Platform to Heritage- Accessible Arts in Heritage Sites

On Monday 28 November, M&G NSW co-hosted an event with Accessible Arts exploring the requirements and challenges facing audiences and arts professionals with disabilities in heritage buildings. We were fortunate enough to have a range of speakers including disability specialists, architects and people working in heritage buildings operating as museums and galleries. A number of powerpoint presentations from the day have been uploaded to our website and are available through M&G NSW Resources. Speakers included:

Vince Sicari, Heritage Branch NSW, Office of Environment and Heritage

Vince is the Manager of the Conservation Team at the Heritage Branch and gave a great outline of how a building gets to be heritage listed, the implications of listing, the use of interim heritage orders, the relationship between the Heritage Branch and its guiding body, the Heritage Council and the sort of advice that the Heritage Branch can provide, through its Fire, Access and Services Advisory Panel (FSAP) Vince also mentioned two documents the Heritage Branch have produced New Uses for Heritage Places (which outlines the process of adapting a heritage building for a new use, including access for people with disabilities) and Design in Context (which outlines the process of building new structures within a heritage precinct).

Eric Martin, Eric Martin & Associates- Architects

Eric is an architect with over 35 years experience developing heritage buildings for disability access.  Eric provided an outline of the various pieces of legislation that impact on the provision of disability access to heritage buildings.  In particular the

Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010 which came into effect in May 2011. Eric also mentioned the newly formed NSW Building Professionals Board's newly formed Access Advisory Committee, who are able to provide advice related to the Disability Standards including decisions about unjustifiable hardship.  Eric outlined the steps undertaken in planning for disability access to heritage buildings as follows:

1. Review the significance of the place and identify the elements of greatest significance
2. Undertake an Access Audit to determine existing and required levels of accessibility.
3. Evaluate access options within a conservation context. This process includes consultation with authorities and approval of the proposed action.
4. Prepare the access policy or action plan.
5. Implement the necessary action.

 From Eric's perspective, the key areas to consider include:

• •Parking 
• Access to building entry 
• Access through public entrances 
• Circulation throughout the main building 
• Access to other floors 
• Egress 
• Toilets 
• Other facilities
• Information

Eric's website includes a great series of images showing approaches not only to providing physical access to building but also ideas for improving access for people with visual impairment that can improve their enjoyment of heritage spaces.  The website also includes a series of publications related to access to buildings including Improving Access to Heritage Buildngs.

Mark Relf, Accessibility Solutions  

Mark runs a consultancy focusing on disability access.  Mark outlined mobility issues including: Lower reach ranges, lower viewing/sight lines, accessible amenities and steps.  He spoke of the need for ramps, lifts and also appropriate handrails.  Mark also highlighted approaches to improve access for people with vision and hearing impairment including: the use of tactile surfaces, Braille/raised print, large format labels/guides, audio description, increased general light levels, assistive listening systems (such as hearing loops), Auslan interpreters, captioning and printed material.

Mark encouraged people to consider not just access to the building but the entire visitor experience including  booking a ticket, finding out information prior to a visit, signage about access for people with disabilities,  where to park/drop people off, availability of seating/rest points, sightlines (which will be lower for people in wheelchairs), access to interactive exhibitions, the location of accessible toilets and staff/volunteer awareness. 

Mark pointed out that the low light levels in exhibitions can make it very difficult for people with vision impairment to find their way around and suggested that higher general lighting or lights with timers could help with this.  Similarly he suggested that strip lights on stairs could be of assistance.  He also pointed out that exhibition furniture hanging from the ceiling or sticking out into pathways could also be a hazard, as well as temporary barriers in the form of cables, ropes or retractable belts.  Mark provided links to some recent papers from the USA's National Center on Accessibility who have recently written papers on the museum experiences of people who are blind and vision impaired including

Exhibit Design Relating to Low Vision and Blindness: 

Current Media Technology, Appropriate Application of Technology, Future Research Needs 

What Visitors with Vision Loss Want Museums and Parks to Know about Effective Communication

Research on Effective Use of Tactile Exhibits with Touch Activated Audio Description for the Blind and Low Vision Audience

