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MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 1
M&GSQ State Conference 201111-13 August 2011Mackay, North Queensland
2 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Thank you to our partners
Funding partners
Lanyard and nametag sponsorFreight sponsor
Keynote speaker sponsors
Lunch sponsor Morning tea sponsor
M&GSQ Staff: Rebekah Butler, Debra Beattie, Ann Baillie, Fiona Marshall, Jodi Ferrari, Donna Davis, Leisha Lawrence, Alia Bennett, Sara Dawson and Judy Kean
M&GSQ Board: Richard Baberowski, Geoffrey Ewing, Lisa Jones, Katrina North, Mary-Clare Power, Josh Tarrant and John Waldron
It is not possible to thank everyone, however M&GSQ would like to acknowledge:Conference Planning Committee – Richard Baberowski, Jo Besley, Joolie Gibbs, Christine Ianna, Billie-Jo Obst, Bronwyn Roper, Fe Skoufa and Michael WardellArtspace MackayMackay Tourism Bureau – Silje EalesGold Coast City Gallery, UQ Art Museum and Artspace Mackay for donating exhibition catalogues.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 3
Museum and Gallery Services Queensland welcomes you to the 2011 State Conference.
Queensland is home to a dynamic network of more than 400 museums and galleries, each of which plays a vital role in enriching the cultural life of our State and broader communities. M&GSQ acknowledges the outstanding contribution of the staff and volunteers working in our sector and the great support of local government.
Held every four years, M&GSQ’s State Conference is a valuable opportunity for colleagues to come together to share information and experiences, celebrate significant achievements, network and to learn from leading state, national and international speakers.
The 2011 Conference, Making a Difference, explores salient themes of sustainability, collections, interpretation and engagement. The program also responds to the natural disasters of early 2011 featuring case studies from institutions, large and small, which highlight the sector’s great courage, strength and resilience.
On behalf of M&GSQ’s Board and Staff, I wish you a successful and rewarding conference.
M&GSQ extends its thanks to all those who have contributed to the development and presentation of the 2011 State Conference including Conference Planning Committee members, partners, sponsors and speakers. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the great support of our hosts Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre and Artspace Mackay. I would also like to thank M&GSQ Staff for their hard work and commitment in presenting this exciting program.
Rebekah ButlerExecutive DirectorMuseum & Gallery Services Queensland
Welcome from Executive Director, Rebekah Butler
Conference USBM&GSQ would like to thank the conference satchel insert sponsors. Some of these have opted for a green alternative and have provided information on your Conference USB.
Your Conference USB contains this publication (Conference Program), a delegates list and information from:
Bosco Storage Solutions• Education Creations• Information Services and Technology Pty Ltd• Maxus Australia• Friends of the Gympie Regional Gallery• University of Queensland Museum Studies• Philips Strand Selecon• ERCO Lighting•
4 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Conference Program Overview
Thursday 11 August
Friday 12 August
Saturday 13 August
Session details, abstracts and speaker biographies
Thursday 11 August
Plenary – Dealing with Disasters
Plenary – Agents of Social Change
Plenary – Build it… reconceptualising museum and gallery spaces
Plenary – Our Carbon Footprint
SOCIAL EVENTS
Friday 12 August
Plenary – Beyond the Walls… new media, public art and heritage interpretation
Plenary – Changing Nature of Collections
Lighting Mini Trade Show
Parallel Sessions
Practical Lighting Demonstration
Collaborations and Partnerships… success stories and lessons learned
New initiatives in collection management and preservation… challenges and successes
Galleries and Audience Engagement… enhancing access and learning
SOCIAL EVENTS
Saturday 13 August
Masterclasses and Skill Sessions
Tools and principles for the preservation of time-based media artworks
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go about it? Part 1
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 1
Blueprint for museum and gallery professionals on methods of making art accessible to people
living with dementia and their carers
4 Keys to Confident Public Speaking
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go about it? Part 2
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 2
Retail in Museums and Galleries – Merchandise Planning, Purchasing and Production
CONTENTS
5
6
7
8
10
13
15
18
19
21
23
23
25
27
30
33
34
34
35
36
36
37
38
38
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 5
8.30am-9.00am
Registration
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre (MECC), Alfred Street, Mackay
9.00am-9.30am
Welcome
Hall A, MECC
Welcome to Country
Welcome to Mackay, Cr Col Meng, Mayor of
Mackay Region
Conference Opening: Rachel Nolan MP, Minister
for the Arts (via pre-recorded message)
Museum and Gallery Services Queensland
Welcome: Richard Baberowski, Chairperson
M&GSQ Board
9.30am-11.00am
Plenary: Dealing with Disasters
Hall A, MECC
Liza Dale-Hallett, Senior Curator, Sustainable
Futures, Museum Victoria
Rory McLeod, Director, Client Services and
Collections, State Library of Queensland
Lydia Egunnike, Senior Conservator,
Conservation Unit - Collection Preservation,
State Library of Queensland
Murray Massey and Dianne Smith, Cardwell
Historical Society
11.00am-11.30am
Morning Tea
Foyer, MECC
11.30am-1.00pm
Plenary: Agents of Social Change
Hall A, MECC
Jo Besley, Senior Curator Social History,
Queensland Museum, and Churchill Fellow 2009
Fiona Foley, Artist, Urban Art Projects / Mackay
Bluewater Quay
Adriane Boag, Educator, Youth and Community
Programs, National Gallery of Australia
Dr Adele Chynoweth, Curator (ATSIP Team),
National Museum of Australia
1.00pm-2.00pm
Lunch
Foyer, MECC
2.00pm-3.00pm
Plenary: Build it… reconceptualising
museum and gallery spaces
Hall A, MECC
Deborah Tranter, Director Cobb+Co Museum and
Regional Services, Queensland Museum
Richard Baberowski, Vantage Arts
3.00pm-3.30pm
Afternoon Tea
Foyer, MECC
3.30pm-5.00pm
Plenary: Our Carbon Footprint
Hall A, MECC
Guy Abrahams, Art and Environment Consultant
Norman Richards, Building Design & Interiors
and Steve Chaddock, Timeline Heritage
Consultants
Richard Crampton, Technical Director –
Mechanical and Emrah Baki Ulas, Associate
Lighting Designer, Steensen Varming
SOCIAL EVENTS
5.00pm-6.00pm
Viewing of Sugar Strike Exhibition
Mackay City Library Foyer, Civic Centre Precinct,
Mackay
6.00pm-7.00pm
Welcome drinks at Artspace Mackay
Viewing of Contemporary Miniatures, Queensland
Art Gallery Travelling Exhibition
Artspace Mackay, Civic Centre Precinct, Gordon
St, Mackay
Choice of Networking Dinners
(Ask at Registration Desk for restaurants and
locations)
CONFERENCE PROGRAM OVERVIEW THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
6 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
8.30am-9.00am
Registration
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre (MECC), Alfred Street, Mackay
9.00am-10.30am
Plenary: Beyond the Walls… new media,
public art and heritage interpretation
Hall A, MECC
Craig Walsh, Artist
mervin Jarman, Community art activist and a
founding member of the UK’s Mongrel Collective
Dr Sarah Barns, Director, Sitelines
10.30am-11.00am
Morning Tea
Foyer, MECC
11.00am-12.30pm
Plenary: Changing Nature of Collections
Hall A
Richard Gagnier, Head of Conservation, Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts, Canada
Liz Wild, Conservator, Sculpture Conservation
Department, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of
Modern Art
Dr Graeme Were, Lecturer in Museum Studies,
School of English, Media Studies and Art History,
University of Queensland
12.30pm-1.30pm
Lunch
Foyer, MECC
1.00pm-1.30pm
Lighting Mini Trade Show
Artspace Mackay Foyer, Civic Centre Precinct,
Gordon Street, Mackay
1.30pm-3.00pm
Parallel Sessions
Practical Lighting Demonstration Session
Artspace Mackay, Contemporary Miniatures
Gallery, Civic Centre Precinct, Gordon Street,
Mackay
Presenters:
Grant Parker, Sylvania Lighting Australasia
Peter McKenzie, Philips Strand Selecon
Nathan Wilson-Rynell & Mark Hoppe, Raylinc
Lighting
Collaborations and Partnerships… success
stories and lessons learned
Hall A, MECC
Presenters:
Bronwyn Roper, Museum Development Officer,
Central Queensland, Queensland Museum
Christine Turner, Artist, Collective Insite Project
Judy Rose, Artist and Health Worker
New initiatives in collection management
and preservation… challenges and successes
Meeting Room 1, MECC
Presenters:
Elisabeth Gondwe and Petrina Walker, North
Stradbroke Island Historical Museum
Brian Crozier, Crozier Schutt Associates
Christine Ianna, State Library of Queensland
Hannah Perkins, Assistant Curator, Queensland
Museum
Galleries and Audience Engagement…
enhancing access and learning
Meeting Room 2, MECC
Presenters:
Gillian Ridsdale, Curator Public Programs,
University of Queensland Art Museum
Justin Bishop, Exhibitions Manager, Cairns
Regional Gallery
Karen Tyler, Venue Director, Redcliffe City Art
Gallery
Andrew Gill, Manager Cultural Services,
Bundaberg Regional Council
CONFERENCE PROGRAM OVERVIEW FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 7
Buses will depart MECC at 3.05pm and 3.10pm
3.15pm-4.00pm
Community Launch: Fiona Foley Public
Artworks
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
4.00pm-5.00pm
Self Guided Walk of Fiona Foley Public
Artworks
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
(see page 33 for details)
SOCIAL EVENT
5.30pm-8.30pm
Conference BBQ Dinner
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
Buses will depart Bluewater Quay at 8.30pm
and 8.40pm for CBD/MECC
CONFERENCE PROGRAM OVERVIEW FRIDAY 12 AUGUST SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
9.00am-9.30am
Registration
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre (MECC), Alfred Street, Mackay
9.30am-11.00am
Masterclasses/Skill Sessions
Tools and principles for the preservation of
time-based media artworks
Meeting Room 1, MECC
Presenter: Richard Gagnier, Head of
Conservation, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts,
Canada
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go
about it? Part 1
Meeting Room 2, MECC
Presenter: Brian Crozier, Co-principal, Crozier
Schutt Associates museum consultants
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 1
Meeting Room 3, MECC
Presenter: John Paul Fischbach, CEO & Founder,
Auspicious Arts Incubator
Blueprint for museum and gallery
professionals on methods of making art
accessible to people living with dementia
and their carers
Meeting Room 4, MECC
Presenter: Adriane Boag, Educator, Youth
and Community Programs, National Gallery of
Australia
11.00am-11.30am
Morning Tea
Foyer, MECC
11.30am-1.00pm
Masterclasses/Skill Sessions
4 Keys to Confident Public Speaking
Meeting Room 1, MECC
Presenter: Dr Jude Pippen, Co-Director,
Creative Regions Ltd
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go
about it? Part 2
Meeting Room 2, MECC
Presenter: Brian Crozier, Co-principal, Crozier
Schutt Associates museum consultants
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 2
Meeting Room 3, MECC
Presenter: John Paul Fischbach, CEO & Founder,
Auspicious Arts Incubator
Retail in Museums and Galleries:
Merchandise Planning, Purchasing and
Production
Meeting Room 4, MECC
Presenter: Colleen Tuxworth, Principal, Cultural
Retail
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
8 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Session details, presentation abstracts and
speaker biographies
9.30am-11.00am
Plenary: Dealing with Disasters
Hall A, MECC
Liza Dale-Hallett
Senior Curator, Sustainable Futures,
Museum Victoria
Making Meaning from Ashes - Developing the
Victorian Bushfires Collection
Sponsored by
Museum Victoria established the Victorian
Bushfires Collection in the days and weeks
following Black Saturday. This talk will illustrate
some key elements of the emerging collection
and related public programs and reflect on
the role of museums in the aftermath of
contemporary natural disasters, the potential of
museums to contribute to community healing,
and the role of public engagement in making
meaning from disaster.
