Australian Museum

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"Here, in a public museum, the remains of the arts, etc., as existing among them, may be preserved as lasting memorials of the former races inhabiting the lands, when they have ceased to exist."

George Bennett, Curator, 1835 1841.

From a "beautiful Collection of Australian curiosities", the Museum has grown to an internationally recognised collection of over 21 million cultural and scientific objects. The Museum plays a leading role in taxonomic and systematic research, and at its research station at Lizard Island conducts significant research on coral reef ecology. Through exhibitions and other public programs the Australian Museum continues to inform and amaze generations of visitors about the unique flora, fauna and cultures of Australia and the Pacific. [9] [10]

Administration

The first custodian of the museum was William Holmes, appointed on 16 June 1829 and holding the position until 1835. In August 1831, Holmes accidentally shot himself while collecting specimens at Moreton Bay. [11]

The museum was originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. [12] It was administered directly by the colonial government until June 1836, until the establishment of a Committee of Superintendence of the Australian Museum and Botanical Garden. Sub-committees were established for each institution. Members of these committees were generally the leading members of the political and scientific classes of Sydney; and scions of the Macleay served until 1853, at which point the committee was abolished. In that year, the government enacted the Australian Museum Act, thereby incorporating it and establishing a board of trustees consisting of 24 members. William Sharp Macleay, the former committee chairman, continued to serve as the chairman of this committee. [13] The museum was renamed in June 1836 by a sub-committee meeting, when it was resolved during an argument that it should be renamed the "Australian Museum". [12]

The scientific stature of the museum was established under the curatorship of Gerard Krefft (1861-1874), himself a published scientist. [8]

20th century

After a run of field collecting activities by the scientific staff in the 1880s and 1890s, field work ceased until after the First World War. In the 1920s, new expeditions were launched to New Guinea, the Kermadec Islands and Santa Cruz in the Solomon Islands, as well as to many parts of Australia, including the Capricorn Islands off the coast of Queensland. [14] :137

During the 19th century, galleries had mainly included large display cases overly filled with specimens and artefacts. During the 1920s, museum displays grew to include dioramas showing habitat groups, but otherwise the Museum was largely unchanged during the period beginning with the curatorship of Robert Etheridge Jr (1895–1919), until the appointment of John Evans in 1954, when under his direction, additional buildings were built, several galleries were overhauled, and a new Exhibitions department was created. The size of the education staff was also radically increased. By the end of the 1950s, all of the galleries had been completely overhauled.

The museum's growth in the field of scientific research continued with a new department of environmental studies, created in 1968 [15] by director Frank Talbot. Research on the Great Barrier Reef began in 1965, with the One Tree Island Research Station established at the southern end(now operated by the University of Sydney). [16] (around 1965 [17] The museum support society, The Australian Museum Society (TAMS), now known as Australian Museum Members) was formed in 1972, and in 1973 the Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS), was established near Cairns, both under the leadership of Talbot. [18]

The Australian Museum Train, an early outreach project, was officially launched on 8 March 1978. The train was described as "a wonderful new concept of the travelling circus! The only difference is that the travelling Museum Train will bring school children and the people of NSW into contact with the wonders of nature, evolution and Wildlife."[ citation needed ] The two-carriage train was renovated and refurbished at Eveleigh Carriage Workshops, and fitted out with exhibits by the Australian Museum at a cost of about $100,000. One carriage displayed the evolution of the earth, animals and man. The second carriage was a lecture and visual display area. [19] The train ceased operations in December 1988 but the museum's outreach work in regional communities continues.[ citation needed ]

In 1991, the museum established a commercial consulting and project management group, the Australian Museum Business Services (AMBS), now known as Australian Museum Consulting.[ citation needed ] In 1995, the museum established new research centres in conservation, biodiversity, evolutionary research, geodiversity and "People and Places". These research centres have now been incorporated into the museum's natural science collection programs.[ citation needed ] In 1998, the djamu gallery opened at Customs House, Circular Quay, the first major new venue for the museum beyond College Street site. A series of exhibitions on Indigenous culture were displayed until the gallery closed at the end of 2000.[ citation needed ]

21st century

In 2001, two rural associate museums were established, The Age of Fishes Museum in Canowindra and the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Bathurst which includes the mineral and dinosaur Somerville Collection donated by Warren Somerville.[ citation needed ]

In 2002, ICAC launched Operation Savoy to investigate thefts of the zoological collections by a museum employee. [20]

In 2011, the museum launched its first Mobile App – "DangerOZ" [21] – about Australia's most dangerous animals.