Tactile Mapping for Cultural and Entertainment Venues

The afternoon gave us an opportunity to hear from a range of people working in heritage buildings, mostly being used as museums and galleries which led to some really interesting discussions between the speakers and audience. Speakers explored approaches to improving access into buildings, virtual tours to fragile sites and approaches to improved access for people with vision and hearing impairment as well as the Deaf community. Speakers included:

Mantej Singh Head of Western Sydney Portfolio, Historic Houses Trust of NSW
As Head of the Western Sydney Portfolio, Mantej is responsible for a range of properties including Rouse Hill, Elizabeth Farm and Meroogal. Historic Houses can be difficult to provide access into as many are being interpreted in the manner of their original use, (including homes, small shops and a farm) which provides challenges, in particular with upper floors. Rouse Hill is a point in case where the fragile nature of the upper floors prevents any visitor access. Instead, the Historic Houses Trust has developed a virtual tour which not only provides panoramic views of each room in the property but allows visitors to open drawers, cupboards etc. to explore contents that wouldn't be accessible to anyone on an actual tour. The full virtual tour is available on terminals at the Rouse Hill Visitors Centre and Caroline Simpson Library (at the Mint, Macquarie St). Five of the panoramas are available for viewing on the HHT's website.

Julie McKenzie, Associate Director, Tonkin Zulaika Greer Architects
As an architect, Julie has worked closely on the redevelopment of a number of heritage sites for arts purposes including museums, galleries and performing arts. Julie has worked with Mark Relf on a number of projects and spoke of the importance of seeing the potential of a site in a design sense and consulting widely to ensure good access. She spoke specifically about three projects that she has been involved in- Carriageworks the train workshops in Eveleigh that have been redeveloped into a dynamic performing arts venue; Casula Powerhouse in western Sydney, an old powerstation that has been redeveloped into a dynamic gallery and performing arts venue in several stages over a ten year period and the Paddington Reservoir which was being used as a carpark prior to being converted into a sunken public garden.

Joe Eisenberg, Cultural Director, Maitland Regional Art Gallery
Joe outlined the work involved in redeveloping an early twentieth century technical college into a twenty first century art gallery. As with Casula Powerhouse, the redevelopment of Maitland Regional Art Gallery was undertaken in stages and has included the introduction of a new building to link two existing buildings (and in doing so avoiding the use of steps between spaces), the installation of a lift to the upper level, inclusion of accessible toilets and a sensory garden. A ramp was included at the new entrance to the building, Joe reflected on the fact that most people use the entrance at the other side, which comes straight in from the carpark. He pointed out that this in many ways has become the main entrance to the building as more people arrive by car than other modes of transport.

Julie Baird, Deputy Director, Newcastle Museum
Julie pointed out that not all heritage buildings are created equal, particularly in terms of access. The museum had been located in a heritage listed brewery on seven levels, with a lift that could only fit one wheelchair. The Newcastle Museum reopened in August this year at a more accessible heritage site, a railways workshop beside Newcastle's Civic railway station. As the building was originally designed to move train carriages through it, it has large entrances, with most operations on a single level, which is in terms of access and the movement of collections around the site. There is no fixed furniture in the cafe or theatrette which allows both to be arranged according to visitor needs and the activities being undertaken. The museum inherited a number of chairs from council which have been placed throughout the public spaces (including the accessible toilet) as the need for rest spots had been identified during the museum's redevelopment.

Newcastle Museum Volunteer, Di Taylor, who uses a wheelchair, has been providing feedback to Museum staff about accessibility issues as they arise, particularly in terms of exhibitions where a couple of showcases had been set too high. Julie acknowledges that there are some accessibility issues that haven't been overcome, such as the need for collections in some spaces to be at least 1m from the ground in case of flood and the fact that the tram which visitors are invited to climb in and explore is not accessible for those with a physical disability.
The Museum's motivation to continue to improve access for all people into around the site is reflected int their recent work with Vision Australia. Following the arrival of temporary exhibition Living in a sensory world: stories from people with blindness and low vision the Museum has been collaborating with the Newcastle staff from Vision Australia to develop audio described tours and material that can be accessed through a DAISY reader (Digital Accessible Information System- an audio reader used by many people with vision impairment).

The seminar ended with a lively discussion between the audience and speakers about some of the challenges encountered when using heritage buildings as museums and galleries.

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.