Since February 2009, Australia has experienced
yet more ‘unprecedented’ natural disasters
– floods, cyclones, droughts and bushfires.
The realities of climate change present a very
real challenge to museums of all sizes. What
unique role do museums play in the face of
contemporary disasters, and how can we
assist the community in making meaning from
catastrophe?
Biography
Liza Dale-Hallett has
worked as a history
curator in Museum
Victoria since 1987.
Liza is responsible for
the development of the Victorian Bushfires
Collection, which emerged following the 2009
Black Saturday bushfires. This project has
involved the collection of audio and video
interviews, objects and images that document
the diversity of experiences and impacts of
bushfire across Victoria.
Liza is committed to active community
participation in creating and interpreting their
own stories and has received a number of
important industry awards for her work in
community engagement and multimedia.
Other areas of curatorial research include:
contemporary domestic water use in
Melbourne; the role and impact of women
in agriculture; the history of the agricultural
enterprise of H.V. McKay; and the impact of
climate change on the lifestyle, environments
and future of communities in Victoria. As
Chairperson of Museum Victoria’s Climate
Change Committee, Liza has been involved
in research relating to carbon reduction
strategies, corporate bicycle fleets and
behavioural change.
Rory McLeod
Director, Client Services and Collections,
State Library of Queensland
The Implementation of a Disaster Preparedness
and Recovery Plan: What We Learned
The January 2011 floods visited disaster on
many parts of the State – the State Library of
Queensland, situated directly on the Brisbane
River, was hit pretty hard. Water levels were
higher than the warnings predicted and the
inundation closed the Library for a month and
the car park for several months. But we lost
nothing of great value or significance to the
State. This session takes a look at the State
Library’s response to the floods with a particular
reference to our disaster preparedness work
and its implementation in the face of a really
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 9
significant threat. The session looks at the
importance of detailed and tested Business
Continuity Planning with crisis management as
a subset of that, at communications options and
issues, at challenges faced in getting back on our
feet and the role of staff in all of this.
Biography
Rory McLeod is the
Director, Client Services
and Collections at
the State Library of
Queensland (SLQ).
Client Services and Collections is the
largest part of SLQ, covering some 200
people. The directorate is responsible
for all Library Services, Learning and
Participation Programs, Indigenous Research,
Building Development and Design, all
Library Collections and The Edge. Rory
has previously held senior posts in digital
asset management, long-term information
management, change management and
general business for both the State Library of
NSW and the British Library in London, where
he worked for nine years. Rory also ran his
own consultancy in the UK, specialising in
the long-term information challenges of the
nuclear industry.
Lydia Egunnike
Senior Conservator, Conservation Unit -
Collection Preservation, State Library of
Queensland
A conservator’s response to the South-East
Queensland Flood
This paper examines the role of the conservator
in the disaster recovery of heritage collections
and shares the many lessons learnt from the
recent floods in Queensland. The discussion
will be based on personal experiences and will
suggest recommendations for dealing with
future disasters. The paper will describe the
complexities of coordinating the salvage of a
large private photographic collection and the
resulting need to revisit currently recommended
salvage priorities. It will also reflect on the role
of conservation outreach and the challenges of
providing practical advice for those dealing with
the state-wide distributed collection.
Biography
Lydia is Senior
Conservator at the State
Library of Queensland.
She trained in paper and
photographic conservation
at Camberwell College of Arts, London and
holds a Masters of Applied Science in Cultural
Conservation from the University of Canberra.
She completed a two-year research fellowship
in photographic conservation at the Image
Permanence Institute (RIT) and George
Eastman House, USA. Throughout her career,
Lydia has been actively involved in disaster
planning and training and has practical
experience in a diverse range of disasters.
Murray Massey and Dianne Smith
Cardwell and District Historical Society
Embracing Yasi
Sponsored by
History uncovered. Nature restored. Sand
dunes reinstated. Treasured relics from the
1800s lay soaked amid the debris in Cardwell’s
J. C. Hubinger Museum after Tropical Cyclone
Yasi, while out front the remains of the town’s
original 1871 jetty were exposed in the mudflats,
perhaps for the first time in a century. The
perpetual conflict between destruction and
creation, expiry and renewal!
On that tempestuous night of 2 February 2011,
not all Yasi’s energy was bent on destruction. It
tore away buildings, stripped the forests, rattled
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
10 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
the foundations of our existence and washed
away much of Highway One. Yet it reinstated the
open, gently sloping sand dunes on Cardwell’s
foreshore, raised the level of the beach, and
restored the panoramic bay views and freedom
for the sea breeze.
Now governments are giving reconstruction of
Highway One priority over Cardwell’s foreshore.
Tarmac on top of sand dunes!
Yasi destroyed man-made relics but reinstated
the sustainable natural order. History, we
believe, is beckoning, and pointing to the
prudent road to our future.
Murray Massey Biography
A journalist for 40 years,
Murray wrote on politics,
business and finance for
media outlets including the
ABC, Australian Financial
Review, BRW magazine and Gold Coast
Bulletin. Freelance writing, court reporting
and working as a ministerial press secretary
are part of his experience.
In retirement he has been documenting
history for the Cardwell and District Historical
Society, including its recent publication, The
Calophyllum Shore - A Cardwell Memoir,
and building the Society’s website www.
cardwellhistory.com.au. Murray’s 99-year-
old family home, a hallmark of his Cardwell
ancestry dating from the 1860s, was ravaged
by Cyclone Yasi.
Dianne Smith Biography
Dianne’s experience
is principally in
administration, in roles
as varied as business
owner-operator of a retail
plumbing outlet, owner-operator of a holiday
park, and 15 years experience in quality and
compliance in aged care.
Dianne has been an advocate, administrator
and worker for small communities and
volunteer organisations for more than 25
years, including as executive member of the
Cardwell and District Historical Society for
four years. With a passion for history and the
retention of a community’s historic memory,
Dianne uses her administrative talents to
support the Historical Society in its ongoing
endeavours to record Cardwell district history.
11.00am-11.30am
Morning Tea
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
11.30am-1.00pm
Plenary: Agents of Social Change
Hall A, MECC
Jo Besley
Senior Curator Social History, Queensland
Museum, and Churchill Fellow 2009
Closure? Or opening? Museums as ‘crucibles’ for
identity, healing and recovery
In 2006, New York Times critic Edward Rothstein
described how museums are becoming
“crucibles: places where a cultural identity is
hammered out, refined and reshaped”. This
presentation takes this vision of museums as
active, generative spaces and explores how
museums can tackle issues of identity and more
particularly, contemplate and interpret difficult,
contentious, even incomprehensible, events and
experiences. Drawing on personal curatorial
experience with local projects, alongside
international examples from a recent Churchill
Fellowship, Jo will look at the potential for
museums to be spaces that encourage ‘opening
up’. Opening, as opposed to the popularly-held
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 11
notion of ‘closure’, leads participants to develop
new narratives and accounts of their experience,
with the potential for reconciliation and recovery
by sharing these accounts through exhibitions
and other museum projects.
Biography
Educated in architecture
at the University of
Queensland, Jo Besley
is now Senior Curator at
the Queensland Museum
(QM), with responsibility for planning and
implementing the museum’s program of
social history exhibitions and managing social
history collections. Prior to joining QM in
2011, Jo was Senior Curator at Museum of
Brisbane and was responsible for exhibitions
such as Silky Oak, Remembering Goodna:
stories from a Queensland mental hospital
and Taking to the Streets: two decades that
changed Brisbane 1965-1985. In 2009, she
was the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship,
which explored the role that museums have
in assisting communities and individuals
to recover from traumatic events and
experiences.
Fiona Foley
Artist, Urban Art Projects / Mackay
Bluewater Quay
Public Art Laced with Memory
How do you make art that is relevant for a group
of people, a city or a region? The starting point
for me was to look into the history of Mackay.
Its beginnings, its silences and its uncomfortable
truths. Understanding the history of the site
starts to build a deeper layer of cultural integrity.
This is the way I begin the premise for my larger
public art commissions.
It requires a certain type of intellect to look at
the big picture and weave a narrative into the
complexities of a modern society, like the one
that is unique to Mackay. It means that I have to
communicate with a variety of people, at times
I have to be humble and listen, at other times I
have to be single-minded and fight for a creative
idea to be in the public arena. The process can
be smooth going and at other times it can be
very restrictive.
Biography
Over the last 20 years,
Fiona Foley’s work has
addressed the history
of race relations in
Australia since colonial
times, often utilising recent research into
previously untold histories. Her work utilises
various media, such as printmaking (etching),
painting, photography and sculpture. She
has received a number of major public
art commissions, including Black Opium
(2006) for the State Library of Queensland
(referencing Queensland’s ‘Aboriginal
Protection and Restriction of the Sale of
Opium Act 1897’), Witnessing to Silence for
the Brisbane Magistrates Court in 2004, The
Lie of the Land for the Melbourne Museum
in 1997, and The Edge of Trees with Janet
Laurence for the Historic Houses Trust of
NSW, Museum of Sydney in 1994.
