"21 Objects-21 Stories" National Recognition

The Museums & Galleries National Awards, or MAGNAs, began in 2011 and recognises excellent work nationally in the categories of exhibition, public programs and sustainability projects. This year the entry from Arts Tasmania was:

HIGHLY COMMENDED IN TEMPORARY/TRAVELLING EXHIBITION

21 objects - 21 stories: celebrating community collections displays a remarkable selection from 21 small museums and collections around the state, celebrating the important role that the community museum sector plays as storytellers and custodians of our state’s unique cultural heritage. The exhibition was curated by Arts Tasmania’s own Roving Curators, Melissa Smith and Veronica Macno.

Judges' comments: This is cleverly constructed project and exhibition and given the modest budget achieved considerable outcomes. The range of content, presentation and overall interpretation all demonstrate a thoughtful approach and it appears to have been a successful elaboration on the earlier exhibition of ten items. The context of the MA conference guaranteed a wider museum-interested audience for the exhibition while the local strategies to engage audiences through events and the education program were sound and the visitation appears to be fairly substantial. The lack of more formal evaluation of the exhibition with audiences was understandable given the small budget but it would have added to the overall standard of the project if undertaken. Overall, an innovative idea for engaging with regional collections and thereby audiences which seems to have achieved a high level.

These museums hold the objects displayed and also share the recognition:

·         Bass Strait Maritime Centre, Devonport

·         Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre, Beaconsfield

·         Burnie Regional Museum, Burnie

·         Circular Head History Centre, Smithton

·         Friends of the Theatre Royal, Hobart

·         Furneaux Historical Research Association’s Museum, Flinders Island

·         Heritage Highway Museum and Visitor Information Centre, Campbell Town

·         Hobart Bellringers, Hobart

·         King Island Museum, Currie

·         Low Head Pilot Station Museum, Low Head

·         Australian Fly Fishing Museum – National Trust of Australia (Tasmania)

·         Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site – National Trust of Australia (Tasmania)

·         Pearns Steam World, Westbury

·         Sound Preservation Association of Tasmania, Hobart

·         Southern Midlands Council, Oatlands

·         St Helens History Room, St Helens

·         Tasmania Cricket Museum, Bellerive

·         Tasmanian Fast Ferry Museum, Hobart

·         Ulverstone History Museum, Ulverstone

·         Wilmot Museum, Wilmot

·         Woolmers Estate, Longford

·         Wilmot Museum, Wilmot.

If you missed the exhibition you can watch the AV here and/or download the catalogue here

Check out all the best and brightest from this year's awards here