In 2014, Kim McKay AO was appointed the CEO and executive director, [22] a position she still holds as of 2024. [18] She is the first woman to hold the position [22] [23]

In 2017, museum researchers reassigned a Tasmanian species of semi-slug from the genus Helicarion to Attenborougharion, named after the museum's Lifetime Patron David Attenborough, hence known as Attenborougharion rubicundus . [24]

In December 2023, the Museum became the subject of criticism for its decision to reword an exhibition panel by World Heritage Exhibitions [25] replacing its word "Palestine". with "what is today known as Libya and Palestine", [26] after the Australian Jewish Association had accused the museum of "inaccurate use of the word 'Palestine' in an exhibit on Ancient Egypt". [26] The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network [26] and the Australian Friends of Palestine Association issued strong criticism of "the ideological expunging of cultural identity from history". [27] On 3 January 2024, the World Heritage Exhibitions announced that it had no plans to change the text, as there was no intention "to convey any political assertions". [25]

Building

Hyde Park, with the museum under construction in the distance, by John Rae (1842) SydneyGS1842.jpg
Hyde Park, with the museum under construction in the distance, by John Rae (1842)
Barnet Wing c. 1870 Powerhouse Museum Collection - (Australian) Museum, Sydney (pd).jpg
Barnet Wing c.1870

Move to current site

The first location of the museum in 1827 was probably a room in the offices of the Colonial Secretary, although over the following thirty years it had several other locations in Sydney, until it moved into its current home in 1849. [10] [5] [9] Its location is at the corner of William Street and College Street in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney LGA.

The heritage-listed [10] building has evolved to encompass a range of different architectural styles [28] [29] and when its building expanded, it was often in conjunction with an expansion of the collections.

The Long Gallery is part of the wing designed by New South Wales Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis, and the earliest building on the site, c.1846. [10] [5] [9] This is a handsome building of Sydney sandstone in the Greek Revival style on the corner of College and William Streets, opposite Hyde Park, designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet, and it was first opened to the public in May 1857. [3]

In order to accommodate the expanding collections of the museum, Barnet was responsible for the construction of the neoclassical west wing along William Street in 1868. A third storey was added to the north Lewis wing in 1890, bringing cohesion to the building design. [30]

20th century

The Barnet Wing AustralianMuseum.jpg
The Barnet Wing
The Australian Museum along William Street The Australian Museum along William Street.jpg
The Australian Museum along William Street
The Australian Museum, College Street AustralianMuseum gobeirne.jpg
The Australian Museum, College Street
Museum at night 1 Australian Museum.JPG
Museum at night

In 1963, the floor space of the museum almost doubled when Joseph van der Steen under the Government Architect, Edward Farmer, designed a six-story extension linked to the Lewis building for the scientific and research collections, the reference library and a public restaurant. There were also two basement floors providing workspace for scientific staff. This International Style extension became known as the Parkes/Farmer eastern wing. In 1977, to mark the Museum's 150th anniversary, bronze lower case letters were added to the façade identifying the building as "The Australian Museum".[ citation needed ]

21st century

In 2008, a significant expansion took place on the College Street site with the addition of the new Collection and Research building which added 5000 square metres of office, laboratory and storage areas for scientists.[ citation needed ]

In 2015, the museum's carbon-neutral glass box entryway known as the "Crystal Hall" was opened. Designed by Neeson-Murcutt, it returned the entry to William Street and provided access via a suspended walkway. [31] [32] In December 2016, the Museum made public a $285 million master plan proposing to greatly expand its available exhibition space, by adding a 13-storey building on the block's east, adding a large central glazed atrium space. [33] [10]

At the end of 2020, after being closed for 15 months, the 200-year-old museum reopened following a major $57.5 million upgrade. [34] Subsequent to its refurbishment, museum entry is free for the public. [7] The expansion included the new Hintze Hall, shop, café, members lounge, and education rooms, along with a expanded exhibition area for temporary exhibitions. [35]

Heritage listing

Australian Museum building and its collection was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. [10]

The Australian Museum buildings house the first public museum inaugurated in Australia, one of Australia's oldest scientific and cultural institutions. Conceived and developed initially along the contemporary European model of an encyclopedic warehouse of cultural and natural history, the museum buildings evolved as the institution evolved, partly in response to its visiting public, to pursue and expand knowledge of the natural history of Australia and the nearby pacific region. The museum continues to occupy the site provided, and the building constructed, as its first permanent home, commenced in 1846 and opened to the public in 1857. The extended and enlarged complex of buildings which now provide its principal exhibition, administrative and research accommodation reflect the growth of the institution and its prestige, as well as the evolving attitudes of Australian Government and society to science and research. [10]

The Museum's various buildings further comprise a unique aggregation of work by successive colonial and Government Architects of New South Wales, exhibiting: [10]

  • changes in the philosophy and functional requirements of museum design
  • changing stylistic influences and design approaches in architecture from the early 19th century to the present
  • corresponding developments in building technology, materials and craftsmanship