Adriane Boag
Educator, Youth and Community Programs,
National Gallery of Australia
Art and Alzheimer’s Outreach Program case
study
In 2007 the National Gallery of Australia
(NGA) in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia
conducted a six-week pilot program to test the
potential of interactive tours of works of art for
people living with dementia. The aims of the pilot
program were to increase well-being and quality
of life for participants through engagement
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
12 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
with the visual arts in a gallery or museum.
The success of the pilot, the enjoyment and
expectations of participants and the findings of
an evaluation prompted the NGA to continue and
develop the program.
In 2009, the Gallery received a grant to establish
an Outreach Program. The aim of the Outreach
Program is to assist arts and health professionals
in remote and regional communities implement
tours in museums and galleries for people living
with dementia. Training workshops for arts
and health professionals were delivered in Port
Macquarie, Newcastle and Ballarat.
In 2010, the Gallery extended the Outreach
Program to deliver training workshops in a
further six locations, including Queensland.
This presentation will outline the experience
and benefits of the program at the NGA and the
impact of the Outreach Program on remote and
regional communities. It will include an outline of
the benefits of Art and Alzheimer’s programs on
museum practice and participants.
Biography
Adriane Boag is an art
educator at the National
Gallery of Australia
with responsibility
for developing and
coordinating access programs for youth and
community groups. Adriane has a Visual
Arts degree with Honours in Painting and
Sculpture from Sydney College of the Arts,
Sydney, Australia. Adriane has over twenty
years teaching experience in tertiary and
museum visual art education. Adriane
coordinates regular tours for a wide variety
of specialised audiences, including people
living with dementia, and is the facilitator
of the Art and Alzheimers’ Program at the
National Gallery of Australia. In 2009,
support from the Department of Health and
Ageing made possible the development and
delivery of the Art and Alzheimer’s Outreach
Project. The Outreach Project’s aims and
objectives support sustainable regionally
specific programs in galleries for people living
with dementia. A two-day training workshop
for arts and health professionals has been
developed from the experience gained within
the current Art and Alzheimer’s program at
the National Gallery.
Additional special access programs are an
established feature of Education and Public
Programs planning and programming.
Consultation with a variety of community
organisations has resulted in partnerships
with Alzheimer’s Australia, residential care
facilities, ArtsAbility ACT, Carers ACT and
the Vision Section of the ACT Department of
Education. A focus of her Gallery work with
youth is the National Gallery of Australia
and National Australia Bank Summer Art
Scholarship, an annual week-long art
immersion program for sixteen year 11
students selected from each state and
territory of Australia.
Dr Adele Chynoweth
Curator (ATSIP Team), National Museum of
Australia
Developing the exhibition, Inside: Life in
Children’s Homes
Inside: Life in Children’s Homes is an Australian
Government-funded exhibition which will
represent the experiences of former residents
of Children’s Homes within Australia during the
twentieth century. The exhibition, which will
open in November 2011, was announced by
former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, as part of the
National Apology to Forgotten Australians and
former Child Migrants.
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 13
As part of the exhibition, the National Museum
has developed a website (http://nma.gov.au/
blogs/inside), which encourages former residents
of Children’s Homes to share their personal
narratives online. Currently (March 2011),
on average 330 people log on daily and this
number is steadily increasing. The website also
contains recollections of experiences in out-
of-home “care”. This presentation will discuss
the challenges that have emerged during the
development of the exhibition, Inside: Life
in Children’s Homes and how the exhibition
website has assisted in addressing some of these
challenges.
Biography
Adele Chynoweth studied
theatre direction at
the Flinders University
Drama Centre in South
Australia. In 2002, she
was also awarded a PhD for her research in
contemporary Australian feminist drama. Her
performance research, which emphasises the
politics of representation, has been published
in various international academic journals. In
2001, Adele was employed as the researcher
and writer for the Memory Museum, a site
specific multi-media installation created
for the Centenary of Australian Federation
Celebrations. Adele is currently a Visiting
Fellow within the School of Cultural Inquiry at
the Australian National University and is also
Curator for the pending exhibition, Inside:
Life in Children’s Homes at the National
Museum of Australia.
1.00pm-2.00pm
Lunch
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
Sponsored by
2.00pm-3.00pm
Plenary: Build it… reconceptualising
museum and gallery spaces
Hall A, MECC
Deborah Tranter
Director, Cobb+Co Museum and Regional
Services, Queensland Museum
Museums and Communities: Changing
Dynamics: An analysis of the Cobb+Co Museum
in Toowoomba
The engagement between museums and their
stakeholder communities needs greater attention
if they are to share a creative future together.
Of seminal importance is the fact that museums
can play substantial leadership roles within
communities. This occurs when the relationship
between the museum and its community
becomes entrenched with shared values.
These values can facilitate social, cultural, and
economic benefits for both museums and their
communities.
This presentation analyses the third-stage
transformation of the Cobb+Co Museum
in Toowoomba, Queensland, providing an
example of the positive effects that the
changing dynamics between museums and their
communities can have, particularly in regional
areas.
Although marked by a structural change
completed in September 2010, the third-stage
transformation was moulded by the Museum’s
community engagement strategies and reflected
in changing visitor experiences and the
community’s embracement of heritage values.
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
14 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Biography
Deborah Tranter is the
Director of the Cobb+Co
Museum in Toowoomba,
which opened its stage
three development – the
National Carriage Factory in September 2010.
In addition, Deborah holds the position of
Director, Queensland Museum Regional
Services, which is responsible for delivery of
museum services across Queensland.
She is the author of a number of publications
on the Cobb & Co. Coaching Company, and
on using museums as places for learning. As
part of her PhD thesis she completed a major
study to ascertain the public value of the
Queensland Museum.
In 2000, she was awarded an Order of
Australia Medal for her contribution to cultural
heritage and cultural tourism in regional
Queensland.
Richard Baberowski
Vantage Arts
Planning for the unexpectedly special
After a cascade of deficits and extreme weather
events, there is a greater sense that ‘things
fall apart that the centre cannot hold’. This
challenging context is also a real opportunity for
the museum and gallery sector. But how does a
sector shaped largely by the booming 70s and
80s cope with the demands to deliver ever more
for less?
This presentation will examine an ambitious
strategy to create a region with culture at its
core. Driven by Council amalgamations rather
than prophetic insight into the global malaise,
the Moreton Bay Regional Council has developed
innovative arts infrastructure and operational
strategies. Together these will potentially
position the region well during and after the
churn of amalgamation and the GFC. The aim is
to build a confident self-organising community
that generates unexpectedly special cultural
activity. The overall promotional strategy is built
upon a strong ‘cultural heart’ brand and online
portal. The paradox is that despite its strong
vision the ‘cultural heart’ roll out will be severely
tested by reductions in staff and operational
budgets.
Biogaphy
Richard has worked with
or in local government
for over 17 years. His
responsibilities as a senior
bureaucrat included the
development of major arts infrastructure and
the ‘Cultural Heart’ strategy.
As an arts consultant he has worked across
Queensland including: Mitchell, Cardwell,
Rockhampton, Mackay, Noosa and Redlands.
He left Council last January to go back into
consultancy, develop primitive art exhibitions
and to campaign in the next local council
elections.
Richard is currently:
• A University of the Sunshine Coast faculty
advisory committee member;
• A Regional Galleries Association of
Queensland board member; and
• A Director and Chairperson of Museum and
Gallery Services Queensland.
3.00pm-3.30pm
Afternoon Tea
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 15
3.30pm-5.00pm
Plenary: Our Carbon Footprint
Hall A, MECC
Guy Abrahams
Art and Environment Consultant
Climate Change, Sustainability and the Arts
Throughout history the arts have played a major
role in recording and reflecting the state of our
society and of the natural world. At certain times
we have needed the arts also to be a catalyst
for change, a call to action, a pricking of the
collective conscience. I believe that now is one
of those times. This presentation gives a brief
summary of current climate change science, the
challenges that this science poses, and what
broad measures may be undertaken to meet
those challenges. I will then review a variety of
Australian and international arts-based initiatives
that bring about positive engagement with
environmental issues, particularly sustainability
and climate change. The presentation concludes
with proposals for further ways in which the
arts could enhance broader understanding
of sustainability and climate change and
contribute to the implementation of personal
and institutional actions that address these
environmental crises.
Biography
Guy Abrahams was Director
of Christine Abrahams
Gallery in Melbourne for 22
years. He has been a Board
member of the Melbourne
Art Fair and the National Gallery of Victoria
Art Foundation, and National President of the
Australian Commercial Galleries Association.
He is currently on the Board of the
Australian Tapestry Workshop and the City of
Melbourne’s Art and Heritage Panel.
Guy holds Law and Arts degrees, as well as
a recently completed Master of Environment.
In 2009, he was trained by former US Vice
President Al Gore to give presentations on
climate change. Guy is a Co-Founder of
the not-for-profit organisation, CLIMARTE:
Arts for a Safe Climate, and he now speaks
regularly on the role of the arts sector in the
climate debate.
Norman Richards, building design +
interiors and Steve Chaddock, Timeline
Heritage Consultants
Greening Museums and Galleries – Artspace
Mackay case study
We consider the greening challenge for Artspace
Mackay, a 10-year-old purpose-built regional
gallery facility, by asking the question: how could
the gallery reduce its carbon footprint whilst
maintaining its current conservation and display
standards? We consider the gallery operation
as a whole with a particular focus on energy
efficiency in lighting and air conditioning.
Norman Richards
Biography
Norman Richards designs
buildings and interiors
remarkable for their
elegant form, comfort and
low environmental impact.
He received a Bachelor of Architecture and
a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from
Waterloo University in Ontario, Canada and
opened his own design/build practice in
Toronto in 1987.
In 1999 he moved to London where
he worked for clients such as the 2002
Commonwealth Games, Habitat and Bentley
Motors.
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
16 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
In 2004 he moved to Maleny and established
Norman Richards building design + interiors.
Norman Richards’ work was recognised at last
year’s National Design Awards, winning “Best
Residence (up to 250 sqm)” in Australia.
Norman adds the National Award to a
collection of State and Regional awards as
well as many prestigious international design
awards including the Royal Architectural
Institute of Canada Medal and the City of
Toronto Urban Design Award.
Steve Chaddock
Biography
Steve started his career
as an Archaeologist in the
UK, so it was a natural
progression to complete
his Masters in Museum Studies at UCL - going
on to work in the European heritage sector
for 11 years.
