Friends and Networks

Friends and Networks Friends of the Suter Film and Sound Archives join forces Emerging Museum Professionals Network James Wallace Arts Trust – Give and Take Connecting Through Social Media November 2014 November Contents Museums Aotearoa EDs Quarter 3 Te Tari o Ngã Whare Taonga o te Motu Message from the Board 4 Is New Zealand’s independent peak professional organisation for museums and those who work in, or have an interest in, museums. Members include My Favourite Thing 5 museums, public art galleries, historical societies, science centres, people who work within these institutions and individuals connected or associated with Friends of the Suter 6 arts, culture and heritage in New Zealand. Our vision is to raise the profile, strengthen the preformance and increase the value of museums and galleries Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision 8 to their stakeholders and the community All that Remains 10 Contact Details Emerging Museum Professionals 11 Level 8, 104 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 PO Box 10-928, Wellington 6143 Staff Changes 12 Tel: 04 499 1313 Fax: 04 499 6313 Policy Matters 13 Email: [email protected] Web: www.museumsaotearoa.org.nz Museum Profile – MOTAT 14 Contributions MA Strategic Plan 2014 – 2016 16 We welcome article suggestions and contributions. For enquiries about contributing to MAQ please contact us at [email protected]. Book Review: NZ's Historic Samplers 17 Staff Let Us Keep Close Together... 18 Phillipa Tocker – Executive Director Talei Langley – Membership Services Manager The James Wallace Arts Trust 20 Advertising Connecting Through Social Media 22 Enquiries about advertising in this publication, or mailing flyers, should be addressed to the Museums Aotearoa office A Samoan Quality 23 The Journey of the Otagos 24 Selznick School of Film Preservation 26 Next issue February 2014: Communicating Culture Disclaimer Cover Images The opinions expressed in this publication are not Main: necessarily those of the Editor or of Museums Otago Harbour, Roger Mortimer, 2014 Paramount Award winner, Wallace Art Awards. Page 20 Aotearoa Lower: Museums Aotearoa Meeting, Patea, October 2014. Page 3 ISSN 1177-7362 Back Cover: Clockwise from top. Peanut Man and storage box from the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace collection. Page 5 An image of a 16mm Technicolor print of 'Scaramouche' (1939) through a loupe on a light box. Page 26 Dinner gong, 1916, maker unknown. Gift of the New Zealand High Commission, London, 1953. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (GH001964/1). Page 10 2 MAQ November 2014 EDs Quarter Who are your friends? In this MAQ we are exploring some aspects of What we want is a balanced and capable group museums and galleries' engagement with key stakeholders, such as donors, of people who are contributing positively to our audiences, governing bodies or media, both formally or informally. organisation and activities. I recently attended a conference for association executives – people What we all want to achieve is a 'virtuous circle', a self-propelling situation who are involved with diverse sectors including whereby we offer meaningful experience and engagement – which satisfies transport, health, construction, service, tourism, and enthuses our audiences and key stakeholders – so they support our animal and social welfare. It was useful to consider activities politically and financially – and we can then keep evolving and Museums Aotearoa as an association rather than offering meaningful experience and engagement. part of the museums sector. We talked about the detail of membership servicing, models I tried to write the previous sentence without using the word 'stakeholder'. of engagement, and strategic planning. I was It always makes me think of someone holding a waratah (triangular-profile interested to learn that almost without exception, metal stake) while another person hammers it into hard ground. The members all shared common challenges of 'stakeholder' is grimacing as the waratah jars with each blow, and they hope leadership, governance and advocacy. the person with the sledge-hammer doesn't miss and hit their hand… Not an ideal way to envisage the people who are so important to our viability The new Museums Aotearoa Strategic Plan and success. (see p16) articulates some of the ways that our organisation wants to address these challenges. We have been discussing the strategy with members at regional meetings over the last few weeks. Your input is vital to ensure we are using our time and resources most effectively. I am looking forward to working with the MA Board and members to develop and undertake action plans to meet these priorities. Staff and volunteers have presented in pitopito kōrero sessions at some meetings. It has been enlightening and inspiring to see and share the innovative and robust work that is being carried out in all kinds of museum and galleries. Some have shared their experience of recent or planned projects, others have been able to help neighbours with advice