Cuil Lodair Culloden Battlesite

On my way north this week I visited the Culloden Battlesite. The site is located just out of Inverness on a windswept, boggy moor. The battle took place on 16 April 1746 and was the last major pitched battle fought on British soil. Bonnie Prince Charlie led the Jacobite forces against British government troops in the final battle of an uprising that had begun the previous year. Having marched all night in cold, wet conditions, the Jacobites were not in the best of conditions by the time the battle began at 12pm, tragically in under an hour over 1500 Jacobites and 50 government troops had been killed and the battle ended.

The site has been sensitively interpreted with a new visitor centre and exhibition opened in December 2007. The centre has a low profile using local stone and timber that allows it to blend in with the surrounding landscape. The centre houses a shop, cafe and exhibition that skillfully weaves the story of both the Jacobite and government sides of the battle and contextualises events with a broader international political landscape. As with much of the Highlands area of Scotland much of the signage and interpretation is bilingual Gaelic/English. The move to provide more prominence for Gaelic throughout the Highlands is supported through schools, cultural groups and some television programs. No doubt the bilingual labels seen here and in many other museums and galleries in the Highlands supports these moves.

The exhibition incorporates audiovisual components including the thoughts of those who took part in the battle retold by actors in Gaelic and English, table top projected moving maps of the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself and a 360 degree full height film of a re-enactment of the battle. Archaeological material from the battlefield is on display and well as contemporary documents artwork and maps and a range of weaponry including guns, swords, cannon and targe (a leather studded shield).

A fantastic handheld multimedia interpretative device triggered by GPS produced by ZolkC is provided as part of the entry fee and provides an enriched experience for visitors walking through the outside site. As well as tours in English, Gaelic and various other languages, the tour also provides a child centered tour and audio description for those with vision impairment.

Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life

Last week I met with Clare Weir and Lu McNair from Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life. Summerlee is an industrial museum focusing on coal mining and ironworks based in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Museum is another recognised collection and highlights the success of the recognition scheme in supporting the further development of collections across Scotland.

Summerlee opened as an ironworks and associated mine in 1836. Whilst the furnaces of the ironworks ceased operation in the 1920s, the site continued as an industrial operation until the 1980s at which time it was operating as the Hydrocon Crane company. The initial museum opened on the site in 1987 as a Trust or volunteer managed operation. The museum is located on a 22 acre site with a heritage tram delivering people around the site.

Today the site is operated by North Lanarkshire council and has been recently redeveloped following an investment of GBP 10 from a range of sources including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland, the European Regional Development Fund, North Lanarkshire Council, charitable Trusts and individuals. The site provides wonderful opportunities for engagement through interactives such as the mock up blast furnace that leads to a pig iron casting.

There has been a conscious effort to incorporate social history onto the site alongside the large technological pieces. This was reinforced by the local community who were closely involved in the redevelopment. Older people within the community wanted to be able to take grandchildren and show them something of the way they lived, hence the addition of areas focusing on dances, banners from marches and the local movie theatre.

The museum also contains a series of row houses set up to reflect changing lifestyles of the area. The first three houses depict the nineteenth and early twentieth century, where families rented one roomed attached homes in rows. The 1940s and 1960s homes showed a continued accumulation of belongings and the extension of the homes into the backyard and roof. The museum has also developed backyards for some of the cottages, showing the changing use of gardens from a source of food to a place of leisure, over time.

With the changing economic climate, the museum is looking at how they will operate in the future. They may have less funds to develop new exhibitions but are hoping that this will provide more time for continued involvement of the community in the development of their exhibitions. They are exploring ways of expanding opportunities for volunteers, including guiding through the museum. There has been a program of involving long term unemployed people in placements at the museum which may also expand over time, perhaps leading to traineeships or apprenticeships.

Children in museums

Over the weekend I visited a number of museums and was struck by a couple of simple approaches to children's activities. The National Trust of Scotland have two properties in Edinburgh- Gladstone's Land is a property bought and developed by Thomas Gledstanes in the early seventeenth century. Typical of properties in the Old Town of Edinburgh it is a six storey building which housed shops on the ground floor with a series of dwellings on top, accommodating people of various levels of society.

The Georgian House is a late eighteenth century property located within the New Town, developed in response to the desperate need for greater space within Edinburgh. This was the home of John Lamont, the 18th Chief of the Clan Lamont and an example of the much more expansive lifestyle that was possible with the development of New Town.