In 2005, Steve and his family immigrated
to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland where
he learnt first-hand about heritage issues
in Australia as Heritage Project Officer for
Caloundra and then Sunshine Coast Regional
Council. He established independent Timeline
Heritage Consultants in 2006 - which aims
to deliver heritage consultancy services
to Australian clients with a clear focus on
interpretation. He continues to support the
wider museums and galleries community
through his role as Reviewer in the Museum
and Gallery Services Queensland Standards
Program.
Throughout his practice, Steve has
maintained an interest in green agendas such
as energy efficiency and waste minimisation,
and in 2011 he was awarded a postgraduate
degree in Sustainable Enterprise from Griffith
Business School.
Emrah Baki Ulas, Associate Lighting
Designer and Richard Crampton, Technical
Director – Mechanical, Steensen Varming
Key Findings, Technical Industry Report – Gallery
And Museum Lighting And Air Conditioning
Appropriate environmental parameters for
cultural collections and exhibitions are currently
a major topic of discussion on an international
level for museums and galleries. Best practice
expectations for environmental conditions are
evolving, and the need for tightly controlled
environments is being questioned in this era
of sustainability and energy use. By how much
can these conditions be relaxed without causing
damage to the items contained within them?
The answer is complex as it varies between
material types, climates and use of areas.
It also cannot be undertaken unilaterally in
Australia as most museums receive loan material
with strict environmental display conditions.
Another key development for the museums
and galleries is the Government’s intention to
phase-out inefficient incandescent lamps to
reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions
and contribute to international efforts to tackle
climate change. Apart from the Government
legislation, some of the key lamp manufacturers
are phasing-out certain light sources. While the
phase-out of incandescent lighting is expected to
have long-term environmental and cost-saving
benefits, it has impacted on Australia’s museum
and gallery sector, with many facing the costly
replacement or significant upgrade of existing
lighting infrastructure.
Steensen Varming and ICS have recently been
commissioned by Museum and Gallery Services
Queensland (M&GSQ) and Regional and Public
Galleries Association of NSW (RPG NSW) to
produce a technical industry report that informs
galleries and museums on future options for
economically and environmentally sustainable
methods of display environments, preservation
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 17
and storage of art and cultural material using
appropriate technology, products and systems,
which also comply with recent government
legislation. In June 2011, a comprehensive
museum and gallery lighting and air conditioning
survey was undertaken, in order to understand
and evaluate the needs of the sector in detail
and to tailor solutions to respond to specific
issues.
The purpose of this presentation is to provide
the audience with the key findings of the project,
and to discuss the outcomes of the research and
evaluation of the current and future trends, and
assist museums and galleries in making informed
decisions to improve their operations, upgrade
their systems towards best practice energy
efficient lighting and climate control systems.
Richard Crampton
Biography
Richard’s role as a
Technical Director requires
him to lead a team
of project engineers,
designing systems and plant from conception
to tender stage and he has substantial
experience in site-based engineering during
the construction phase of a project.
Richard has a strong professional interest
in close-control air conditioning work, which
began during an in-industry year at the
National Physics Laboratory in the UK during
his university course. He now has substantial
experience in this field, which is particularly
important on many heritage projects that
have sensitive temperature and humidity
requirements.
Richard has been a member of Steensen
Varming since 2002. His expertise and
experience in mechanical building services
includes the Sydney Opera House; National
Gallery of Australia, New Aboriginal Memorial
Galleries and Art Services Areas; National
Gallery of Australia, Priority upgrade works;
and The Mint, Historic Houses Trust of NSW
Heritage Site.
Emrah Baki Ulas
Biography
Emrah is a ‘light’
enthusiast. His career with
‘light’ began when working
for the International
Instanbul Biennial, and numerous other
international events organised by Instanbul
Foundation for Culture and Arts, where he
worked during his university years. Following
his undergraduate degree in Bogazici
University Istanbul/Turkey, he undertook
a Master’s degree in Architectural Lighting
Design at the University of Wismar/Germany.
He has taken part in various international
lighting events, given seminars in lighting
conferences and events in Australia,
Germany, UK, Canada and Italy. His
wide-ranging work includes prestigious
architectural lighting projects as well
as research papers on lighting, musical
compositions, sound and light installations,
collaboration on short films and luminaire
design.
Emrah has been a member of Steensen
Varming since 2006. His expertise and
experience in lighting design includes the
Sydney Opera House; Surry Hills Library
and Community Centre; and the Australian
Museum Research and Collections Building.
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
18 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
SOCIAL EVENTS
5.00pm-6.00pm
Viewing of Sugar Strike Exhibition
Mackay City Library Foyer, Civic Centre
Precinct, Mackay
Sugar Strike – The Impact of the 1991 Sugar
Strike on the Mackay Region
The museums of the Mackay region have
joined together to tell the story of the
sugar industry’s first major industrial strike,
including events occurring in Mackay that
lead to major changes throughout the
industry.
On display at the Mackay City Library from 5
to 14 August 2011.
6.00pm-7.00pm
Welcome drinks at Artspace Mackay
Civic Centre Precinct, Gordon St, Mackay
Viewing of Contemporary Miniatures,
Queensland Art Gallery Travelling Exhibition
A collection-based exhibition drawn from
the Queensland Art Gallery’s holdings
of miniature paintings from South Asia,
Contemporary Miniatures explores the
dynamic visual language of miniature
painting and its continued significance in
contemporary art practice.
A significant thread in the exhibition is the
citing of imagery, texts and events from
the past to contextualise and comment on
contemporary issues. This is a Queensland
Art Gallery travelling exhibition, supported
by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy,
an initiative of the Australian, State and
Territory Governments, administered by Arts
Queensland.
From 7.30pm
Networking Dinner
(at own cost - please take cash)
See Registration Desk for restaurants and
locations.
THURSDAY 11 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 19
Session details, presentation abstracts and
speaker biographies
9.00am-10.30am
Plenary: Beyond the Walls… new media,
public art and heritage interpretation
Hall A, MECC
Craig Walsh
Artist
Digital Odyssey
Craig Walsh: Digital Odyssey commenced in
2010 as a national, multi-venue tour and artist
residency bringing internationally respected
artist Craig Walsh to rural and remote locations
throughout Australia. The project enabled
regional audiences the opportunity to not only
view but also become involved in the production
and presentation of unique and highly engaging
new media artworks whilst the artist resided in
each town for periods of three to seven weeks.
The project formed as a collaboration between
Craig Walsh and the Museum of Contemporary
Art (Sydney), along with State and regional
organisations and community groups.
Along the tour, Craig Walsh worked with people
and sites outside the traditional realms of art
galleries or museums. The works created in each
town have been guided and influenced by the
landscapes and histories of the local area, and
the project has been a catalyst for change within
the communities involved.
Biography
Craig Walsh was born in
Orange in 1966, and is
currently touring regional
Australia on the Digital
Odyssey project. He is
primarily interested in hybrid and site-specific
projects and the exploration of alternative
contexts for contemporary art. He often
utilises projection in response to existing
environments and landscapes. He has worked
across a range of art forms including theatre,
architecture, public works, gallery exhibitions,
natural environments and festivals.
His work has been shown in a number
of national and international exhibitions,
including the Jakarta Biennale XIII,
Indonesia; Yokohama International
Triennale of Contemporary Art, Japan;
01SJ Biennal San Jose, California; Museum
of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Koganecho
Bazaar, Japan; and DRIFT 08, London. He
is currently Adjunct Professor at Griffith
University.
mervin Jarman
Community art activist and a founding
member of the UK’s Mongrel Collective
Repatriating Technology
I decided to recover lost grounds by repatriating
what I was best known for: technology. This was
the birth of The Container Project, a return to
the place of origin to replace all that was with
all that is! So in 2003 The Container Project
was launched and the little boy who roamed the
streets as trash had now returned.
In 2008, we moved again but this time, to make
the offering internationally, we invented the
iStreet Lab, and created the iStreet World, this
time with real aims and purpose and a means of
fulfilling the dream of a frog.
Today I speak with you about this journey,
the one that took us not from point A to B but
beyond time and space, a journey that realises
dreams and ambitions, a journey that has
became the game changer in the lives of those
that it touched.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
20 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Biography
mervin is a community art
activist, and a founding
member of the UK’s Mongrel
Collective (www.mongrel.
org.uk). He is a particular
kind of mongrel – a street art-activist
emerging in new media technology. In 2003
mervin initiated The Container Project (www.
container-project.net), a community media
lab in a 40ft shipping container in rural
Jamaica. In 2008, The Container Project
won the prestigious Stockholm Challenge
Award (www.stockholmchallenge.org). One
of mervin’s latest projects is the iStreet Lab,
a portable multimedia production studio in
a 240-litre wheelie bin. The iStreet Lab is
designed to take technology into the street in
a way that has not been done before.
Dr Sarah Barns
Director, Sitelines
Intangible presences: Re-locating archives for
heritage interpretation using mobile media
The future of the web is mobile. This
presentation will discuss what the mobile web
means for digital publishing, with a particular
focus on how mobile platforms can be used to
promote new encounters with archival collections
across a range of media formats. Insights will
be drawn from a number of recent projects I
have developed, including the ABC’s Sydney
Sidetracks pilot (2008), the Powerhouse Museum
Suburb Labs initiative (2010) and Past Forward
with ABC Pool (2011). These projects have
each explored what new connections might be
made in the mobile web between the spaces
of the archive and those of our contemporary
geographies, utilising recorded sound and oral
history, photography, film and map archives in
site-specific ways.
Biography
Dr Sarah Barns is a writer,
researcher and producer
based at the University of
Technology, Sydney. Her work
as an historical geographer
uses mobile media to engage audio-visual
archival materials for site-specific historical
interpretation.
In 2008, Sarah developed the ABC’s Sydney
Sidetracks platform (http://abc.net.au/
sidetracks), which presents extensive
historical documentation relating to over 50
sites of interest around the central Sydney
CBD, enabling users to explore documentary
recordings of the city via mobile phone. As
part of this project, she produced a series
of site-specific sound pieces featuring
historical recordings of the city from as
far back as 1945. The site was awarded
Best Multi-Platform Content at the ABC’s
2009 Digital Media Awards, and has been
internationally recognised for its innovative
uses of new technology to promote digital
storytelling around archival documentation.
She continues to work on digital cultural
geography projects with the Powerhouse
Museum, the Historic Houses Trust and the
ABC.
