MAGNA 2019 Winners

The winners of the 2019 Museums and Galleries National Awards will be announced on Wednesday 15 May 2019 at the AMaGA National Conference in Alice Springs.

The list of winners will be available here by Thursday afternoon.

 

Entry Levels

  • Level 1: Project budget less than $20,000
  • Level 2: Project budget $20,000 - $150,000
  • Level 3: Project budget $150,000 - $500,000
  • Level 4: Project budget more than $500,000

Interpretation, Learning and Audience Engagement

JUDGES

  • Dr Lynda Kelly
  • Samantha Rutter
  • Lucinda Davison

 

Level 1

WINNER

Museum of the Riverina
STEAM the Museum

This is a project with an innovative and creative concept and with the principals and co-design, collaboration, community outreach and education at its heart. This project demonstrated the ability for museum practice to directly engage and involve community, learning and innovation to deliver an enriching project for the community.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Old Melbourne Gaol
“Think You Know Me?” Virtual Reality Experience

 

Level 2

WINNERS

National Trust of Western Australia  
REST at East Perth Cemeteries

A non-traditional idea for what turned out to be an interesting and intriguing project with excellent reach.  

Orange Regional Museum/Orange City Council  
Bigger than Ben Hall

Judges comments This is a great multi-faceted project. I'm especially liking the Indigenous element which you'd never expect with a project like this. Love that the project was "fueled by goodwill"! A really ground-breaking community building project. This is the real stuff right there.coming soon

HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Wool Museum 
The Little L Project

 

Level 3

WINNER

Museum of Brisbane    
Life in Irons: Brisbane's Convict Stories

It is clear the collaboration, production quality and ethical communication were delivered aims of this project. The use of technology, local community knowledge and stories, links to the national/state curriculum, and concern about interpreting colonial histories with specific attention to Indigenous history and voices are all well delivered.

 

Level 4

WINNER

Sovereign Hill Museums Association  
The Sovereign Hill Costumed Schools Program

This is a great and enduring program.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Trust of Western Australia  
Ellensbrook at Mokidup

 

Permanent Exhibition or Gallery Fitout

JUDGES

  • Bernice Murphy
  • Paul Bowers
  • Pauline Cockrill
  • Shane Breynard

Level 1

WINNER

Centre of Democracy (History Trust of South Australia)  
My Actions Count, My Voice Matters

Excellent. Puts higher spend exhibits to shame. The content - the deeper thought processes of democratic engagement - is reflected in the interaction method. Most impressive is the creation of opportunities for dialogue within and between visiting groups - the essence of the core concept of 'participation'.

Level 2

WINNER

National Motor Museum    
Game Engine: Digital Legends

The project has produced strong results and obviously captures the attention of the youth demographics it is aimed at.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Soldiers Memorial Institute Military Museum    
Central Victoria Remembers the First World War

Sunshine Coast Council  
Raising the benchmark - Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct

Level 3

WINNERS

Shire of Manjimup 
State Timber Museum

Judges' comments coming soon

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory    
Unruly Days: A Territory Life 1911-1921

Judges' comments coming soon

Level 4

WINNER

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory    
Megafauna Central

The community consultation was very good. The displays and interpretations are of high quality. This project seems to have won a deserved and strong place in Alice Springs, attracting locals and tourists in equal measure. Excellent combination of storage and display and creation and inclusive approach to developing a new attraction. Brilliant inclusion of Arrente language.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Anzac Memorial    
The Anzac Memorial Centenary Exhibition
 

Indigenous Project or Keeping Place

JUDGES

  • Deanne Fitzgerald
  • Peter White

 

Level 2

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory    
Translating Otto

Museum of Contemporary Art    
John Mawundjul: I am the old and the new' exhibition microsite

 

Level 3

WINNER

New England Regional Art Museum    
Myall Creek and beyond

HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Gallery of Australia    
The National Picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War
 

Research

JUDGES

  • Dr Andrew Simpson
  • Dr Lynda Kelly

Level 1

WINNER

John Curtin Gallery  
Contesting Space

An innovative project from a university gallery focused on inclusive practice which builds understanding in a cross institutional capacity for a gendered group that has previously been marginalised from mainstream culture. Project is an excellent example of art as social activism grounded in academic research.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Australian National University  
The Powerful (and Power-Shifting) Potential of Museum Participation

Level 3

WINNER

Western Australian Museum    
Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: A Maritime Archaeological Reassessment of some of Australia's Earliest Shipwrecks

This project represents a valuable and timely reassessment of existing archaeological evidence and through a diverse range of partnerships has provided new data and interpretive output that will generate significant public and academic interest. The thorough usage of new and emerging technologies in this project makes it an excellent exemplar of modern archaeological practice.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Joanna Mendelssohn, Catherine De Lorenzo, Alison Inglis and Catherine Speck
Australian Art Exhibitions: Opening Our Eyes

Temporary or Travelling Exhibition

JUDGES

  • Belinda Cotton
  • Craig Middleton
  • Deanne Fitzgerald
  • Rosemary Simons

Level 1

WINNER

Logan Art Gallery, Logan City Council
He kākano āhau (I am a seed)  
Authentic cross cultural learnings and community engagement - people focussed. Display is layered and reflective of identity underpinned by museum/exhibition practice.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Bay Discovery Centre    
Little River: the story of Glenelg's Patawalonga

Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History    
The Rare Privilege of Medicine: Women Anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand

Hurstville Museum & Gallery - Georges River Council    
St George on a Sunday
 

Level 2

WINNER

Australian Museum    
GADI

Wonderful example of opening the curatorial process to those to whom the story belongs and collectively build content from the first person ... ie. the true owners of knowledge.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
MOD.    
Sleep Ops

Sydney Living Museums    
How Cities Work

 

Level 3

WINNERS

Museums Victoria    
LOVE

Judges' comments coming soon

National Gallery of Australia    
The National Picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War

The two most commendable elements are the original research about frontier conflict and the critical challenge to colonial narratives.

 

Level 4

WINNER

ACMI
Wonderland

A wonderland of cross-disciplinary artworks and technological collaborations with backend data analytical tools for capturing learnings for future projects. Would have liked to understand if and how it altered ACMI's approach to exhibitions - a new way of working. Really tapped into a zeitgeist nostalgia and mined the grainy gothic vibe of Tim Burton to excellent effect. Demonstrated very high production level standards and showed what and how high quality industry collaborations can achieve amazing things. Clever interweaving of themes - from the feminist empowerment of Alice to the literary world of Lewis Carroll to the craft of theatre/film/animation.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Australian National Maritime Museum    
James Cameron: Challenging the Deep
 

National Winners

ACMI
Wonderland

A wonderland of cross-disciplinary artworks and technological collaborations with backend data analytical tools for capturing learnings for future projects. Would have liked to understand if and how it altered ACMI's approach to exhibitions - a new way of working. Really tapped into a zeitgeist nostalgia and mined the grainy gothic vibe of Tim Burton to excellent effect. Demonstrated very high production level standards and showed what and how high quality industry collaborations can achieve amazing things. Clever interweaving of themes - from the feminist empowerment of Alice to the literary world of Lewis Carroll to the craft of theatre/film/animation.

 

 

Museum of the Riverina
STEAM the Museum

This is a project with an innovative and creative concept and with the principals and co-design, collaboration, community outreach and education at its heart. This project demonstrated the ability for museum practice to directly engage and involve community, learning and innovation to deliver an enriching project for the community.