VOL. 28 / ISSUE 2 / WINTER 2020 $15 Australian Museums and Galleries Association Augment your visitor experience with creative digital storytelling Technology provides exciting new ways to engage your audiences with interactive and immersive storytelling, allowing you to present multiple perspectives that unite humanity through shared understanding. Yet it’s only one tool in a suite of many needed to appeal to contemporary audiences, to convey the unique character of your people, places, objects and customs. Developing compelling interpretive visitor experiences is always a collaborative process, where diverse experts come together to co-create. At Art of Multimedia we work with you to create insightful natural, cultural and built heritage interpretation using bespoke digital experiences. With your vision and our creative expertise, we can create interpretation that stands the test of time. Come play with us! artofmultimedia.com.au/comeplay [email protected] +612 9209 4309 PERMANENT GALLERIES | NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - PROJECT MANAGEMENT - INTERPRETIVE DESIGN - GRAPHIC DESIGN - MEDIA DESIGN - LIGHTING DESIGN LAND, LIFE, CULTURE | TWEED REGIONAL MUSEUM - INTERPRETIVE DESIGN - GRAPHIC DESIGN - MEDIA DESIGN - LIGHTING DESIGN thylacine EXHIBITION DESIGN FABRICATION INSTALLATION GRAPHIC DESIGN COLLECTION SERVICES OBJECT MOUNTS PROJECT MANAGEMENT thylacine.com.au CANBERRA MELBOURNE 16 Stephens Rd Level 1, 19 Dickmann St Queanbeyan NSW 2620 Richmond VIC 3121 +61 2 6299 7340 +61 3 9427 9779 [email protected] [email protected] Unlock your Archives | Exhibit your content | Promote Discovery Quartex, from Adam Matthew Digital, is a digital collections platform designed to help libraries and archives easily publish, showcase, and share their own archival material. » Groundbreaking Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) technology makes manuscripts fully searchable. » In-platform generation of OCR and audio and video transcriptions allow full-text search across any archival material. » Easy-to-use interface without the need for any specialist IT skills. » Fully hosted, with simple and secure upload of metadata and assets. www.quartexcollections.com Museum Collections Management Software Engaging • Imaginative • Immersive Innovative • Essential REQUEST A FREE DEMO TODAY! 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Information For more information contact Sally-Anne and Rew Services & Tel: 0403 832 527 E: [email protected] IST Technology Www.istechnology.com.au Exhibition: Megafauna Central, Alice Springs Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Exhibition: Megafauna Central, Alice Springs WorkingMuseum with and Design Art Gallery Community, of the designcase Northern Territory delivered the built exhibition furniture for Megafauna Central. designcaseWorking with supplied Design Community,exhibition joinery, designcase showcases, delivered lighting, the built graphics exhibition and object furniture mounts. for Megafauna Central. Ourdesigncase network supplied of fabricators, exhibition mount joinery, markers showcases, and installers lighting, allowed graphics us to and deliver object an awardmounts. winning, beautiful, simple and refined exhibition where the collection and stories are frontOur network and centre. of fabricators, mount markers and installers allowed us to deliver an award winning, beautiful, simple and refined exhibition where the collection and stories are Megafaunafront and centre. Central illustrates the breadth, variety and scope of projects we undertake at designcase. Megafauna Central illustrates the breadth, variety and scope of projects we undertake at Awarddesigncase. Winner: Permanent exhibition fitout (Level 4), Museums & Galleries National Awards (MAGNA) 2019. Project info: designcommunity.com.au/portfolio/megafauna-central Award Winner: Permanent exhibition fitout (Level 4), Museums & Galleries National Awards (MAGNA) 2019. Design: Penny Hardy at Design Community Project info: designcommunity.com.au/portfolio/megafauna-central Photographer: Lisa Hatz Photography Graphics: Maria Mosquera Design: Penny Hardy at Design Community Photographer: Lisa Hatz Photography Graphics: Maria Mosquera 8 Tralee Street Hume Canberra ACT 2620 +61 2 6290 4900 www.designcase.net.au 8 Tralee Street Hume Canberra ACT 2620 +61 2 6290 4900 www.designcase.net.au designcase are proud to be the sole distributor and manufacturer of ClickNetherfield showcases in Australia and the Canberra dealer of Ljus Design Lighting. CLICK designcase are proud to be the sole