10.30am-11.00am
Morning Tea
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
Sponsored by
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 21
11.00am-12.30pm
Plenary: Changing Nature of Collections
Hall A
Richard Gagnier
Head of Conservation, Montreal Museum of
Fine Arts, Canada
The concept of integrity as the guiding
framework to the preservation of time-based
media art and installation
Sponsored by
This project has been assisted by the Australian
Government through the Australia Council for
the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
For the past five years, the DOCAM Research
Alliance has been looking at issues of
preservation and documentation of time–based
media art works. Initiated by la foundation
Daniel Langlois, based in Montreal, Quebec,
this vast research endeavour has implemented
five research axes of investigation, namely
Conservation, Documentation, Cataloguing,
History of technologies and Terminology.
From these committees, tools and guidelines
were elaborated that would contribute to the
preservation of the media arts heritage.
Reflecting on the knowledge acquired through
the case study approach, the research committee
on Conservation examined different issues and
concepts which are becoming quite specific to
the guiding preservation issues of these works.
Keeping in mind the issue of obsolescence, one
has to reflect on the concept of authenticity.
Looking at specific examples drawn from the
case studies, authenticity could be defined as
the work’s integrity to be maintained since
significance and historical setting of an artwork
is not solely located within its original media
technology. Such an approach has certainly an
impact on collection management strategies,
on acquisition process and policy, as well as
implementation of equipment maintenance
programs. The preservation process is becoming
a shared responsibility between curators,
registrars, conservators and the museum’s
multimedia technicians.
Biography
Richard Gagnier has been
the Head of Conservation
at the Montreal Museum
of Fine Arts since Fall
2007. He graduated
from l’Université de Montréal with a B.Sc.
(Honour) in chemistry, and a minor in Art
History with a strong component on modern
and contemporary art, theory and discourse.
He completed the course requirements of
the master program in art conservation
(MAC) research stream of Queen University,
Kingston, Ontario. Eager to specialise in
issues of contemporary art conservation,
he joined the team of the Restoration and
Conservation Laboratory at the National
Gallery of Canada in the Fall of 1984 where
he successively developed expertise as
assistant-conservator and conservator of
contemporary art until the Summer of 2007.
His practice encompasses contemporary
art media such as painting, sculpture,
installation, as well as time-based media. He
was one of the research specialists on the five
year (2004-2009) Research Alliance project,
DOCAM (Documentation and Conservation of
the Media Arts Heritage) lead by la foundation
Daniel Langlois (Montreal), where he directed
the sub-committee on case studies for
conservation/preservation. He is currently
a member of a research group composed
mostly of art historians on the re-exhibition
of contemporary art under the leadership of
Francine Couture, art sociologist and teacher
in art history at UQAM (Université du Québec
à Montréal).
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
22 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Liz Wild
Conservator, Sculpture Conservation
Department, Queensland Art Gallery |
Gallery of Modern Art
Illustrated case study QAG | GoMA’s
Contemporary Art Collection
A popular image of conservators is often people
painstakingly cleaning paintings in a studio
or laboratory with a cotton wool swab. While
many conservation treatments are detailed
and painstaking, conservation of contemporary
art in particular requires innovative treatment
and display preparation approaches to unique
challenges. Installing fragile and complex
artworks is very much a collaborative approach
between the Gallery’s workshop staff, installation
team and conservators. Conservators offer
advice, work alongside and in some instances,
lead installation and workshop teams on some
projects.
This presentation will show three case studies
where contemporary artworks required
conservators’ involvement in formulating and
guiding practices for the safe display while
maintaining the artwork’s artistic integrity. The
works being discussed are: a ten metre by six
metre painting by Iranian artist, Shirana Shibazi,
[Schaedel-03-Painting-2008]; a life-sized
fibreglass elephant by Indian artist Bharti Kher,
The skin speaks a language not its own; and a
nine metre long photograph by Chinese artist,
WANG Qingsong, Night revels of Lao Li. It will
also briefly outline the conservation treatments
applied to these three artworks.
The Centre of Conservation of Contemporary
Art (CCAC), which is based at the Gallery of
Modern Art (GoMA) Conservation Laboratory,
will also be briefly discussed. Launched in 2006,
the CCAC was developed as an initiative of
GoMA. Its mission is to develop understanding
of the conservation implications of contemporary
art materials. The CCAC aims to become a
resource for conservation of contemporary art
both within Australia and throughout the region
internationally. Besides research programs, the
CCAC provides a professional workshop program,
internships and tertiary student support, and a
conservation public program.
Biography
Liz Wild, BArts, University
of Queensland (1992);
BAppSci, Conservation
of Cultural Material,
University of Canberra
(1995). Employment history includes:
Conservator, Museum Victoria; fellow in
Objects Conservation, National Gallery of
Art, Washington DC.; Conservator, National
Gallery of Australia. Liz is presently employed
as Acting Head of Conservation at the
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern
Art with special interest in the conservation
of sculpture including contemporary
installations, Indigenous Australian art, metal
sculptures and outdoor sculpture.
Dr Graeme Were
Lecturer in Museum Studies, School of
English, Media Studies and Art History,
University of Queensland
Extreme collecting: archival legacies to collecting
futures
This presentation discusses ‘extreme collecting’
- a term used to denote those ‘difficult’ objects
that lie at the fringes of what is normally
considered acceptable practice in museums.
It summarises the key points of a series of
public debates held at the British Museum in
2007-8 that centred on discussing objects that
resist being collected for reasons of their size,
scale, materiality, marginality, legality, mass
production or for their political or ethical nature.
The debates intended to foster a critical debate
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 23
about museum collecting practices and to move
towards identifying priorities for collection
policies that are inclusive of acquiring ‘difficult’
objects.
Biography
Graeme Were has a PhD
in Anthropology and is the
Convenor of the Museum
Studies program at the
University of Queensland.
His research interests include ethnographic
collections and university museums; digital
heritage and source communities; and the
anthropology of design. He has a regional
specialisation in the Pacific and has published
widely in this area, particularly in relation to
material culture. He is the author of Lines
that Connect: Rethinking Pattern and Mind in
the Pacific (University of Hawaii Press, 2010)
and the co-editor of the forthcoming volume
Extreme Collecting (Berghahn Books, 2012).
12.30pm-1.30pm
Lunch
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
1.00pm-1.30pm
Lighting Mini Trade Show
Artspace Mackay, Civic Centre Precinct, Gordon
Street, Mackay
1.30pm-3.00pm
Parallel Sessions
Practical Lighting Demonstration
Artspace Mackay
The lighting companies will respond to the
phasing out of incandescent lighting and present
galleries and museums with their solutions for
lighting options, demonstrate their products and
answer delegate questions.
Grant Parker
Sylvania Lighting Australasia
www.sla.net.au
Biography
Based in Brisbane at the
Sylvania Lighting office
at West End, I have
been with the Sylvania
Lighting team for 10
months but have been in the lighting industry
for 15 years. I have worked with engineers,
contractors and the end-user to provide
solutions on various types of projects from
Retail to Commercial, Industrial as well as
exterior and urban beautification projects.
Where Innovation Comes to Light!
Sylvania Lighting Australasia (SLA) is a
vertically integrated designer, manufacturer
and distributor of lighting systems. With key
international partners and access to leading-
edge lamp technologies, SLA markets a
comprehensive selection of lighting fixtures
for architectural, industrial/commercial,
decorative and residential applications.
Complementary to this extensive range of
fixture products, SLA provides a unique
access to the diverse international lamp
market for incandescent, fluorescent,
compact fluorescent, high intensity discharge,
halogen, miniature incandescent and special
lamp sources.
Locally Sylvania Lighting Australasia markets
the respected brands of CONCORD, SYLVANIA
and because lighting is our only activity, we
can dedicate all our resources – technical,
financial and people – to our mission.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
24 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Peter McKenzie
Australia Market Manager, Philips Strand
Selecon
www.seleconlight.com
Biography
Peter commenced his
entertainment career on
the wrong side of the
stage, as a professional
musician with the
Queensland Theatre Orchestra. After years
of touring the country, he realised his mistake
and moved behind stage.
As a qualified electrical contractor he
naturally turned his talents to theatre
lighting, managing one of the most successful
entertainment lighting companies in Australia
today, Lightmoves. It was at this time he
came to the attention of Jeremy Collins who
was the Managing Director of Selecon and
theatrical luminaire manufacturer based in
New Zealand.
Fifteen years ago, Selecon commenced
manufacture of a specialised range of display
lighting, based around their theatrical
luminaire knowledge, specifically designing
a range of display lighting for their major
clients, who included art gallery and museum
clients. The company went on to win many
awards and accolades for their display
luminaire range, and two years ago came to
the attention of Philips who purchased the
company.
Nathan Wilson-Rynell, Regional Manager,
ERCO Lighting
www.erco.com
Nathan Wilson-Rynell
Biography
Nathan has been in
the Australian lighting
industry for 18 years,
heading up ERCO’s
Oceania headquarters in North Sydney for
the past twelve. Nathan’s engineering degree
from QUT in 1992 eventually led him south to
Sydney’s northern beaches.
Nathan’s role at ERCO sees him working
on local and international projects, whilst
overseeing the continued growth of
the Oceania region. Nathan counts the
adaptation of ERCO’s ‘light not luminaires’
philosophy to the local market as his greatest
challenge, an ideology that appears more
accepted in the museum and gallery sector –
notwithstanding the advent of LED.
ERCO is an innovative leader in architectural
lighting. The family business founded in
1934, and still based in Germany, now
has over 60 offices and 1200 employees
worldwide. Making good architecture even
better through the right lighting is what we
see as our cultural contribution, ERCO – the
light factory.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 25
Collaborations and Partnerships… success
stories and lessons learned
Hall A, MECC
1.30pm-1.50pm
Bronwyn Roper
Museum Development Officer, Central
Queensland, Queensland Museum
Object Uncovering - the significant objects
held in the historical collections of the Central
Highlands
15-minute presentation
Six historical groups, Central Highlands Regional
Council and Queensland Museum’s Museum
Resource Centre for Central Queensland worked
in partnership to exhibit significant objects held
in local historical collections at a regional gallery.
This was the first time these historical groups
had worked together post-amalgamation.
Due to the Council amalgamations in
Queensland, local communities have feared
the loss of their identity. However this project
demonstrated how communities can maintain
this identity within new shared regional
boundaries.
Working on the premise that every object can
tell a story, groups worked with Queensland
Museum’s Museum Development Officer,
Bronwyn Roper, to tell the story of each
individual object. These objects were then taken
out of cluttered display cabinets and placed on
individual plinths in the Emerald Art Gallery, a
public art gallery that had not previously been
home to history exhibitions.
Funded by the Regional Arts Development Fund
and supported by the Central Highlands Regional
Council, this project enabled groups to realise
what was important in their collections as well as
keeping interpretive material produced for the
exhibition.
