M U S E U M OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011 INCORPORATING POWERHOUSE MUSEUM, SYDNEY OBSERVATORY, POWERHOUSE DISCOVERY CENTRE AND NSW MIGRATION HERITAGE CENTRE The Hon George Souris MP Minister for the Arts 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 2011. Yours sincerely Shaughn Morgan Dr Dawn Casey PSM FAHA President Director Powerhouse Museum uses Greenhouse Friendly™ ENVI Carbon Neutral Paper ENVI is an Australian Government certified Greenhouse Friendly™ Product. ISSN 0312-6013 © Trustees of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences 2011 Compiled by Mark Daly Designed by Colin Rowan Print run: 250 External costs: $6,926 Photography by MAAS photography staff: Sotha Bourn, Geoff Friend and Marinco Kojdanovski (unless otherwise credited). Cover image: Colour fashion shot of model Lori Craig in embroidered Fiorucci maxi dress, photograph by Bruno Benini, styling by Hazel Benini, Melbourne, 1975 Bruno Benini archive purchased for the collection with the assistance of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account, 2009 Featured in the exhibition Creating the look: Benini and fashion photography, Powerhouse Museum 2010-11 CONTENTS CORPORATE, FINANCIAL SERVICES President’s foreword 2 AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Director’s report 4 Report review 6 DIVISION Revitalisation: stage 1 8 People and Culture 64 Performance achievements 2010-11 10 Volunteer Coordination 66 Finances: the year in review 11 Information Systems and Exhibition Technologies 68 Museum outreach 12 Facilities Management 68 Audience results and trends 14 Non Exhibition Scheduling 69 Our audiences: profile 16 Records 70 Governance 17 Finance 70 Organisation chart 18 CURATORIAL AND DIGITAL, DIRECTORATE DIVISION Strategic Policy and Planning 72 SOCIAL AND EMERGING Corporate Development 72 TECHNOLOGIES DIVISION SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS Curatorial 20 Digital, Social and Emerging Technologies 25 Partners and Corporate Members 74 Powerhouse Foundation donors 74 COLLECTION MANAGEMENT AND Collection donors 75 OUTREACH SERVICES DIVISION STAFF SCHOLARSHIP AND Registration 31 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Conservation 33 Regional Services 35 Staff professional commitments 76 Exhibitions and Festivals Project Management and Planning 37 Staff lectures and presentations off site 77 Design 39 Staff lectures and presentations on site 79 Sydney Observatory 41 Staff publications 80 Powerhouse Discovery Centre: Collection Stores at Castle Hill 43 NSW Migration Heritage Centre 45 FINANCIAL REPORT MARKETING, MUSEUM EXPERIENCE Annual Report page 81 AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES APPENDICES DIVISION Annual Report page 100 Education Programs 48 Contemporary Programs 50 INDEX Family and Community Experiences (FACE) 53 Marketing and Communications 56 Inside back cover Editorial and Publishing 57 Customer Relations 59 Operations 60 Grants and Research Development 61 Full Annual Report available at Commercial Development 62 www.powerhousemuseum.com/about/index 1 PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD he opportunity to be part of the stewardship of In this, my first Report I acknowledge the significant a museum which brings together the worlds of contribution of my predecessor, Dr Nicholas Pappas to the design, science and technology for the betterment of stewardship of the Museum. Nicholas was appointed a Thumankind is an immense privilege to me. Recognising Trustee in 1999 and assumed the role of President in January the rich history of this institution over more than one hundred 2003. He served the maximum permissible term, and his and twenty five years, I am also conscious of the need to adapt retirement in December 2010 was marked with the award of to changing times and expectations of the place of a museum Life Fellowship of the Museum. Nicholas was admired and of applied arts and technology in a new century. respected by Trustees and staff alike, and I pay tribute to him. The focus of Board deliberations since my appointment early Trustee Anthony Sukari also left us at the end of 2010, having in 2011 have reflected this need to recognise and respond to a served three terms following his appointment in 2001. changing environment. As is evident elsewhere in this Report, Anthony was also Chair of the Panel of Advisors for the NSW the revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum entrance, Migration Heritage Centre at the Powerhouse for many years. public facilities and the way in which visitors move through I thank Anthony for his contribution, and his engagement with the galleries, captures this spirit of change. This Report also diverse Museum audiences. reflects a spirit of revitalisation in the Museum’s approach to In the first months of 2011 the Board farewelled two of exhibition and program delivery. I commend the management its members who, for personal and professional reasons, and staff on an outward and visitor oriented approach, which were no longer in a position to make a