2013 annual report M Contents About Museums Australia Inc. (Victoria) ................................................................................................2 President’s Report ..................................................................................................................................3 Treasurer’s Report ..................................................................................................................................4 Executive Director’s Report ................................................................................................................ 5-6 Management ....................................................................................................................................... 7-8 Awards, Conference and Events ....................................................................................................... 9-10 Communications & Digital Projects .....................................................................................................11 INSITE ...................................................................................................................................................12 Membership & Fundraising ..................................................................................................................13 Exhibition Services ...............................................................................................................................14 Museum Accreditation Program – MAP ..............................................................................................15 Victorian Collections ............................................................................................................................16 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 17-18 Financial Reports ........................................................................................................................... 19-22 1 Museums Australia (Victoria) About Museums Australia Inc. (Victoria) Mission: Enabling museums and their people to develop their capacity to inspire and engage their communities. Statement of Purpose are relevant, accessible and strategically Awards. The Awards are peer-reviewed Museums Australia (Victoria) provides useful to the sector as a whole. and celebrate the hard work of staff and professional services to develop and volunteers in creating a vibrant sector. The sustain the roles and interests of museum The Victorian membership reflects the Awards are proudly sponsored by a range communities across Victoria. great diversity of the museum sector. of industry and cultural supporters. At the end of December 2013, it included Museums Australia (Victoria) provides: 245 organisations spanning archives, art Exhibition Services galleries, botanical gardens, historical Provides advice, professional development • Expert advice on museum practice and societies, natural and social history and grants specifically targeted to improve development. museums and specialist collections. At static and touring exhibition activity in • Grants for exhibition development. end 2013, we had 218 individual members, regional Victoria. • Accreditation and application of the most of whom are working either National Standards for Australian Museums professionally or voluntarily in museums INSITE and Galleries. and galleries. Our stimulating and informative member • Professional development. magazine, published five times a year, is • Advocacy and profile raising of Victorian Our key services include: directly sent to members with the latest museums. news on Victorian museums, events and Events topics. Values Over 70 events offered ranging from • Recognising that museums and galleries exclusive member viewings to lectures, Membership and Fundraising occupy a vital place in the community. seminars, workshops and masterclasses Dedicated resources proactively and • Recognising the contributions of our catering to beginner, mid-level and expert reactively identify the needs of existing and members to the sector. museum staff and volunteers. We cross- potential members and encourage broader • Supporting access to and the care of the reference our program with member networking within and between groups and Distributed National Collection. feedback and our matrix of museum and communities. Our fundraising activities • Recognising and celebrating diversity individual types to ensure we offer a support both museums applying for grants including Indigenous cultural heritage. balanced program to suit a variety of and fundraising for branch income and • Recognising the importance of being a needs. in-kind support for activities which benefit forum for ideas. the membership. • Upholding the highest ethical professional Victorian Collections standards. A free online cataloguing system created Digital Projects especially for community collecting The weekly e-bulletin and MA (Vic) website Background organisations and small museums in offer a range of up-to-date museum sector MA (Vic) is a state branch of Museums Victoria. Introductory workshops in information and links to external Australia, a not-for-profit national collection management, cataloguing, resources. Online training tools include membership association founded in 1993 object handling, photography, and more short training videos on museum best to bring together people concerned with are held throughout the year. practice and selected seminar the care and communication of Australia’s presentations available online. Special natural, artistic and cultural heritage. Museum Accreditation Program disaster response areas of the website are 83 museums are participating in our available for fire and flood-affected Through the direction of an elected gold-standard Museum Accreditation communities when required. Committee, the Victorian Branch provides Program, a wholistic, peer-supported support, representation and professional model of excellence developed according The MA (Vic) office is housed on the lower development services to the museum and to the National Standards for Australian ground floor of the Melbourne Museum. gallery sector throughout the State. Museums and Galleries. The Program Members enjoy easy access to services enables strong mentoring between and staff. MA (Vic) is grateful for the Membership museums and museum experts to share generous ongoing support of Museum MA (Vic) represents approximately one best-practice, upskill museum staff and Victoria in making this space available. third of Museums Australia’s total volunteers and raise the profile of membership. It represents the Victorian participating museums. members and coordinates services for them. The Victorian branch of Awards Museums Australia provides services for Each year since 1994, we have recognised museums and museum workers regardless the achievements of museum individuals of membership status, and our programs and organisations at the Victorian Museum Annual Report 2013 / www.mavic.asn.au 2 President’s Report I am very pleased to report that Museums Significant activities in 2013 included our Elections to Museums Australia’s National Australia (Victoria) was able to maintain annual awards for Victorian Museums and Council saw Frank Howarth take on the and secure additional funding for its core staff, presented by the Hon. Heidi Victoria, role of National President of Museums operations and flagship programs over the Minister for the Arts, at the Australian Australia, and the elections of Victorians course of 2013. Centre for the Moving Image. The full list Peter Abbott and Padraic Fisher onto the of awardees can be found on page 9 of this National Council. Both Peter and Padraic As well as signing a new three-year report. are keen to hear the views of Victorian agreement for core operational funding members on the role and operations of through the Victorian Government and Arts In addition, we delivered our second Museums Australia. Victoria, Museums Australia (Victoria) has annual Museums & Galleries Conference received funding from the Veterans’ Affairs in regional Victoria, hosted and sponsored As well as putting on a very successful Unit and Arts Victoria, both in the by the National Wool Museum in Geelong. National Conference in Canberra, Department of Premier and Cabinet to The Conference brought together museum Museums Australia developed changes to support the Victorian Collections project. staff and volunteers at all levels to discuss the membership structure which add value We are grateful and energised by this their work and issues in the sector. to both organisational and individual support and the solid contribution it will membership, including special deals for make to this next year of Anzac We bid farewell to Dimity Mapstone who students, retired colleagues and commemorations. significantly contributed to our mobile volunteers. optimised website, online videos and As our new agreement with Arts Victoria is publications, as well as Caitlin McAtomney This is my final report as Chair of the under a new funding model, we have taken as Office Manager and co-Chair of the Victorian Branch Committee of Museums the opportunity to redevelop some of our annual conference. We welcomed Caroline Australia as I am stepping down after eight programs. In particular, the Exhibition Deighton to the Office Manager role as well years, or two full terms. I want to welcome Services program will