distributor and manufacturerNE ofTHERFIELD ClickNetherfield showcases in Australia and the SHOWCASING YOUR VISION Canberra dealer of Ljus Design Lighting. CLICK NETHERFIELD SHOWCASING YOUR VISION Museums Aust Megafauna ad 2020.indd 1 24/06/2020 1:59:58 PM Museums Aust Megafauna ad 2020.indd 1 24/06/2020 1:59:58 PM 6 Vol. 28(2) – Winter 2020 AMaGA Magazine Ex officio Member Council Dr Mat Trinca AM Chair, ICOM Australia; Director, 2019–2021 National Museum of Australia President Public Officer Dr Robin Hirst PSM Rebecca Coronel Director, Hirst Projects, Melbourne Senior Manager - Property and Strategic Projects , National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra Vice-President Simon Elliott Deputy Director, Queensland Art Gallery State/Territory | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane Branch Presidents/ Representatives Treasurer (Subject to change throughout the year) Margaret Lovell ACT Rowan Henderson Consultant, Canberra Senior Curator, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Canberra Secretary NSW Judith Coombes Museums and Heritage Consulting COVER IMAGE Carol Cartwright [detail] One painting in a series by Biripi/ Canberra Worimi artist Gordon Syron, titled Invasion NT Dr Wendy Garden Day, Terror Nullius, Comin’ Through The Exhibition Manager, Curator of Heads (oil on canvas board, 2018). Image Australian Art, Museum and Art Gallery courtesy of the Australian Museum and Members of the Northern Territory, Darwin used with permission from Gordon Syron. Shane Breynard PhD Candidate, Canberra QLD Emma Bain Director, Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland Dr Mark Crees Director, Create Infrastructure SA Pauline Cockrill (Create NSW), Department of Community History Officer, Premier and Cabinet, Sydney History Trust SA, Adelaide Deanne Fitzgerald TAS Janet Carding Snr Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Director, Tasmanian Museum Advisor, Western Australian Museum, & Art Gallery, Hobart Perth VIC Lauren Ellis Program Manager, Curation and Penny Grist Curator, National Portrait Gallery, Innovation, Cultural Collections and Canberra Archives, University of Melbourne Marcus Hughes WA Christen Bell Director, Indigenous Engagement, Museum Curator, City of Armadale National Library of Australia, Canberra Jane King Gallery Manager, John Curtin Gallery, Perth Craig Middleton Curator, National Museum of Australia, Canberra Debbie Sommers Volunteer, Port Macquarie Historical Society, Port Macquarie © Australian Museums and Galleries Association and individual authors. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Australian Museums and Galleries Association Magazine is published biannually (from Volume 25 onwards) and online on the national website, and is a major link with members and the museums sector. Australian Museums and Galleries Association PO Box 24, Deakin West ACT 2600 Magazine is a forum for news, opinion and debate on museum issues. Contributions from Editorial: (02) 6230 0346 those involved or interested in museums and galleries are welcome. Australian Museums Advertising: 02) 6230 0346 and Galleries Association Magazine reserves the right to edit, abridge, alter or reject any Subscriptions: (02) 6230 0346 material. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher or [email protected] editor. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by Australian Museums www.amaga.org.au and Galleries Association, its affiliates or employees. Australian Museums and Galleries Editor: Bernice L. Murphy Association is proud to acknowledge the following supporters of the national organisation: Design: Inklab, Canberra Australian Library and Information Association; National Museum of Australia; Content layout: Stephanie Hamilton Museums Victoria (Melbourne Museum); and Western Australian Museum. Printer: Adams Print, Melbourne Print Post Publication No: 100003705 ISSN 2207-1806 National Conference 7-10 June 2021 Canberra CREATING THE FUTURE: 20 TRUST. DIVERSITY. IMAGINATION. 21 NEW DATES We are 7-10 June 2021 looking So much to talk about! forward to See you there! welcoming you to Canberra for an inspiring conference that will give us time and space to be together as a sector. Watch for updates via email and on the website www.amaga2021.org.au AUSTRALIAN MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2019: Handbook 1 Photo credit: VisitCanberra credit: Photo 8 Vol. 28(2) – Winter 2020 AMaGA Magazine In this issue Contents 10 President's Message 12 From the Director 18 Resetting the Future 14 Hope for the best, plan for the worst