuperNova is an interactive science centre providing children and adults alike with a range of hands on science experiences. A giant blue globe of the world greats visitors as they enter the space. A series of science work stations are scattered throughout the space. Each station sits on a colourfully lit up base and explores a different scientific issue. A softplay area for toddlers is also located within this space.

Museums & Galleries NSW is holding an event at the Newcastle Museum on Tuesday 30 August to give participants an opportunity to hear more about what's involved in developing this and other new cultural facilities, for more information go to Bricks and Mortar

To learn more about the Newcastle Museum go to the Newcastle City Council website or visit the Newcastle Museum facebook page

You can also hear Acting Deputy Director Julie Baird being interviewed on ABC radio Newcastle

Lady Denman exhibition opening

Lillian, Sarah-Jane and Phoebe were delighted to have the opportunity to travel down to beautiful Huskisson for the opening of the There’s a War On! exhibition at the very impressive Lady Denman Heritage Complex.

We arrived to the rousing tunes of war time performed by the local choir that was perched up on the deck of the Lady Denman boat! The music really added to the festive atmosphere of the exhibition and surely evoked many memories for people in the crowd.

The exhibition is housed within the main gallery space and exemplifies the possibilities of presenting touring exhibitions such as There’s a War On! with existing museum collections – in this case, a curated display of Lady Denman’s objects in the joint exhibition entitled Down To the Wire! The Bay and Basin in WWII. Interpretative panels, banners and video footage were shown alongside valuable historical objects drawn from the museum’s collection, allowing an interesting mix of factual World War II information while providing a local perspective of wartime experiences from the surrounds of Jervis Bay and Huskisson.



The exhibition also includes several activities catered for varying audiences, such as war costumes for children to dress up in, and laptops with internet access to the There’s a War On! wiki encouraging individual visitors to contribute their stories and memories from World War II to this public forum. After taking in the exhibition (and the delicious home baking on offer) we were very fortunate that the Curator of the Lady Denman, Graeme Hinton could spare the time to show us around the fabulous new collection management facility that the Museum acquired last year, including climate-controlled storage facilities.



Morgan Sant, President of the Lady Denman Committee (and Standards Program reviewer) also showed us the new theatre/conference room and the fascinating permanent maritime collection on display. There were lots of great stories associated with the collection and we all wished we had more time so we could look around the exhibitions some more. A return journey is definitely on the cards! There’s a War On! and Down to the Wire! are currently on exhibition at the Lady Denman Heritage Complex until Sunday 4 September 2011.

Phoebe and Lillian