Oaks Historical Society on value of winning an IMAGinE Award

The Oaks Jan Noakes & Jacqui Finley with Arts NSW Executive Director Mary Darwell

Nominations open for 2011 IMAGinE Awards

With Nominations open for this year’s IMAGinE Awards we thought we would catch up with a past winner – Doreen Lyons from The Oaks Historical Society Inc.

Has winning an IMAGinE award had a positive impact on your volunteers?

DL: Yes the education group volunteers, Jacqui & Jan, were so surprised to win the award and so excited at being part of the ‘big picture’ event at the MCA. More importantly though, the rest of the team which turns up every Thursday to work at the museum’s Hands on History day were so proud of Jan and their own place on the team. It also increased that team of 10 volunteers to 12!

In what ways do you communicate your win? (ie. Letterhead, website)

DL: The award is covered that week in the local press. It is put on our web site and letterhead and in the Newsletter and the various promotional material we give out to coach tour groups and local Council. We have also committed one display case to showcasing our various awards. This is kept in the Community Room which is where we have our meetings and where we show our a/v presentation to visiting tour groups so it is regularly seen

How do you think the IMAGinE awards can assist volunteer museums?

DL: The award can help to lift the work of small museums into the bigger picture of the museums and galleries sector. Museums who work in isolation in remote areas seldom get the chance to showcase their work and this is one way to do that in the museum community. One suggestion on the actual Awards night would be to have a short film session actually showing those museums who won awards. Very few if any people who attended the awards night would actually come to our museum to see what we do. Receiving the award also helps to lift the profile of the museum with local Council and funding bodies. However, the “IMAGinE Awards” tag is not easily recognised outside the museums and galleries sector – especially with the Tourism Industry. Tourism is often the only way that Museums can remain financially viable. Perhaps a specific section within the Award could recognise this? I am pleased to see that MGNSW are now working with the NSW tourism industry to address this fact because at a local level many small museums like ours have been involved at a local and state level in marketing our museums to the tourism industry.

Click here for nomination forms or more information about the 2011 IMAGinE Awards. 

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

Broken Hill's New Collection Store

Broken Hill Art Gallery's new collection store and loading dock.

On a recent trip to Broken Hill, to judge the 2011 Outback Art Prize and announce the winner, Bruce Tindale, director of the gallery, gave me a tour of the new (almost finished) collection store and loading dock.

One of the final pieces in the successful Sully’s Emporium puzzle, (the gallery moved to this impressive main street commercial premise several years ago) the new store will finally allow Broken Hill Regional Gallery’s remarkable collection to once again be housed and cared for under the one roof.

Tindale’s knowledge and eye for detail has ensured the design and construction of a flexible and efficient space. It’s large enough to cater for projected growth and cleverly connects to existing work areas in a way that improves workflow and admin activity. If visiting, check it out.

As I said in announcing the Outback Art Award the other night, in all respects, Broken Hill is the winner when it comes to regional museums and galleries.

Michael R

The Archibald Prize Packdown

Art Gallery of NSW team de-installing Adam Chang’s John Coetzee

Archibald Prize 2011 artworks being packed into traveling frames

Last Sunday 26 June was the final day of the 2011 Archibald Prize exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) – and the first day of its extended life as a regional touring exhibition. After all of the hype with the judging and announcement of the winner, and thousands of visitors marching through the exhibition space in Sydney, the Archibald Prize kicks on with full speed and momentum to regional audiences in wider New South Wales and Victoria. 

After the AGNSW closed its doors on Sunday night, Sarah-Jane Rennie and myself attended the exhibition packdown. It took 6 strong men from the gallery’s installation group, 2 from Museums & Galleries NSW team, 41 custom-built wooden traveling frames, several electric drills and tools, a scissor lift and 5 action-packed hours to demount, carefully store, seal and label every painting and ensure each artwork was snug and safe in its traveling frame to venture on.

Specifically, our primary role was to document the step-by-step process involved in packing and handling each individual artwork. These instructions are then written up and provided to each of the upcoming host venues of the Archibald Prize as a tour manual to facilitate the proper care of the works at each regional gallery.

The Archibald exhibition left its home at the crack of dawn on Monday morning and will be shown at 7 galleries over the next 11 months, providing access to approximately 50,000 additional visitors in regional NSW and Victoria.

2011 Archibald Prize Regional Tour Itinerary:

Tarrawarra Museum of Art                           2 July – 31 July 2011

Tweed River Art Gallery                                5 August - 11 September 2011
Moree Plains Gallery                                    17 September - 23 October 2011
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery                   28 October - 4 December 2011
Casula Powerhouse                                      9 December – 15 January 2012
Orange Regional Gallery                               20 January - 26 February 2012
Manning Regional Art Gallery                       2 March – 8 April 2012

For further information on the 2011 Archibald Prize touring exhibition and other touring exhibitions click here

Future Plus….. Dreams and Other Ideas – NSW Museums & Galleries Planning Day

Amanda Lawson presents survey research to NSW museum and gallery representatives.

