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Powerhouse Museum Sydney Observatory Museums Discovery Centre Annual ReportAnnual 2017–18 The Hon Don Harwin MLC Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Minister for Resources Minister for Energy and Utilities Minister for the Arts Vice President of the Executive Council Parliament House Sydney NSW 2000 Dear Minister On behalf of the Board of Trustees and in accordance with the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984 and the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, we submit for presentation to Parliament the Annual Report of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences for the year ending 30 June 2018. Yours sincerely Professor Barney Glover FTSE FRSN Andrew Elliott President Acting Director ISSN: 2209-8836 © Trustees of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences 2018 The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences is an Executive Agency of, and principally funded by the NSW State Government. MAAS Annual Report 1 2017–18 Contents Acknowledgment of country .........................................................................2 Mission, Vision, Values ..................................................................................3 Strategic direction ........................................................................................ 4 President’s foreword ..................................................................................... 6 Director’s foreword ....................................................................................... 8 Future of MAAS ...........................................................................................10 MAAS at a glance ........................................................................................ 13 Experience highlights .................................................................................. 14 1. Visitation .................................................................................................. 16 2. Experiences ............................................................................................ 20 3. Collection ............................................................................................... 38 4. Collaboration .......................................................................................... 48 5. Self-generated revenue ...........................................................................70 6. People ......................................................................................................74 7. Governance ............................................................................................ 80 8. Finances .................................................................................................. 86 9. Appendices ............................................................................................ 132 1. Board of Trustees ............................................................................. 133 2. Principal Officers ............................................................................. 133 3. List of exhibitions ............................................................................. 134 4. Loans ................................................................................................ 135 5. Acquisitions...................................................................................... 136 6. Legislative changes .......................................................................... 157 7. Overseas travel (list)......................................................................... 157 8. Major works statement .................................................................... 157 9. Staffing numbers (against last 3 years) ........................................... 158 10. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statistics ............................ 159 11. Senior Executive ..............................................................................160 12. Digital information security attestation statement ..........................160 13. Guarantee of service ........................................................................160 14. Public interest disclosure reporting as required by Public Interest Disclosure Act 1994 (also to be provided to the NSW Ombudsman) ...........................................................................161 15. Privacy reviews under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 ..........................................................................161 16. Public access to information.............................................................161 17. Volunteers ........................................................................................ 168 18. Awards ............................................................................................. 170 19. Sponsors/donor list .......................................................................... 170 20. Payment of accounts ........................................................................172 21. Budget estimates ..............................................................................172 22. Consultants .......................................................................................172 Contact information................................................................................... 173 MAAS 2 Annual Report 2017–18 Acknowledgment of country The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of the land and gives respect to the Elders — past and present — and through them to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. MAAS recognises and shares the value and importance of preserving, revitalising and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements. Central to achieving the MAAS vision for reconciliation is the exploration and fulfilment of a range of mutually beneficial opportunities in partnership with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultures and networks, allowing the activities of MAAS to be linked to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as a fundamental human right. MAAS Annual Report 3 2017–18 Mission To be a catalyst for creative expression and curious minds. Vision To be the leading museum of applied arts and sciences; inspiring people and communities to transform our world. Values Integrity. Courage. Passion. MAAS 4 Annual Report 2017–18 Strategic Direction MAAS is Australia’s only museum of applied arts and sciences with an exceptional collection, significant venues and location in Sydney, Australia’s global city. The MAAS collection is not bound by time or place, rather it seeks to represent and encompass human creativity in all its expressions across the arts and sciences and tells a story of innovation, imagination and ingenuity. MAAS understands that a successful, more culturally diverse, innovative society is based on the creative use of knowledge. The best ideas emerge from a culture that values experimentation, interdisciplinary conversation and an openness to the unexpected. The MAAS direction in 2017–18 was guided by the priorities of the MAAS 2017–22 Strategic Plan (viewable at maas.museum/strategic-plan/). The MAAS Strategic Plan seeks to position the organisation at the forefront of contemporary museums. It outlines the MAAS vision, mission and values and an interdisciplinary way of working. The focus for MAAS during 2017–18 was on: • Planning and delivering an audience-centric schedule of exhibitions and programs across all three MAAS venues which both retains existing audiences and strategically builds new audiences. • Continual improvement of customer service approach and forward- facing systems across sites, monitored by evaluative research. • Driving international tourism at Sydney Observatory, intra and interstate tourism at the Powerhouse Museum, and intrastate tourism at Museums Discovery Centre through a dedicated strategy and the support of funding partners. • Establishing a whole of organisation approach to partnerships, focusing on partnerships which drive income, research, reputation, new experiences and best practice governance. • Optimising internal systems and processes across venues to coordinate a whole of organisation approach to the development of the offer and ensure the organisation is best placed to maximise revenue and is compliant with government requirements. • Implementing the Collection Development Policy and Strategic Collections Policy Framework, alongside developing a strategic approach to commissions, and digitisation and documentation of the collection. • Establishing a whole-of-organisation understanding of the MAAS brand, alongside a focus on content, media, loans and awards, to build national and international reputation. • Increasing access to programs and collections regionally, internationally and digitally through touring, digital tools and a strategic approach to engaging more diverse audiences. • Promoting touring exhibitions and addressing the needs of a range of specific audiences including schools, children and families, adults, Indigenous communities, Western Sydney and regional NSW. MAAS Annual Report 5 2017–18 In light of the NSW Government’s announcement regarding the flagship campus in Parramatta, MAAS will consider the strategic direction of the Museum and continue to transform itself in response to growth, demographic trends, the evolving social landscape and the changing WALL SCULPTURE GORGONIA 15 shape of the city and state in which we live. BY TIMOTHY HORN.