10 Objects-10 Stories. The Curators' Talk 13 July 2017

Image by Image: Scott Gelston/the Examiner

The talk

You are cordially invited to attend this free talk.

When:  Thursday, 13 July 2017, 12.45pm

Where: Queen Victoria Museum

            2 Invermay Road, Launceston

Who:    Arts Tasmania’s Roving Curators –Melissa Smith and Veronica Macno

Cost:    Admission free

10 Objects - 10 Stories: Celebrating Community Collections

This exhibition presents a remarkable range of objects and their stories and highlights the role that small museums and collections play as the custodians and story tellers of Tasmania’s unique cultural heritage. Curators Melissa Smith and Veronica Macno work with the state’s community museums, history groups and organisations on projects designed to improve best practice in the preservation of our heritage. This talk will provide an insight to the Roving Curator program and reveal more detail about some of the treasures on display and their associated tales.

The stories

Here is one of the stories about one of the objects in the exhibition. It is about the Brush tail Possum Jacket and hat being admired by Veronica and Melissa in the image above.

Jacket and hat, c.1970s

Black Brush Possum fur, polished cotton

From the collection of the Deloraine and Districts Folk Museum, Deloraine

John Cunningham as a young forester stationed at The Arm River Forest Camp, Mersey in the 1970s, kept himself entertained of an evening snaring possums on North Maggs Mountain and the Dublin Plain. His intention was to acquire enough skins to have a jacket and hat crafted for his future bride, Sharon. He dried the skins in the historic hut, The Dew Drop Inn which was adjacent to the Forest camp. Later John was transferred to Mathinna and he took over the abandoned snaring run of Hector Raynor on Mt. Blackboy. When enough skins of quality were obtained they were tanned and assigned to Furrier Frank Zaplatel at Montrose in Hobart to be constructed into the beautiful coat and hat. In total 26 skins were used in the jacket and two skins in the hat. The majority of the many skins taken in Tasmania during this time were exported overseas, mainly to Europe, making these locally made pieces rare products of this trapping period.

The Deloraine and Districts Folk Museum is located in the 1860s heritage listed Family and Commercial Inn in Emu Bay Road in Deloraine. The museum’s collection represents the local rural history and heritage and the folklore of the community living in the region.

The museums

Thank you to the museums that caretake our heritage. This year's exhibition features objects from these museums:

Avoca Museum and Information Centre

Deloraine and Districts Folk Museum

Australasian Golf Museum

New Norfolk Historical Information Centre

Wynyard RSL Museum

Burnie Regional Art Gallery

Tasman Peninsula Historical Society

Penguin History Group

Scottsdale RSL Museum

Deny King Heritage Museum

For more information: http://www.arts.tas.gov.au/funding/programs/roving_curator_program