Individually the various elements of the Museum complex remain significantly intact, with potential for enhancement of their cultural significance through conservation techniques, though conflicts exist between conservation of fabric and contemporary use, particularly exhibition techniques. Of special note are the exteriors and principal interiors of the three earliest wings of the complex, which despite varying degrees of alteration, remain in substantial original condition. The interlinked exhibition galleries comprise an important group of 19th and early 20th century public interests. [10]

Through its development, the Museum complex has assumed a prominent stature in the townscape of Sydney. With its frontage to William and College Street, the Museum commands the eastern reaches of Hyde Park and forms and extension of the principal historic civic and religious precincts adjoining the northern boundaries of the park in Macquarie and College streets. Through recent expansion the museum site includes the former grounds and two surviving buildings of the William Street National School, which, established in 1851, is one of the earlier public schools continued in educational use for almost 100 years. [10]

Institutes and other activities

Apart from exhibitions, the museum is also involved in Indigenous studies research and community programs. [8]

Australian Museum Research Institute

In September 2013, the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) was launched. [36]

AMRI's purposes are:

  • to provide a focal point for the many researchers working in the museum [36]
  • to facilitate collaborations with government research agencies, universities, gardens, zoos and other museums [36]
  • to showcase the important scientific research that is being done at the museum, focusing on climate change impacts on biodiversity; the detection and biology of pest species; understanding what constitutes and influences effective biodiversity conservation [36] [37]

It also forms and publishes a science strategy to guide science at the museum. [37]

AMRI's staff, numbering around 100, includes research scientists, collection scientists, collection officers. There are also over 130 AMRI associates, fellows, and students, and the institute hosts visiting local and international researchers regularly. [37]

FrogID

In 2017, the museum began a citizen science project called FrogID to help conserve and document the distribution of frog populations throughout Australia. [38] [39] Each year, participants are encouraged to record frog sounds on the FrogID app. The aggregated data are then analysed to provide a snapshot of the health of frog populations across Australia. [40]

In 2022, the museum's FrogID project collaborated with the Bowerbird Collective, Listening Earth, and Mervyn Street of Mangkaja Arts, [41] to produce the album Australian Frog Calls . The album is a compilation of frog sounds from both biologist recordings and public submissions, [42] including recordings dating back to the 1970s from FrogID's database. [41] The album was released on 2 December 2022, [42] debuted at number 3 on the ARIA Charts, [43] [41] and was nominated for ARIA Award for Best World Music Album at the 2023 ARIA Music Awards. [44]

Permanent galleries

Butterflies Butterflies1.JPG
Butterflies
African metalwork art (2007) African Art Display.jpg
African metalwork art (2007)
Australian bird specimens (2007) Australian Birds.jpg
Australian bird specimens (2007)
Skeletal structure of snakes and other reptiles (2007) Snake Skeletons.jpg
Skeletal structure of snakes and other reptiles (2007)

The permanent galleries accommodate a large number of display cases containing a variety of animal species, including butterflies, birds, and reptiles, as well as cultural artefacts and art.

In 2008, two permanent galleries were opened, "Dinosaurs" [45] and "Surviving Australia". [46]

In 2014, the permanent exhibition "Garrigarrang: Sea Country" was opened, displaying objects relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. [47]

When the Crystal Hall was opened as the museum's new entrance in August 2015, the former foyer, the Barnet Wing, became the permanent gallery housing "Wild Planet" – a display of over 400 animals that explores and explains evolution and the tree of life. [48]

Jurassic Lounge was established in early 2011 by the Australian Museum and non-profit company The Festivalists, a seasonal display event of contemporary art. [49] Combining events, live music, art, cultural displays, and new media with standard exhibition space in the museum precinct, Jurassic Lounge is a seasonal display-event held on Tuesdays for two seasons annually. [50] Jurassic lounge opened on 1 February 2011. [51] It is held after-hours at the Australian Museum. [52] It allows the public to discover Sydney's newest artists, musicians and performers. 2018's event included a burlesque show, a silent disco, live painting, a photobooth, interaction with museum animals (snake and stick insects). [53]

In 2022, the permanent minerals gallery was opened. [54]

Exhibitions

The museum has hosted various exhibitions since 1854 to the present day, including permanent, temporary, and touring exhibitions, such as "Dinosaurs from China", "Festival of the Dreaming", "Beauty from Nature: Art of the Scott Sisters" and "Wildlife Photographer of the Year". [55]

Some exhibitions were directly curated by the museum and have exhibited internationally, include "Sharks" [56] and "Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family". [57]

Permanent

In 2017, the permanent exhibition "200 Treasures of the Australian Museum" was reopened as part of the "Westpac Long Gallery", being Australia's first museum gallery, which was previously called the "Long Gallery". [58] Some of the objects on display include the wooden sled used during Sir Douglas Mawson's expedition to Antarctica, an Egyptian mummy, and a feathered cape given to Captain James Cook on his arrival to Hawaii. [59] The expanded gallery also contains the Birds of Australia gallery. [60]