The National Trust have developed a program for children based around a dog called Gnasher. Cut out copies of Gnasher are positioned in various corners of the properties and children are encouraged to seek out Gnasher. Initially I did wonder what the cartoon cutouts of a dog were doing in a National Trust property but it was great to see the children noting Gnasher on their treasure maps as they went through the property. The Georgian House has a children's room on the top floor which had dress ups, a table of objects they could handle and a table where they could try their hand at writing with a quill. There were a number of couches in the room which no doubt provides a comfortable area for families to rest and withdraw from the more formal areas of the property.

The National Museum of Scotland has small activity tables and booths throughout their exhibition areas which I thought was a great idea. The museum is vast and by having small activity spots scattered discretely through the exhibition areas there are opportunities for children to engage with quite powerful collections in a way that makes sense to them. I particularly liked the addition of mirrors next to each dress up zone, allowing children to truly admire their new Viking self!

An Introduction to Oral History

Today I sat in on one of Museums Galleries Scotland's workforce training events- An Introduction to Oral History. MGS run a workshop about once a month, each one focusing on a single issue. This workshop had twelve participants and was delivered by Dr Gary West, University of Edinburgh- it gave a great outline of what's involved in undertaking oral history projects. Gary ran through the planning, interview and management phases of the project and then showed us the sort of equipment that's now being used for oral history interviews.

As in Australia, solid state recorders are now the most commonly used recorders. He showed us the ZOOM H4N which has two microphones in built and the capacity for a further two external mics to be attached. These recorders take SD cards and utilise about 2 GB of memory for an hour's recording. He recommends recordings are done in .wav files (not MP3) 44.1 kHz 16 bit or 48kHz 16 bit format. At the School of Scottish Studies, where Gary is based, they store master copies of the recordings they undertake on large hard drives with further masters burned as files onto DVDs. As is the case in Australia, there is still no certainty about the longevity of storage systems for digital files.

In the afternoon, the participants were given the opportunity to test out the equipment and their interviewing skills by interviewing each other. Finally Gary showed us some material from the School of Scottish Studies digitisation project Tobar an Duachailis. This is an incredible website that provides access to the School of Scottish Studies vast archive of oral histories, music recordings and songs that go back to the 1950s. The site is still in test mode but is well worth a visit.

Old Town, Edinburgh

After my visit to Britannia, I went on to Edinburgh and had a wonderful walk around Old Town where I managed to run in and see the last 15 minutes of a wonderful photography exhibition of works by the American photographer Edward Weston, an early to mid twentieth century artist. Weston had an interest in those wonderful positive and negative spaces that can be revealed in black and white photography and the exhibition was filled with wonderful studies of both vegetable and human form. There were a couple of images of a nautilus shell that were particularly memorable, the shapes seemed to be mimicked in a study of a nude woman he did some time later. Unfortunately I couldn't persuade them to let me up to see William Wegman's dogs which finished that day, but I'll be going back as the shop had some great local works...

I then went up to the Royal Mile which runs from Holyrood Palace up to Edinburgh Castle (famous for its annual tattoo which as a child I thought happened at Christmas time). I called into a wonderful little place called the Scottish Storytelling Centre which also runs the John Knox House. John Knox played a pivotal role in the Scottish reformation and the establishment of the Presbyterian church in the mid 16^th Century and is said to have been one of the main figures behind the abdication of Mary Queen of Scots who was staunchly Catholic. The exhibition in the house interweaves the story of John Knox, who is believed to have spent the last few months of his life in the house, with that of James Mossman. Mossman was a goldsmith and the Keeper of the Royal Mint. A staunch supporter of Mary and Catholicism, Mossman was eventually hung for leading a revolt.

The house was built in the mid 1500s and rescued by the Church of Scotland in 1850 to tell the story of John Knox. At that time the Old Town area had become a slum and was one of the most densely populated areas of Europe with up to 10 people living in a single room. While there is no disabled access to the upper floors, an interactive audiovisual has been developed that provides detailed views of all of the rooms.

The house sensitively tells the intertwined stories of John Knox and James Mossman within a significant heritage site complete with a beautifully painted ceiling. I was impressed with the use of carefully lit showcases which display a series of original John Knox publications and the puzzles children were invited to play with.