and contacts. We particularly appreciate the candour of those who talk about experiments or projects that didn't go according to plan. The August issue of MAQ was about people, and so is this. In fact everything we do can be brought back to people – to our supporters, our funders, our artists and makers, our service providers, our staff and volunteers, our visitors, our tupuna and our mokopuna. Phillipa Tocker Executive Director Museums Aotearoa Meeting, Patea, October 2014 2014 November MAQ 3 Message from the Board Using our nice voices: caring for our museum However, manaakitanga doesn’t stop with greetings and welcomes in the galleries. and gallery visitors. Everyone who works in the museum has a role in extending manaakitanga and adding value to the Once when discussing an artwork with a group of primary school students relationships the museum has with its community. in a museum gallery, I was interrupted mid sentence when a museum staff For example, educators work in collaboration member came up behind our group and in a loud firm voice said “NO with schools, teachers and students. We attend FLASHES ALLOWED”. The students, teachers and parents spun around, and hold school staff meetings we consult with wide eyed in surprise. “TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA FLASHES,” said teachers and principals. We prepare our lessons the staff member, bluntly, and strode off. Several children had been awarded to meet the learning needs of each class. After the coveted role of class photographer for their museum visit. They looked at their visits, children send us museum-inspired their teachers, confused: were they in deep trouble? The teachers looked at me cards describing their experience. We build and shamefaced, apologising. I was aghast. I tried to make amends: “I’m sorry, it’s manage these long term relationships with care my fault, I forgot to tell you, we don’t use flashes in the museum ... it’s OK, and respect. We extend manaakitanga to our just turn off the flash, you can still take your photos, you’ve all been doing a learning community both when they are physically really great job ...” present in the museum and when they are away from it. We want our learning community to feel a This year Museums Aotearoa has a new mission statement. It refers sense of belonging in the museum. Through these to Manaakitanga. Manaakitanga has no one word English translation. reciprocal relationships, we aim to create lifelong When describing the concept in English, we assemble words like respect, museum lovers. hospitability, relationships, generosity, humility, reciprocity and goodwill. For me, I understand this concept best in terms of behaviour and – in my job as After high school I worked at The Warehouse an educator and occasional host at Puke Ariki – manaakitanga is the basis in Thames. The thing I remember most about for how I behave towards the community of people who engage with our working there was a rule that applied to every museum. single staff member. If we came within a certain distance of a customer, we had to acknowledge Personally, I love museum hosting, and always prided myself on my hosting them with a smile and “hello”. No interrupting abilities... and then I started working at Puke Ariki and met Adrienne. them, no annoying “so how’s your day been so far?” Adrienne’s ability to extend manaakitanga to each and every one of the Just a brief, respectful acknowledgement. In our museum visitors she interacts with never fails to impress me. From our institutions, if we are in the public space, we are tiny tots with their parents, our twitchy teenagers with their skateboards hosts. I firmly believe all staff are responsible for to our kaumātua, Adrienne is a true professional – a star of face-to-face upholding manaakitanga in museums, regardless communication, appreciating our visitors, predicting needs, putting people at of their position. ease, gently reminding of the house rules when necessary and leading people to the best possible museum experience. The day I listened to Adrienne Manaakitanga generates mutual respect and calmly soothe and reassure a visitor who was having nervous breakdown in trust, allowing deeper relationships to be formed. the toilets I knew I’d met my match. When it comes to caring for visitors on When our visitors gain a sense of belonging and the front line, Adrienne is one of the best things to happen to Puke Ariki. ownership of their museum, the museum has more supporters and friends. The mana of the museum grows and its value to the community increases. Sometimes we need to ask visitors to turn off their camera flashes, but let’s use our nice voices. Erin Flanigan Museum Educator, Puke Ariki Erin Flanigan 4 MAQ November 2014 My Favourite Thing I have chosen this figure made from peanut shells as my favourite thing because it represents the many mysterious and unexpected objects I have found while working with the collection at the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace in Thorndon, Wellington.

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