Queensland Museum & Community Collections

FNQ’s museum community is always a hive of activity … and as the MDO for the region, I can assure you there’s never a dull moment. Over the last three months, I’ve been kept on my toes juggling a few different projects and visiting a number of communities. Here’s a brief snapshot to keep you in the loop:

BACK TO COOKTOWN

It was great to finally get back to Cooktown to catch up with old friends and meet some new faces. Apart from enjoying the region’s culture and history, I also appreciate the drive – up the Byerstown Range, through the Palmer River goldfields, past Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) and over the Annan River (Yuku-Baja-Muliku). First stop was Natures Powerhouse to meet the Vera Scarth Johnson Association committee. The new cast of friendly volunteers were keen to chat about display refreshment and collection challenges. I have to admit to being a little bit in love with Vera’s story so I am always interested to see what this group are up to.

I spent a morning at the Cooktown History Centre with Bev Shay and Marge Scully. They continue to manage a vast collection – but now in a fully airconditioned building! That’s gold… particularly during the summertime. I also got to do some hands-on work and to help Bev refresh displays in the John Hay room. Almost next door is the Waalmbal Birri Heritage and Culture Centre. It was my first time visiting their new building and I was lucky enough to chat with five members of the team, including founders Loretta Sullivan and Alberta Hornsby. Listening to them talk about developing the centre was inspiring – they have a great message to share.

The National Trust of Australia’s (QLD) Cooktown Museum was my final museum stop. The old convent building never fails to stop me in my tracks – it has such presence in the landscape. I met up with site manager, Bev Grant, and staff, chatted about the collection and had a look at the museum’s new interpretation. On the way home, I also stopped at Lakeland to look at the new sculpture park – some great pieces of art made from recycled materials – make sure you stop if you’re driving through!

OUT AND ABOUT: TABLEANDS AND YARRABAH

Driving across the range to Yarrabah Arts Centre is always a treat. This time I was joined by Aven Noah Jnr, curator at Northsite, who was keen to visit the centre with me. Simone Arnol (centre manager) and Bernie Singleton showed us the amazing work being done to upgrade their displays and also discussed their aspirations to enhance the collection management and build skills through training. Great, too, to see the gatehouse building showcasing artworks made on site by Yarrabah’s talented resident artists.

Mareeba Heritage Centre has a new manager, so I thought I’d stop in for a chat. I worked with Sandrine Gloton previously in Croydon – it’s great to have her back in the museum sector. I discovered a few new additions, including their audio tour. I also loved seeing the volunteers in action – juggling an army of school children through different stations at the museum – I’m not sure who was having more fun!

In mid-October 20 people gathered at Atherton’s Old Post Office Gallery for the Tablelands Heritage Network meeting. This is a great group, always keen to learn and share. I ran a significance training workshop first and volunteers then showcased some of the artifacts they had brought along. It was an engaging morning – and highlighted the enduring effectiveness of a good old show and tell session!

Proposed Chinese Culture and Heritage Centre, Cairns

Over the last few months, I’ve been working with exhibition designer and photographer, Michael Marzik, and the team at CADCAI on plans for the proposed Chinese Culture and Heritage Centre. As well as working with architects to determine the layout and fixtures, we’ve visited the Hou Wang Temple in Atherton and the Chinese temple in Innisfail. We are in the process of creating a curatorial concept brief and storage overview with a small volunteer working group. The symbolism and significance of the Lit Sung Goong Collection is mesmerizing, and it’s a such a pleasure to work with and learn from this passionate group of volunteers.

“STRAIT” INSTALLATIONS – ART AWARDS & MURUYGAW NGULAYG / AU LE IRA PADAR EXHIBITION

In July, Ewen McPhee and I travelled up to Thursday Island to run exhibition training workshops with the staff at Gab Titui Cultural Centre and help prepare for the 2023 Gab Titui Art Awards. We used this as a chance to develop an exhibition brief for a new display in the Ephrain Bani gallery (the cultural maintenance gallery). Lead curator, Leitha Assan, went on to develop the exhibition, Muruygaw Ngulayg / Au Le Ira Pardar (Wisdom of Our Elders) and, with her team, coordinate the Art Awards.

Ewen and I returned in October/November to help with the installation of both the exhibition and the awards. We were joined by freelancers Michael Marzik and Aven Noah Jnr. As always, hands on training during the installation made the process fun and engaging. It’s a joy to work with the team at Gab and learn about the culture being maintained and produced by contemporary artists. To cap it off, we got to attend the awards night and see the spectacular dancer team from Erub Island.