Biography
Bronwyn Roper is
Queensland Museum’s
Museum Development
Officer based in Central
Queensland. Bronwyn
has a Master of Arts (history), Graduate
Certificate in Museum Studies and Bachelor
of Arts (history and literature). As a Museum
Development Officer, Bronwyn works
with community museums to preserve
and interpret collections through training
programs and dedicated projects such as this
one. Bronwyn was a project coordinator and
curator for this exhibition and worked closely
with each group to draw out the story behind
each object, as well as sourcing funding and
support.
1.50pm-2.10pm
Christine Turner
Artist
Creative Insites: an innovative approach to
reinvigorating collections in a regional context
15-minute presentation
Collaborations between historical collections
and artists are not new, although very few have
taken place in a regional context where small
museums often make a significant contribution
to the cultural and economic fabric of the
community.
In 2010, the new Maryborough gallery, Gatakers
Artspace, received Regional Arts Development
Funds for a project that sought to stimulate
audience engagement and interest in local
museums through innovative approaches to
interpreting and examining their collections.
The Collective Insites project positioned
local museums as a place of relevance to
contemporary culture and local community.
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26 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Over several months, five regional artists worked
with five historical collections towards a series of
exhibitions held in the gallery and on-site in the
museums from May to August in 2011.
The project provides a model for collaborations
between artists, galleries and historical
collections in regional areas, and gives an insight
into how creative approaches can invigorate the
interface between museums and their audience.
Collective Insites has been documented in a
blog, on ABC Pool, and in Place Stories. Links
can be found at http://www.creativehistories.
com
Collective Insites brought various elements
of a regional community together in a shared
project that forged strong connections between
local cultural institutions, and between those
institutions and the community. The creative
capital of local artists has been applied to
invigorating and strengthening these connections
and enhancing the economic potential of a
tourism activity. In the process, all benefit.
The local artists have the opportunity to
participate in a major project. The new gallery
space is activated. It develops a presence and
demonstrates how it can contribute to the shared
cultural fabric of the region. The museums
develop new and expanded audiences, and the
community is engaged in the project. There
are economic benefits from increased visitation
and from the publicity the project brings for the
museums, the gallery and the town.
Biography
Christine Turner is a
self-taught artist living
in Bundaberg. Her
art practice focuses
on contemporary
sculpture, assemblage and installation.
She also produces digital works and has been
developing a keen interest in photography.
Thematically her works address issues
relating to identity, memory, the body,
culture, power and the sacred.
Having commenced her art practice in
1988, she has exhibited extensively across
Australia. She was included in Frank McBride’s
Temperature 2004 exhibition of contemporary
Queensland Sculptors at Museum of Brisbane.
She has been a recipient of State and Federal
grants and is represented in public and
private collections.
2.10pm-2.30pm
Judy Rose
Artist and Health Worker
Be Kind to Your Mind... get involved in the arts
15-minute presentation
Be Kind to Your Mind... get involved in the arts,
a community arts project conducted in 2009,
aimed to bring together people affected by the
2008 Mackay flood to reflect on their experiences
and to acknowledge the incredible community
response during and after the flood.
The project was initiated by Mackay Public Health
Unit (Tropical Regional Services, Queensland
Health) as an extension of the Be Kind to Your
Mind campaign conducted in four sites in North
Queensland.
A partnership was established with the
Department of Communities and Mackay
Regional Council (Artspace Mackay and Creative
Mackay) which greatly enhanced the scope of
the project.
This presentation will focus on the following
questions:
What did the project look like?•
Why a community arts approach to •
community recovery?
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 27
Why a partnership?•
Which partners and why?•
What were the partnership challenges and •
how were they overcome?
What outcomes did the project achieve?•
What lessons were learnt?•
Biography
Judy Rose is currently a
Medical Education Officer
at Mackay Base Hospital.
Previously she was a
Health Promotion Officer
with the Mackay Public Health Unit where she
coordinated projects including the Mackay
Community Arts Project. Judy began her
career as an art teacher and then advisor
with Education Queensland and has a Degree
in Fine Art from the Queensland College of
Art (now Griffith University) and a Master
of Education Degree from QUT. She is a
practicing artist, having had several individual
and group exhibitions and some success
in art awards. Judy is also a volunteer at
Artspace Mackay.
New Initiatives in Collection Management
and Preservation… challenges and
successes
Meeting Room 1, MECC
1.30pm-1.45pm
Elisabeth Gondwe and Petrina Walker
North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum
Collaboration between the Walker Family and the
North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum
20 slides x 20 seconds each
This presentation of twenty slides will be co-
presented by Elisabeth Gondwe and Petrina
Walker and will explore the collaboration
between the Walker family and the North
Stradbroke Island Historical Museum since
2008. In 2008, Denis and Petrina Walker
deposited the Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal
Custodian of the Land Minjerribah Collection
at the Museum for safekeeping. The Museum
and the Walker family negotiated appropriate
intellectual property protocols that are based
on recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty, which
results in the principle of equity under Australian
Common Law. Put simply, equity means respect
and listening to one another. Covered in the
presentation will be the Oodgeroo Collection
Management Deed, exhibition development,
employment and training and the Cultural
Heritage Education Program being undertaken
by the committee. The relationship between
the Museum and the Walker family is vibrant
although not without challenges as we share the
Museum space and resources.
Elisabeth Gondwe
Biography
I work at the North
Stradbroke Island
Historical Museum
(NSIHM) 28 hours per
week as a curator/ethnographer. I have
been on the management committee for
ten years and have played a role in guiding
the development of the Museum. I have a
Master of Arts in Cultural Heritage Studies in
anthropology and archaeology. The NSIHM is
a small museum and this has enabled me to
work across many areas of museum practice:
curating exhibitions, capture of contemporary
social history, digitisation, collection
management, intellectual property policy
development, strategic planning, community
engagement, community development,
interpretive theatre and developing new
medium for collection access.
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28 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Petrina Walker Biography
I am the granddaughter of Oodgeroo
Noonuccal (Kath Walker) and the joint
inheritor of her estate and copyright along
with my father Denis Walker. I work at the
North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum as
Oodgeroo Collection Custodian 15 hours per
week. I joined the management committee
when I deposited the Oodgeroo Collection
at the NSIHM in 2008. I am also on the
board of the Salt Water Murris Quandamooka
and am active in the indigenous cultural
life of Minjerribah. I work exclusively
with the Oodgeroo Collection undertaking
preservation, cataloguing, exhibition
development, processing research requests
and developing creative medium for public
access to the Oodgeroo Collection.
1.45pm-2.05pm
Brian Crozier
Crozier Schutt Associates
Linkages: Digital Connections between
Collections
15-minute presentation
Crozier Schutt Associates have completed over
20 statements of significance on Queensland
collections over the past three years. We have
also carried out a pioneering project to create
an online directory to collections on a particular
theme (in this case, the Marks family, well known
in Brisbane for over a century as scientists,
doctors, soldiers and businessmen). The
experience has demonstrated the possibilities in
linking digitised collections to document stories
that would otherwise be fragmented between
different agencies. The presentation will deal
with how the Marks collections were digitally
linked and with themes from other collections
that might be similarly treated.
Biography
Brian Crozier was, for
17 years, Senior Curator
of Social History at the
Queensland Museum,
where he curated 10
major exhibitions, and was responsible for
major advances in the Museum’s collection
management, including the Queensland
Museum Accessioning Resource Kit. He
taught museum studies for the University
of Queensland for 5 years. With his wife,
Faye Schutt, he has been a museum
consultant since 2008, completing 26
significance assessments on small museum
collections and major exhibition projects
for the Sunshine Coast and Croydon
Regional Councils, and on the history of the
Queensland Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institute.
Brian has recently completed an innovative
online directory to collections relating to
Brisbane’s Marks family.
2.05pm-2.25pm
Christine Ianna
State Library of Queensland
Q-DIS – The Queensland Disaster Information
Network
15-minute presentation
The Queensland Disaster Information Network
(Q-DIS) was launched in December 2010 as
a cross-sectoral discussion group for sharing
information on disaster preparedness and
planning. From necessity it rapidly evolved into a
hub for posting news and updates on whom and
what had been affected by the unprecedented
weather events that impacted on Queensland in
the first weeks of 2011. Information posted to
the site could be either sector specific or more
general. It included links related to the salvage
of specific materials and calls for volunteers to
assist in a specific recovery project as well as
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 29
media releases and information on disaster relief
and funding programs as soon as they became
available.
The presentation will discuss:
How a ‘social networking’ site such •
as Q-DIS can be used to facilitate
communication and collaboration in disaster
affected communities;
The role of Q-DIS pre, during and after an •
event or disaster; and
How Q-DIS can continue to play a role •
‘after the flood’.
The paper will also discuss:
The National Heritage Emergency Action •
Response Team (HEART) initiative of the
Australian Institute for the Conservation of
Cultural Material (AICCM) – the peak body
for Conservators in Australia.
The presentation will conclude with how the
flood and cyclone events of January/February
2011 have clearly demonstrated the value
to be gained through communication and
collaboration within and across sectors before,
during and after, especially in terms of disaster
preparedness, and risk management expertise,
advice, funding sources, other resources and
contacts.
Biography
Christine has worked in
Materials Conservation
in Queensland for more
than twenty-five years.
She has held permanent
and consultant positions at the Queensland
Museum, Queensland State Archives and
the State Library of Queensland. Her early
work focused on the conservation treatment
of waterlogged objects from maritime
archaeological and historic shipwreck sites
off the Queensland coast. This experience
provided Christine with a sound knowledge
and practical experience in the salvage of
waterlogged materials and has fostered her
interest (some would say passion) for disaster
preparedness and planning. Her work across
a range of institutions has further enhanced
her drive to encourage communication
and collaboration across sectors especially
with respect to preventive conservation
including all aspects of disaster planning and
preparedness.
Christine is a Professional Member of the
Australian Institute for the Conservation of
Cultural Material (AICCM) Inc, the peak body
for Conservators in Australia, a member
of the AICCM Heritage Emergency Action
Response Team (HEART) initiative and has
carried out disaster preparedness training
throughout Queensland in association with
a range of organisations and institutions
including Museum and Gallery Services
Queensland, the Australian Society of
Archivists Queensland, Queensland Museum
and Queensland State Archives.
2.25pm-2.40pm
Hannah Perkins
Assistant Curator, Queensland Museum
Highlights of the history factory: community
engagement through processing the
unaccessioned backlog
20 slides x 20 seconds each
For many museum professionals, the word
‘backlog’ tends to induce a rising sense of panic,
or at least mild frustration – especially if coupled
with the words ‘unregistered’ or ‘unaccessioned’.