contribution. Deputy has resulted in such a stimulating year. President Margie Seale tendered her resignation in May, Shortly after my appointment a state election saw the and Tristram Carfrae left us in April. Their wise counsel, appointment of a new government and a new Minister. Our professional contributions and passion for the Museum will Minister, the Hon George Souris MP, also has responsibility for be missed by their fellow Trustees, and I record also my Tourism and Major Events, and this presents opportunities for appreciation for their service. partnerships across these activities that are so aligned to the Museum’s interests. We are encouraged by the opportunities the establishment of Destination NSW presents to enhance cultural tourism to Sydney, and to our regional centres. 2 In the spirit of change and revitalising which is touching on so many aspects of the Museum’s governance and operations, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board of Trustees, and with the management and staff of the Powerhouse to sustain the Museum’s proud tradition of engaging with ideas that make a difference to people’s lives. I conclude by thanking the Minister for the Arts, my Board colleagues and the management and staff of the Museum for the welcome accorded my appointment, and for the shared optimism for the contribution this fine institution can make to the people of New South Wales and beyond. Shaughn Morgan President, Board of Trustees Board of Trustees at 30 June 2011 From top: Shaughn Morgan (President) Prof Shirley Alexander (photo by Joanne Saad) Trisha Dixon (photo by Elaine Lawson) Tiffany Lee-Shoy Mark Nicholaeff Hon Helen Sham-Ho Judith Wheeldon AM 3 DIRECTOR’S REPORT ast year’s Annual Report focussed on the We have sought to interpret the creative process from the implementation of the strategic vision for the artist, designer or maker’s perspective, whilst at the same Powerhouse to become an ‘open’ museum – open to time creating opportunities for the visitor to also discover, and Lexhibitions and programs developed collaboratively be inspired by, the way design changes lives. or in partnership, and open to the creation of experiences Creating the look: Benini and fashion photography explored which encourage dialogue, involve experimentation and, on the technical and creative processes involved in styling, occasions, generate controversy. crafting and designing fashion photographs. Showcasing It has been satisfying to be part of the progressive images from the Bruno and Hazel Benini collection held implementation of this vision across all aspects of our operations. by the Museum, the exhibition was conceived as a series Significantly, it has informed the design brief for the of ‘rooms’, each devoted to the life and craft of this revitalisation of aspects of the Powerhouse building. Work creative couple. In doing so, it reinterpreted the display of has now commenced on changes to the entrance, to make photographs as framed images to create a highly evocative this a more welcoming and functional space, to reinstate a sequence of experiences. major 1,000 square metre temporary exhibition gallery, and to The Tinytoreum also reflected innovation in exhibition design, relocate the shop and café to enhance the visitor experience. with a focus on visitor participation and dialogue. Children’s These changes will open the Museum to its street frontage author Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley selected and activate the forecourt, and are the first significant objects from the Museum’s collection which, as models of changes to the building since opening on this site in 1988. miniatures or small versions of real objects, were about scale, Museum scholar the late Stephen Weil once observed that and the concept of ‘tiny’. The award winning exhibit invited museums need to transform themselves from ..being about interaction between adults and children, and the exploration something to being for somebody. Much has changed in the of small scale inventions. design of museum buildings, and in the way exhibitions and The renewal of interest in traditional crafts and the emergence programs are conceived and presented in the past twenty of new ‘maker communities’ in fields as diverse as crochet and years, and revitalising the Powerhouse we have sought to carpentry inspired Craft Punk: In the Loop, a weekend program embrace the ‘open’ museum concept. A focus on relevance, which invited visitors to harness their creative energy and engagement with diverse audiences, and the importance meet, make and share skills with others. Reflecting a Strategic of the Museum as a place of discovery and learning has Plan priority to create innovative experiences based on informed the development of exhibitions, programs and web traditional and heritage skills, the program attracted a diverse based content over the past twelve months. and predominantly younger audience of both men and women. The transformation to being for somebody has required a shift The publication of A maths odyssey provided an innovative of focus.