Monday 20th June was a very busy day at Museums & Galleries NSW's office with over thirty people from across NSW coming together to look at future plans for the sector. Representatives from regional galleries, regional museums, volunteer managed museums, state government, cultural centres that incorporate a range of activities including museums, galleries, local history research not for profit organisations, Artist Run Initiatives

The first half of the day was a presentation and workshop by Professor Amanda Lawson (University of Wollongong), Professor Shirley Veitch (Swinburne Universit of Technology), Deborah Ely (Bundanon Trust) and Amanda Reynolds who are part of the team currently undertaking work for Arts NSW on a Strategic Plan for the Visual Arts and Museum Sector for more information on the background to this project, please go to the Arts NSW website here.

The project is being undertaken by a six person team and aims to provide preliminary recommendations to Arts NSW about how best to support the museum and gallery sector over the next 5-10 years, including key priorities and approaches to sector support. Their work has included:

• A literature review of national and international issues and trends
• Phone interviews from key representatives of the industry
• Distributing and analysing a survey with the sector focusing on 10 key areas (provided in online and hardcopy formats to over 600 organisations across NSW)
• Collating written submissions
• Presentation of the workshop on 20 June for feedback on the survey and input into the future of the sector

The final report is due with ArtsNSW on July 15th 2011

Amanda's team received over 200 responses to the survey with the majority being filled out online. The regional community were well represented in the responses with 74% of respondents being from regional areas. Over 30% of responses came from historical societies with museums with a further 20% from museums, just over 10% from regional museums and just under 10% from regional galleries. Over 40% of respondents were managed by volunteer committees, 20% local government, 15% incorporated associations and 5% state government. The majority of respondents were from well established organisations with just under 45% being established between 1961 and 1990. The team has found that there are a variety of needs and focus across NSW, which reflect the diversity of organisations that make up the museum and gallery sector within NSW.

Following Amanda's presentation on the outcomes of the survey the group were divided into four teams and Professor Veitch led a session workshopping a purpose statement for the gallery and museum sector in NSW. This was a really interesting approach to strategic planning that asked participants to step outside their specific organisations and look more broadly at how the museum and gallery sector is perceived and what it should broadly focus on in the next five years. Shirley asked participants to look at:

• Inspirational dream (why we exist)
• Spirit (who we are)
• Beliefs (what we stand for)
• Attributes (our character)
• Greatest imaginable challenge (what we are going to achieve over the next 5 years)
• Focus (what we'll focus on)

The outcomes of this session will feed into the work Amanda et al will present to Arts NSW on 15th July.

Following this, Michael Rolfe presented the preliminary work on M&G NSW's 2012-2014 strategic plan to members of M&G NSW's three reference committees (Visual Arts Reference Committee, Museums Reference Committee and Volunteer Reference Committee), including an outline of the proposed new staff structure. We also presented a series of ideas for possible workshops and seminars over the next three years to get a sense of priority areas for ongoing learning within the sector.

If you would like more information about our future planning please contact Michael Rolfe on 9358 1760 or free call 1800 114 311

Delivering the NSW Aboriginal Art Prize 2010 Exhibition to Shoalhaven

Last Wednesday, Sarah-Jane Rennie and myself day-tripped down to Shoalhaven City Arts Centre and met with Tracey Glenn (Manager of the Arts Centre) and her lovely team to assist with the upcoming Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize 2010. In the midst of intense winds and chilly weather, we conveniently took refuge in the gallery and the Centre’s brand new dedicated arts storage room (and had the great privilege of breaking in the heating/temperature control system!).

We spent the day assessing the packaging and condition of the artworks included in the touring exhibition – 43 works from 37 different Aboriginal artists working across a range of mediums such as painting, drawing, photography, textiles and sculpture. This task included examining the works in great detail, noting down changes in their condition, and repairing any of packaging which may have been subject to wear and tear while on the road around NSW. These services are essential to ensure that the artworks are well protected and to minimise the risk of damage occurring.

The Shoalhaven City Arts Centre is located on the ground floor of a refurbished TAFE building with a local community radio station located above.  The Centre includes a community meeting room, kitchen, large courtyard for outdoor events, shop and three gallery spaces.  The year 12 student touring exhibition, Art Express was on in the main gallery and included several local students.  Further local artists were on show in the other gallery spaces including the Open Annual Art Competition for the Shoalhaven Mental Health Fellowship and Domestica Fantastica an exhibition of still life paintings and ceramics.

The Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize 2010 will be on display in the main gallery of Shoalhaven City Arts Centre this weekend until 6 July 2011, along with solo exhibitions by local Aboriginal artists Warwick Keen, Glenn Duffield and Noel Wellington.

Lillian