ANNUAL REPORT POWERHOUSE MUSEUM POWERHOUSE DISCOVERY CENTRE: 07-08 COLLECTION STORES AT CASTLE HILL 500 Harris Street Ultimo NSW 2007 MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES Postal address: PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238 Street address: 172 Showground Road Castle Hill NSW 2154 INCORPORATING POWERHOUSE MUSEUM, Administration hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday Postal address: PO Box 8025 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 Phone (02) 9217 0111 Fax: (02) 9217 0333 Administration hours: 9.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday SYDNEY OBSERVATORY, Open 10.00am to 5.00pm every day except Christmas Day Phone: (02) 9762 1300 Fax: (02) 9762 1304 POWERHOUSE DISCOVERY CENTRE School holidays open 9.30am to 5.00pm Email [email protected] Powerhouse Infoline (for information about what’s on) Public Open Days AND NSW MIGRATION HERITAGE CENTRE phone (02) 9217 0444 10.00am to 4.00pm (the second Saturday of each month, Education services bookings and enquiries: except January) phone (02) 9217 0222; fax (02) 9217 0622; TTY (02) 9217 0136; email [email protected] School Holidays 10.00am to 4.00pm Tuesday to Friday Admission charges Available to all general visitors. Bookings not required. Adults $10.00 Child (4 to 15) $5.00 Admission charges Concessions (Australian Pensioners and Seniors cardholders, Adult $8 students, Social Security and Veterans Affairs cardholders) $6.00 Child 4-15 $5 Family groups (2 adults/2 children or 1 adult/3 children) $25.00 Concessions (Australian Pensioners and Senior’s cardholders, Schools (per student) $5.00 students, Social Security and Veterans Affairs cardholders) $5 Powerhouse Members, children under 4 free Family (2 adults/2 children) $25 Members of ICOM, Members of Museums Australia Inc free Powerhouse Members and children under 4 free Group concessions - discounts apply for groups of 10 or more Booked Group Visits Additional admission charges apply to some temporary exhibitions 10.00am - 4.00pm Tuesday to Friday www.powerhousemuseum.com A range of options are available. Details available on the website. Please contact the Discovery Centre for bookings and information. SYDNEY OBSERVATORY www.castlehill.powerhousemuseum.com Watson Rd Admission charges are as at 1 July 2008 Observatory Hill, The Rocks Phone: (02) 9921 3485 NSW MIGRATION HERITAGE CENTRE Open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm Closed Christmas day/evening and Easter Friday day/evening Mail Address Open nightly, session times vary according to PO Box K346 daylight saving/sunset Haymarket NSW 1238 Summer (Dec/Jan): 1 session at 8:30pm AUSTRALIA Spring/Autumn: 1 session at 8:15pm Street Address Winter: 2 sessions at 6:15 & 8:15pm (by appointment only) Bookings required 500 Harris Street Admission Charges - Day Ultimo NSW 2007 Free admission to the gardens and exhibition AUSTRALIA 3D Space theatre and telescope viewing Tel (02) 9217 0412 Adults $7 Fax (02) 9217 0628 Concession/child $5 www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au Family (2 adults/2 children or 1 adult/3 children) $20 Admission Charges - Night POWERHOUSE MUSEUM MEMBERS Includes 3D Space Theatre, telescope viewing and a guided tour. Phone: (02) 9217 0600 or [email protected] Adults $15 Members Lounge open 10.00am to 4.45pm every day Child $10 (except Christmas Day) Concession (Seniors, Australian students) $12 Family (2 adults/2 children or 1 adult/3 children) $45 VOLUNTEERS Discounts are offered to Powerhouse Members for all activities. If you are interested in Volunteer work or have any enquiries, Other discounts may apply. please contact the Volunteer Program on telephone (02) 9217 www.sydneyobservatory.com.au 0676 for details. 1 2 The Hon Nathan Rees MP Premier of New South Wales CONTENTS and Minister for the Arts Parliament House Sydney NSW 2000 President’s Foreword 2 POSITIONING Director’s Report 4 Powerhouse Discovery Centre: collection stores at Castle Hill 33 Dear Minister Who We Are 6 Regional Outreach 33 On behalf of the Board of Trustees and in accordance with the Mission, Vision, Values 6 Case Study – Collection Care Open Day 34 Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984 and the Public Corporate Governance 6 Case Study – Hawkesbury Regional Museum Collections Finance and Audit Act 1983, we submit for presentation to Achievements 2007-08 7 Project 35 Parliament the annual report of the Museum of Applied Arts Our Audiences 2007-08 8 Exhibitions Off Site 36 and Sciences for the year ending 30 June 2008. Our Audiences – A Review 9 Case Study – Greening the Silver City: seeds of bush Audience Trends – Five Year 10 regeneration 36 Yours sincerely Museum Outreach 12 Collection Loans 37 State Plan Report 14 NSW Migration Heritage Centre 37 Future Directions 17 Case Study - Belongings: Post-WW2 Migration Memories Goals 2008-09 17 & Journeys 38 Audience Diversity 38 PRESCENCE