The 2017 Museums & Galleries National Awards are generously sponsored by Panasonic.
Congratulations to this year's winners and commended entries.
Winners badges, and judges' notes for highly commended entries will be available shortly.
Interpretation, Learning & Audience Engagement
JUDGES
Andrew Hiskens, State Library of Victoria
Carol Cartwright, Museums Galleries Australia
Dr Lynda Kelly, LyndaKellyNetworks
Level 1
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sovereign Hill Museums Association
A Victorian Silhouette
WINNER
National Portrait Gallery
Beneath the SKIN: a partnership between the National Portrait Gallery and Canberra Youth Theatre
A really creative response to an exhibition, which both allowed CYT to reach a broader audience and was very cost-effective. The written feedback examples demonstrate the depth of engagement among the very difficult demographic of mid teens to mid twenties which is admirable. The way that the young people have embraced the quite difficult and sometimes confronting subject matter is impressiveas is the way the program ties back to the broader subject of portraiture and challenges the viewer to review what indeed is a portrait.
Level 2
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
Australian Prime Ministers
WINNER
National Trust of Western Australia
Sound from the Ground
A complex and multi-layered project which unearths much early WA colonial history through the gravesites. The innovation displayed by the musicians in undertaking research, composing music, threading old musical scores and then producing a quality performance night shows a commitment to excellence and innovation in this new National Trust environment. The filming, tv exposure, blogging and very professional program ensures the project is well documented and hopefully the music will be used again in some other context. An impressive and original public program to enhance and promote the stories associated with an unusual collection.
Permanent Exhibition or Gallery Fitout
JUDGES
Suzanne Davies, RMIT Gallery
Soula Veyradier, Museums Galleries Australia Western Australia
Level 1
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kingston SE Branch, National Trust SA
The shipwreck of the Margaret Brock
WINNER
Unley Museum
Terrible Tales of Unley
Wall texts and material displays well pitched in terms of accessibility to a diverse general audience. All the themes are such that they could be relevant to people anywhere in Australia or the world. A strong installation design given the limitations of low tech resources. Opportunities for interactivity, whether physical or imaginative narrative engagement engagingly explored again given the limitation of technical resources. Strongly pedagogical exhibition.
Level 2
WINNER
Migration Museum
In this place – The history of the Migration Museum site
Consideration for exhibition design elements in a 3D context to make the content more accessible and more interesting. Access and inclusion, sensitivity to content, and sustainable options factored into exhibition design. Innovative thought going into making the memorial piece as an experiential piece for visitors and the positioning and content, including continuity of the welcome to country interpretation. designed for a multiplicity of use and users. Good programming to target diverse education ages. Connect to wider community who adds to the records and further research.
Level 4
WINNERS
Museums Victoria
Pauline Gandel Children's Gallery, Melbourne Museum
Creative, beautifully executed installation. Supports the multiple ways parents/carers and children use a museum in the course of any one visit. Great diversity in the community consultation. Staff across a range of disciplines undertook the research and the observation to better understand their audience. Rich resource on how to apply the curriculum for educators. Good combination of museum exhibits and childrens zones/activities/graphics.
Museum of Brisbane
100% Brisbane
Multi disciplinarian approach has created an excellent platform for further connections to audience. Great use of statistics, contemporary art to bring to life the people of Brisbane. Data mapping, comments from visitors - a sort of live approach to museums, bringing them into the future - a great way to make relevant museum holdings/info for future generations.
Indigenous Project or Keeping Place
JUDGES
Genevieve Grieves, Curator & Educator
Frank Howarth, Museums Galleries Australia
Level 1
WINNER
Sovereign Hill Museums Association
The Gnarrwirring Ngitj/Learning Together Festival
Comments available upon request.
Level 2
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sydney Living Museums
Aboriginal Cultural Calendar
Monash Indigenous Studies Centre
No Longer a Wandering Spirit
WINNER
Western Australian Museum
Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja (Returning to Mokare’s Home Country)
Comments available upon request.
Level 3
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Nyamba Buru Yawuru
Jetty to Jetty Trail
Australian War Memorial
For Country, for nation exhibition
WINNER
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
kanalaritja: An Unbroken String
Comments available upon request.