In late 2023, "Wansolmoana" (lit.'One Salt Ocean'), a permanent exhibition of hundreds of Pacific cultural objects opened. [61] This replaced the interim "Pacific Spirit" gallery, [62] which opened in 2015 and was stated to be one of the world's biggest collections of Pacific artwork at the time. [63]

Temporary

In 2012, an exhibition called Sydney Elders was opened. It consisted of photographs by renowned Aboriginal photographer Mervyn Bishop of a selection of local Elders who have "contributed to the important role of culture, education, health, community or social justice". The collection is accompanied by an essay written by Djon Mundine, entitled "Growing Old on Eora Country". Elders whose portraits were included in the collection include Christine Donnelly, founder of the Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern; Naomi Mayers OAM , founder of the Aboriginal Health Service; Sol Bellear AO , member and leader of many Aboriginal organisations; and singer-songwriter Vic Simms; and activists and leaders Dulcie Flower AM , Paul Coe, [64] and Lyall Munro Jnr. [65]

In 2012–13, the museum hosted "Alexander the Great: 2000 years of treasures" which exhibited a collection of artefacts from the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. [66]

In 2014-15, the museum hosted "Aztecs", a collection of 200 artefacts from around 20 Mexican museums, being the first time an Aztec-themed exhibition was displayed in the Southern Hemisphere. [67] [68]

In 2015, "Trailblazers: Australia's 50 greatest explorers" opened, honouring the work of Bourke and Wills, Nancy Bird Walton, Dick Smith, Jessica Watson and Tim Jarvis, among others.[ citation needed ]

In 2021, "Unsettled" opened, a temporary exhibition on the colonisation of Australia through Indigenous perspectives. [69]

The museum was due to hold "Tutankhamun: The Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh" in 2021, however this was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [70] [71] However in late 2023, the museum was the fourth in the world to open "Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs". [72] It was announced that Ramses' coffin would also be loaned to the Australian Museum, with Sydney being the second city in the world outside of Egypt to display the artefact. [73]

Recognition

The Australian Museum has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. [7]

Curators and directors

The position of "curator" was renamed "director and curator" in 1918 and from, 1921 "director". In 1948, the "scientific assistants" (the scientific staff) were redesignated "curators" and "assistant curators". In 1983, during a period of reorganisation, the position of curator was renamed as "collection manager".

Australian Museum
Australian museum logo.png
Australian Museum, Sydney-William Street view.jpg
The William Street exterior and Crystal Hall entry to the Australian Museum in 2016
Former name
  • Colonial Museum;
  • Sydney Museum
Established1827;197 years ago (1827)
Location1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia (Map)
Coordinates 33°52′27″S151°12′48″E / 33.8743°S 151.2134°E / -33.8743; 151.2134
Type Natural history and anthropology
Director Kim McKay AO
Public transit access
  • TfNSW T.svg Museum (5 minute walk)
  • TfNSW B.svg William St near College Cr
  • TfNSW B.svg William St before College Cr
Website australian.museum
Building details
Australian Museum
General information
Architectural style
Construction started1846
Completed1857
Technical details
Material Sydney sandstone
Design and construction
Architect(s)
Architecture firm New South Wales Colonial Architect
Website
australian.museum
OrderOfficeholderPosition titleStart dateEnd dateTerm in officeNotes
1William HolmesCustodian16 June 182918355–6 years
2 George Bennett Curator183518415–6 yearsFirst leader to catalogue the museum's collections
3 The Revd W. B. Clarke 184118431–2 years
4William Sheridan Wall1845185812–13 yearsLong-time collector to the museum; wrote and illustrated History and Description of a New Sperm Whale (1851) [74]
6Simon Rood Pittard186118611–2 years
7 Gerard Krefft 1861187412–13 years
8 Edward Pierson Ramsay 1874189419–20 yearsGreatly increased the recruitment of scientific staff; in 1890 started the Records of the Australian Museum , a publication which continues to the present [75]
9 Robert Etheridge, Junior 1895191823–24 years
Director and Curator19181919
10Charles AndersonDirector1921194018–19 years
11 Arthur Bache Walkom 1941195412–13 years
12John William Evans1954196611–12 years
13 Frank Talbot 196619758–9 yearsDoubled staff number to 150; established Dept of Environmental Studies; started research on the Great Barrier Reef and established Lizard Island Research Station. [76] [16] [18]
14Desmond Griffin1976199821–22 years
15 Michael Archer 199920044–5 years
16 Frank Howarth 200420149–10 years
17 Kim McKay AO CEO & executive director2014present9–10 yearsThe first woman to hold the position [77] [78]

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Bibliography

Attribution

CC BY icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article contains material from Australian Museum , entry number 805 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 13 October 2018.