Tagging endless boxes and updating endless
spreadsheets of what can only be described as
undocumented detritus can occasionally feel
more like factory work than museum business.
However, in the ongoing process of tackling
the 30-year-old social history backlog at
Queensland Museum (QM) there have been
several unintended but positive outcomes,
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
30 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
namely initiatives resulting in collaborations with
other museum professionals, experts and local
audiences to make meaning of the backlog and
its contents.
This presentation will explore how the process
of publicly addressing Queensland Museum’s
unaccessioned backlog has fostered and
strengthened community engagement through
creative collaborations and partnerships. Aside
from curating an exhibition appropriately
entitled Getting Sorted, QM staff have worked
with media, regional museums, heritage groups
and exhibition teams to conclude significance,
arrange transfers and open dialogue about the
Museum’s collecting history. This is an invitation
to consider the positives of the backlog and daily
life in the History Factory.
Biography
Hannah Perkins is an
Assistant Curator in the
Cultures and Histories
program at Queensland
Museum South Bank. Her
research interests include historiography,
collection narratives, museum communication
and historical photography.
Hannah completed her Honours degree
with Queensland University of Technology’s
Humanities Program. Her thesis explored
historical narratives in museum labelling.
She was co-editor of the AAAPS online
history textbook Topics from Oceania and
her research with Dr Max Quanchi into
colonial photography in The Queenslander
newspaper was published in History Compass,
and presented at the Australian Historical
Association Conference 2009.
Galleries and Audience Engagement…
enhancing access and learning
Meeting Room 2, MECC
1.30pm-1.50pm
Gillian Ridsdale
Curator Public Programs, University of
Queensland Art Museum
Engaging the audience and enhancing the
learning at UQ Art Museum
15-minute presentation
The University of Queensland Art Museum is
committed to developing engagement programs
and innovative interpretive resources that
encourage participation by diverse audiences,
including UQ staff and students and Queensland
senior high schools. Over the past three years
research has been carried out to learn more
about our audiences and evaluate how our
online educational resources are used to support
teaching and learning on and off campus. This
paper will highlight the findings of this research
and discuss emerging trends and challenges
in the context of the remit of a university art
museum.
Biography
Gillian Ridsdale is Curator
of Public Programs at
UQ Art Museum. She
was previously Program
Convenor for the Faculty
of Arts at the University of Queensland from
2005-2008, and in this role managed the
development and implementation of the new
postgraduate program in Museum Studies.
Gillian has local, national and international
experience as a director, curator and
conservator and has worked across the fields
of visual art, craft and design, public art,
performing arts and social history.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 31
1.50pm-2.10pm
Justin Bishop
Exhibitions Manager, Cairns Regional
Gallery
Get in the Van: 2 approaches to collection
access and audience development in Regional
Queensland
15-minute presentation
This paper outlines the creation and mechanics
of delivery of two programs, the specific goals
of each and how they compare with each other
in terms of commonalities and contrasts. I will
be examining how two regional galleries have
approached utilising collection artworks in their
public programming by specifically targeting
school audiences external to the Gallery
environment.
What is exciting about both of these projects is
that they not only differ widely in financial input,
design, development and delivery, but they
share common aims, ambitions and with luck
over time, measurable and quantifiable results.
The two programs I refer to are:
The Heart of the Class – conducted during •
2010 by Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery.
The Moving Sculpture Project - conducted •
during 2010 by Cairns Regional Gallery.
Both of these projects were developed
independently from each other with an
identifiable need to engage school-based
audiences, and may provide some insight or
inspiration to other regional and rural collecting
institutions in determining how they may
improve their interaction with school-based
audiences.
Biography
I completed my Bachelor
of Creative Arts (Visual)
at USQ, Toowoomba in
1998 pursuing my passion
for painting. From 1998-
2003 I established an arts practice with works
being acquired for public collections while
being fortunate enough to find employment
in a number of regional art galleries around
South East Queensland, most importantly
QUT Art Museum.
In 2003 I left Australia to pursue private
study. During this time I volunteered in
a contemporary arts space in Edinburgh,
Scotland giving me an insight into the notion
of internationalism in the arts, something
that I rely on in my current position at Cairns
Regional Gallery.
After returning to Australia I worked in the
construction and logistics industries, and
while not arts related, this sabbatical from
the arts gave me an understanding of the
nature of logistics, building and construction
practices, knowledge which in hindsight I am
grateful to have. Eventually the attraction
of the arts was unavoidable and I became
Director of Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery in
southern Queensland, Australia.
I am currently the Exhibitions Manager and
Deputy Director of Cairns Regional Gallery
and somehow find the time to continue my
practice. I expect to work within the regional
galleries sector for sometime as I find
working in the regions a highly rewarding
experience.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
32 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
2.10pm-2.25pm
Karen Tyler
Venue Director, Redcliffe City Art Gallery
Generation X: taking the reins and engaging
new/non-traditional audiences
20 slides x 20 seconds each
This presentation will demonstrate how making
opportunities for a younger generation to run
public programs, curate exhibitions and be
actively involved in planning gallery programs
has, as a consequence, brought new/non-
traditional audiences to the Redcliffe City Art
Gallery.
Assistant Curators and casuals have initiated
exhibitions such as Interpretive Matter: Looking
at Abstraction by Australia Artists; Suburbia;
Unleashed: the rise of Australian Street Art;
Metamorphosis: Redcliffe Botanic Gardens; and
Crossing Over: Looking at Connections between
Indigenous and Non Indigenous Artmaking.
Gallery volunteers have initiated an ongoing
discussion group called Art Chat and self-guided
activities that have successfully engaged all
ages.
The staff and volunteers who are assisting at
Redcliffe City Art Gallery are all highly qualified
young women with degrees or they’re enrolled in
full-time study. They range in age from 16 to 35
and several of them have young families. Their
energy, daring and commitment to this industry
is amazing; it is no surprise that they bring new/
non-traditional audiences to the gallery.
Biography
Karen grew up in regional
NSW with parents who
made their living firstly
from architecture before
switching to pottery and
painting.
She studied at Sydney College of the Arts
and was a founding member of The Central
Coast Community Art Group before moving
to the Central West of NSW where she took
over from the first Regional Community Arts
Officer and formed Arts OutWest Inc.
Karen then spent twenty years creating and
managing public art projects in NSW and
South East Queensland.
For the past six years she has been a
Venue Director at Pine Rivers Art Gallery
and Redcliffe City Art Gallery. In this role
she has programmed and co-curated over
sixty exhibitions including Regional Youth
Art Awards, Moreton Bay Art Awards and 15
Artists acquisitive exhibition. All exhibitions
include public programs of self-guided
activities, an opening event, an artist or
curator talk, and occasional workshops and
performances.
2.25pm-2.45pm
Andrew Gill
Manager Cultural Services, Bundaberg
Regional Council
Cultural learnings of America for make benefit
glorious nation of Australia
15-minute presentation
A discussion of some of the ways that Australia
and America differ in delivery of educational
experiences, through looking at art museums of
varying scales accross the North East of the USA,
with a focus on the Sterling and Francine Clark
Art Institute in Williamstown Massachussets. The
purpose of this will be to delve further into what
works and what doesn’t for them and for us, and
how this difference can be utilised in Australian
art institutions.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 33
Biography
Andrew Gill is the manager
of Cultural Services for
the Bundaberg Regional
Council. Andrew oversees
9 staff working across
two galleries and servicing a community of
98,000 people over an area of 6,500km2. His
main focus is to be a conduit between the
community, business, artists, government
and the Council on all things arts and
cultural and to work towards the growth
and development of these areas in his
region. In 2011, he was awarded a M&GSQ
International Fellowship to the Sterling and
Francine Clark Art Institute, USA.
Buses will depart the Mackay Entertainment
and Convention Centre at 3.05pm and
3.10pm.
3.15pm-4.00pm
Community Launch: Fiona Foley Public
Artworks
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
The six art installations by Fiona Foley
highlight the Bluewater Trail beside Mackay’s
beautiful Pioneer River.
Fiona Foley is amongst Australia’s most
experienced public art makers and this
commission for Mackay sees a regional
city earn its place on the world map for
contemporary public art. Foley’s research
and discussions with local communities in the
Mackay region, the Indigenous Yuibera people
and the Mackay-based South Sea Islander
communities, inform and infiltrate these
works. Her incorporations of local Indigenous
narratives, their exploration of some of the
difficult histories of Mackay, have brought
air and recognition to the dispossessed.
(Information Map – Bluewater Trail Public Art)
4.00pm-5.00pm
Self-Guided Walk of Fiona Foley Public
Artworks
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
(see Information Map – Bluewater Trail Public
Art in Conference satchel)
SOCIAL EVENT
5.30pm-8.30pm
Conference BBQ Dinner
Bluewater Quay, River St, Mackay
BBQ Dinner ticket must be visible in
delegates’ lanyards. Drinks may be purchased
at the cash bar throughout the dinner. Please
bring warm clothing.
Buses will depart Bluewater Quay at 8.30pm
and 8.40pm for CBD/MECC.
FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
34 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Session details, presentation abstracts and
speaker biographies
9.30am-11.00am
Masterclasses/Skill Sessions
Tools and principles for the preservation of
time-based media artworks
Meeting Room 1, MECC
Presenter: Richard Gagnier, Head of
Conservation, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts,
Canada
Designed for:
Conservators, collection managers, archivists,
preventive conservation technicians,
contemporary art curators and time-based media
curators (film and video).
Learning Outcomes:
Realising the notion of obsolescence is •
a major issue with time-based artwork
and how this has lead to new strategies
for preservation including migration and
emulation
Understanding how the concept of •
authenticity is still a guiding factor to
the preservation process yet looking how
differently it could be defined by integrating
the notion of integrity
Applying these concepts to a decision model •
for preservation of time-based artworks;
Preventive conservation new strategies: •
importance of the archival/master source of
the work and the production of exhibition
copy components
Acquisition policies for time-based media •
work: what to acquire to allow long-term
maintenance of the work and the costs to
consider in this process
Session Outline:
This masterclass draws on the five-year research
alliance project by DOCAM (Documentation
and Conservation of the Media Arts Heritage),
directed by la foundation Daniel Langlois,
based in Montreal, Québec. The Conservation
DOCAM sub-committee examined and refined
the meaning of some conservation principles
and concepts specific to the preservation issues
of time-based media works, the notion of
obsolescence being a key issue in this discussion.