Case Study – Timor-Leste Interns 39 Sydney Observatory 150th anniversary 19 Action Plan for Women 39 Sydney Observatory Refresh 19 Indigenous Culture 40 Dr Nicholas G Pappas Dr Dawn Casey PSM FAHA Case Study – Sydney Observatory Flagstaff 20 Museum Members 40 Visitor Facilities Refresh 20 President Director Disability Plan 41 New entrance experience 20 Powerhouse Foundation 41 New look café 20 Sponsors and Partners 41 New signage and wayfinding 21 Museum Honours 42 New Volunteer Centre 21 Marketing and Promotion 43 Awards to the Museum 43 PROGRAMS Museum Awards 43 Permanent Galleries Refresh 23 Exhibitions On Site 23 PEOPLE Powerhouse Programs 24 Staff Communication 45 Case Study – Talks After Noon 26 Workplace Charter 45 Education Audiences at the Powerhouse 26 Staff Development 45 Sydney Observatory Programs 27 Case Study – Vision Australia Training 46 Powerhouse Discovery Centre Programs 28 Staff Development Award 46 Case Study – Life in the Past Education Program 28 Volunteers 46 Publications 28 Case Study – Honouring our Volunteers 47 Research 29 Human Resources 47 Museum Library and Archives 29 Equal Employment Opportunity 48 Occupational Health and Safety 48 Organisation Structure 50 Organisation Chart 51 REFRESH PROCESSES Collection Acquisition 53 POWERHOUSE MUSEUM STRATEGY 2005-2008 Case Study – Online Collection Access 54 Collection Management 55 THE POWERHOUSE IS SYDNEY’S GREAT MUSEUM OF Case Study – Preservation Project for Observatory Telescope 55 Museum Online 56 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Collections Australia Network 56 Case Study – Web Presence 57 WE CELEBRATE PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES, CREATIVITY Evaluation and Audience Research 57 ISSN 0312-6013 AND INNOVATION ACROSS TIME AND SPACE © Trustees of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences 2008 Budget Development Process 58 Compiled by Mark Daly Policy Review and Development 58 Design and production by Colin Rowan WE WILL REFRESH OUR PRESENCE, PROGRAMS, Risk Management and Insurance 58 Print run: 200 External costs: $4,840 POSITIONING, PEOPLE AND PROCESSES Sustainability and Waste Management 58 Available at www.powerhousemuseum.com/about/index FINANCIAL REPORT 60 Photography by MAAS photography staff: Sotha Bourn, Geoff Friend, Marinco Kojdanovski, and Jean-Francois Lanzarone APPENDICES 77 (unless otherwise credited). Cover image – The refurbished Space gallery at the Powerhouse Museum INDEX Inside Back Cover 3 1 PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD ow well over a century and a quarter old, the The refreshing outcomes of these Future Directions forums In another landmark event, the Sydney Observatory marked its Powerhouse Museum, like any institution with a will guide the deliberations of the Board of Trustees over the 150th anniversary amidst deserved fanfare. This jewel in the long history, must simultaneously embrace what next twelve months, and will assist in the evolution of a more crown of Observatory Hill has been painstakingly restored to is best from its past whilst re-imagining itself for coherent sense of purpose for the Museum. ensure its heritage stands to inspire many more generations the present and the future. with the wonders of the southern sky. It is surely one of The past year has been without doubt one of transition. I N Sydney’s marvels. Coming to terms with this Janus-faced vision is the challenge especially acknowledge the contribution of Jennifer Sanders, and the opportunity that the Board of Trustees and the Deputy Director, Collections and Outreach, who capably filled At the other end of the temporal spectrum, the Powerhouse Powerhouse’s new Director, Dr Dawn Casey, have been the Director’s role pending a permanent appointment. This Discovery Centre celebrated its very first anniversary and, in addressing since her appointment in March 2008. period saw the Museum respond to reductions to its recurrent so doing, demonstrated the early success of this innovative funding, and Ms Sanders carefully managed a reduction of collection store and the previously overlooked enthusiasm The Trustees welcome Dr Casey to the position of Director. She thirty staff positions and a subsequent realignment of some for public programs among the communities of western and brings the experience of building or renewing two significant structures and programs. north western Sydney. Australian museums, and the energy, passion and vision to set new directions for the Powerhouse. We have every confidence Some significant milestones have also been recorded. In such a busy year, full of change and renewal, I must that she will serve the Powerhouse with distinction. Coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the Museum at express my sincere appreciation to my fellow Trustees, to the the Powerhouse site, we honoured a group of volunteers who Chair and members of the Powerhouse Foundation, and to The