Temporary or Travelling Exhibition
JUDGES
Belinda Cotton, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Paul Bowers, Museums Victoria
Jessica Moore, Western Plains Cultural Centre
Level 1
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Royal Western Australian Historical Society
Western Land - a journey of discovery and rediscovery
WINNER
Hurstville Museum & Gallery
Tying the knot: wedding stories & beyond
A strong Community focused exhibition that encouraged not only positive relationships to the institution but encourage comradery and sharing within the community through a shared social rite. Best practice co-curation - blending curatorial expertise with genuinely hearing the community on a great single relatable theme with resonance across multiple cultures and ages. Layered interpretation and rarely seen collections telling directly personal stories. Love the simple engagement with the heart, and couple-shaped visitor comment cards. Brilliant initiative, particularly working with reminiscence.
Level 2
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
Nganampa Kililpil: OUR STARS - Art from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunyjatjara (APY) Lands
South Australian Maritime Museum
The Art of Science: Baudin's Voyagers 1800-1804
WINNERS
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
One Hell of an Inferno: the 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires
Great cross disciplinary approach to the subject matter and the impact of the Bush fires across a number of community sectors at the time and the ongoing impact and influence of the event - and the incorporation of the community of the region in developing the project, gave it relevance and added to the commemorative nature of show. Acknowledging the limited budget - the consideration to the exhibition design reflecting the narrative should also be commended. Museum standards and integrity of project research and realisation honoured and respected the still sensitive and raw impact of the events of the time. The multi-platform and multi-sourced approach that provided a variety of experiences and channels to take in information and understand the complexity of information - human, natural, environmental - impressive. Well done on the collection of deeply emotional stories, and being a focus point for the grief.
Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest and Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
Gravity (and Wonder)
Great interdisciplinary content and approach with good collaborations. Curriculum and community relevant. Makes good use of collections and people skills and spaces across the community and locales. Demonstrates understanding of evaluation and use of data. Good use of various interpretive materials, approaches and events to raise participation and ensure exhibition messages were communicated.
Level 3
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Burrinja Dandenong Ranges Community Cultural Centre
Black Mist Burnt Country. Testing the Bomb – Maralinga and Australian Art
WINNER
Western Australian Museum
Lustre: Pearling and Australia National Tour
Blending history, biology, geography and colonialism gives a huge scope but this is done very well. An important story and lustrous exhibition. Text rich display but alleviated by integration of different interpretive platforms. The incorporation of employment and skills development, consultation and inclusion throughout the project is powerful and authentic/genuine practice of enmeshing multiple cultures, voices, genders, ages in the stories told throughout the exhibition. Co-creation between communities and organisation is strong.
Level 4
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
Out of Hand: Materialising the Digital
WINNER
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Tempest
It is great to see a thematic exhibition - exploring a concept/idea through collections and interpretive event/programming. New partnerships with high profile contemporary art organisations and cross-art form programming maxmised connections and effectively built audiences. Some amazing and comprehensive synergies seem to have been developed for this project and the realization of the project takes into consideration a variety of ways to engage with the theme of the TEMPEST and that should be congratulated. To make the project a bit more rounded however, some really interesting nods to climate science could have been made as well as potential literature projects linking back to the original text might also have added dimension. However I don't feel the project suffers from the lack of these elements and enjoy the romantic, dramatic tone to the show and this is carried through to the public programs to make the project seem unified and rigorous. Takes a single idea and, leaning in to it, creates a kaleidoscope effect of diversity of perspectives. This project was fraught with risk but delivered without holding back.
National Winner
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Tempest
It was an ambitious project, and beautifully realised. One of the judges summed it up as “Taking a single idea and leaning in to it, creating a kaleidoscope effect of diversity of perspectives. The project was fraught with risk but delivered without holding back.” Another judge said “New partnerships with high profile contemporary art organisations and cross-artform programming maximised connections and effectively built audiences”.
It exemplifies many of the themes and approaches evident in most of this year’s winners: combining arts and sciences; commissioned new artworks alongside and helping the reinterpretation of historic objects; multi-factored partnerships; developing strong relationships with other organisations, and emotional linkages with local communities, as well as developing new audiences; multiple ways to access experiences and learning; and dramatic multi-sensory exhibition design. It was also successful in increasing the relevance and perception of the organisation within government and the tourism industry.