For these works, authenticity as a concept could
be articulated as an active paradigm by defining
the work’s integrity to be maintained. The
historical setting and significance of an artwork
is not solely located within the maintenance of
its original media technology.
This examination was accomplished by adopting
a case study approach. These works, selected
from different Canadian museum collections,
were documented and looked at from the
perspective of their preservation. These case
studies demonstrate how the concept of integrity
could guarantee the true meaning of the work
even though some of its components might be
physically modified, be it the equipment or the
support content. Moreover we will see under
which conditions these modifications could be
adopted and justified, thus establishing the
principles of a deontological approach. One of
the outcomes of this research has been the
development of a sequential tree decision model
as an aid in the formulation of preservation
strategies for these works incorporating time-
based technology.
Biography (see page 21)
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go
about it? Part 1
Meeting Room 2, MECC
Presenter: Brian Crozier, Co-principal, Crozier
Schutt Associates museum consultants
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 35
Designed for:
No prior experience is necessary, although some
experience in identifying issues in exhibition
development and an understanding of what
the possibilities are for exhibitions would be
helpful. As far as possible, this will be a practical
workshop, aimed at helping participants to
produce their own exhibitions.
Bring:
Two objects (or photos of the objects) that are
part of the same story.
Learning Outcomes:
How the exhibition medium works•
The importance of exhibitions in •
communicating a museum’s stories
The exhibition development process•
How to think about an exhibition floor plan•
How to draft exhibition labels•
What exhibition panels are for and how to •
design and produce them
Session Outline:
What makes a good exhibition? (Discussion)•
Experiences of exhibition development •
– what went right and what didn’t
(Discussion)
Developing an exhibition – it helps to have •
a process...
Exhibition layout – what goes where•
Labelling – spelling out your message•
Labelling – write your own label (Group •
exercise)
Exhibition panels – what are they for and •
how do you design one?
Biography (see page 28)
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 1
Meeting Room 3, MECC
Presenter: John Paul Fischbach, CEO & Founder,
Auspicious Arts Incubator
Designed for:
The people that will get the most out of this
session are experienced arts marketers (because
you know it is time to change the way we market
the arts).
Learning Outcomes (Part 1):
Brutal assessments of your current •
marketing practices
Dozens of new ideas to implement•
Rationale to sell the ideas to upper •
management
Increased ROI on your marketing spend•
Audience segmentation•
Paradigm shift•
(There is a take-home workbook to keep learning
and practicing)
Session Outline (Part 1):
Marketing is building relationships based on
trust. Social Media Marketing is the best way
to build fans, supporters, and increase funding
if you learn how to use value based marketing
language to talk about the value and benefit of
your organisation/venue. In this session you will
learn how to talk about the value and benefit
of art, arts organisations, art galleries and
museums in terms that empower you and inspire
and engage others.
Biography
John Paul is an
international producer
and director of theatre,
festivals and site-specific
events in historic venues.
John Paul came to Melbourne as the first ever
Artistic Director of the National Trust. He is
currently helping arts organisations, small
businesses and independent artists improve
their business and marketing skills through
the Auspicious Arts Incubator that he created
in 2007.
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
36 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Since 2008 John Paul has been sharing his
experience and wisdom through a series
of full-day training seminars in marketing.
His So you wanna series has been in great
demand as a highly informative, effective and
influential tool for improving marketing.
Blueprint for museum and gallery
professionals on methods of making art
accessible to people living with dementia
and their carers
Meeting Room 4, MECC
Presenter: Adriane Boag, Educator, Youth
and Community Programs, National Gallery of
Australia
Designed for:
Educators, gallery professionals and volunteers
wanting to make art accessible to people with
Alzheimer’s disease and their carers.
Learning Outcomes:
Understanding of the challenges and •
benefits of a guided tour of works of art in
a gallery or museum for people living with
dementia
Development of communication strategies•
Ways to develop arts and health •
partnerships
Session Outline:
The masterclass will introduce participants to
the knowledge and skills necessary to develop
and deliver a sustainable Art and Alzheimer’s
program. Arts professionals will gain an
understanding of the effects of dementia, the
aims of an Art and Alzheimer’s Program and
the importance of partnerships. Collaboration
between arts and health professionals is vital
to the long term success of Art and Alzheimer’s
Programs in museums and galleries. When the
expertise of these two areas is brought together
they produce significant benefits for people living
with dementia and for the community.
Introduction and background to the •
National Gallery of Australia’s Art and
Alzheimer’s Programs.
DVD from the 2007 Pilot Program•
What is dementia?•
The aims of a tour/program for people •
living with dementia
The importance of partnerships•
Access models•
Communication strategies•
Discussion time•
The incidence of dementia is increasing and can
be linked to the ageing of Australia’s population.
A diagnosis of dementia is often accompanied by
fear and anxiety about both the consequences of
the disease and the options for care. Sometimes
people with dementia experience a loss of
confidence, feelings of worthlessness and grief.
Meaningful interaction can provide ways to
ameliorate these confronting emotions. Looking
at and talking about works of art in a museum
or gallery with trained educators provide
opportunities to connect with the world in an
enriching and life-enhancing way and can renew
a positive sense of self for people living with
dementia.
Biography (see page 12)
11.00am-11.30am
Morning Tea
Foyer, Mackay Entertainment and Convention
Centre
11.30am-1.00pm
Masterclasses/Skill Sessions
4 Keys to Confident Public Speaking
Meeting Room 1, MECC
Presenter: Dr Jude Pippen, Co-Director,
Creative Regions Ltd
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 37
Designed for:
Anyone who is called upon to emcee corporate
or community events, offer presentations at
conferences or manage public meetings will
benefit from this session. Some experience of
having to speak in public is an advantage so as
to identify areas for improvement through the
session.
Learning Outcomes:
Increased understanding of the relationship •
between the speaker and their audience
Improvements in personal skills in •
managing the physical aspects of public
speaking: managing anxiety, controlling
breathing, directing vocal tone
Improvements in communication •
techniques: structuring a presentation,
strategies for engaging an audience and
keeping their attention
Increased control over the speaking •
environment: arrangement of the speakers
platform, use of equipment such as
microphones, projectors and PowerPoint
presentations
Session Outline:
How you prepare your own body as a speaker
is at the basis of successful communication.
Introductory exercises will address posture,
balance, breathing and techniques to control
anxiety. Vocal technique will cover projection,
energy and intention in vocal engagement with
an audience.
A good speaker is also aware of the space that
they are going to inhabit: factors such as the
entry points, furniture orientation or barriers,
where the light is coming from. What will
the participants see when they look towards
you? You will learn how to ‘sound out’ a room
and to create the right environment for your
presentation.
Knowing your audience will help you connect
with them and ensure the success of your
presentation. Who are they? Why are you
speaking to them? What are your points of
connection? Finally there is the careful planning
of content, timing and techniques for the use of
audio visual resources.
Biography
Dr Jude Pippen has
lectured at Queensland
University of Technology
in Arts Research
Methodology and worked
in Physical Theatre with the Academy. As a
community artist, she is active in the fields of
performing arts, festivals and events.
Jude is one of the four Directors of Creative
Regions, a not-for-profit cultural service
provider and producer engaging with regional
communities as part of the Creative Generators
program funded by Arts Queensland and the
Australia Council for the Arts.
She is one of the rare breed, possibly a
frustrated actor, who loves communicating
with an audience and is regularly invited
to open exhibitions or facilitate community
forums.
Developing an Exhibition: how do we go
about it? Part 2
Meeting Room 2, MECC
Presenter: Brian Crozier, Co-principal, Crozier
Schutt Associates museum consultants
(see Part 1 on pages 34-35)
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
38 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011
Smarter More Effective Marketing Part 2
Meeting Room 3, MECC
Presenter: John Paul Fischbach, CEO & Founder,
Auspicious Arts Incubator
Bring:
Your laptop
Learning Outcomes (Part 2):
Familiarity with social media marketing •
platforms
URLs for industry leaders•
URLs for social media support•
Specific platform registration•
Figure out which platforms you should use •
and which ones maybe are not appropriate
Session Outline (Part 2):
(You must have done Part 1 to do Part 2)
Now that you are a Smarter Marketing person,
it is time to be more effective. You will fire up
your laptop and learn about the 5 most effective
social media platforms. Hear stories of museums
and galleries that are using it well. Learn which
platforms are making the biggest difference.
Learn best-practice tips and tricks. See examples
of good and bad uses - and understand why.
(see Part 1 on page 35)
Retail in Museums and Galleries –
Merchandise Planning, Purchasing and
Production
Meeting Room 4, MECC
Presenter: Colleen Tuxworth, Principal, Cultural
Retail
Designed for:
Staff who are responsible for the retail outlet in
their museum or gallery and/or staff who are
planning to establish a museum or gallery shop.
Bring:
A “wish list” of the top five things they would like
to see achieved or produced for their shop.
Learning Outcomes:
Will provide delegates with the foundations •
for developing their own merchandise plan
and
Guidelines for sourcing and developing •
merchandise
Session Outline:
With the increasing need to raise additional
revenue and to also meet visitor expectations,
the role of the shop in your museum or gallery is
an ever more important one. This workshop will
give an introductory overview of the key aspects
of the management of merchandise that are
central to the success of retail operations:
Planning – developing a simple but effective •
planning document for your institution,
including practical activity
Purchasing – sourcing product that is •
relevant and that sells
Product development – outline of the •
processes including copyright and
commissioned works. Case study examples
will be presented
Delegates will be given a Merchandise Planning
workbook for practical sessions during the
workshop.
Biography
Cultural Retail is an
Australian-based
independent business
established to provide
consultancy, merchandise
and education services for all aspects of
retail operations to the cultural, heritage and
tourist sector. Recent clients include Bribie
Island Seaside Museum, Redcliffe City Art
Gallery and Yarra Ranges Regional Museum
(VIC).
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE: M&GSQ State Conference 2011 39
Colleen Tuxworth, Principal of Cultural Retail,
has over twenty years retail experience,
with extensive experience in museum retail
management over the past decade. Colleen
was also an Executive Member of the Museum
Shops Association of Australia between 2003
and 2008 and held the position of Vice-
President for three years.
This work is copyright. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the publisher.
This work has been supplied by the authors as attributed. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. All care has been taken to ensure all information is correct at the time of printing.
Please note that all details are correct at time of printing. M&GSQ reserves the right to change programs or program details if required.
Published by:Museum and Gallery Services Queensland LimitedLevel 3, 381 Brunswick StreetFortitude Valley QLD 400607 3215 [email protected] M&GSQ 2011
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST