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The view from the other side - Museums Australia national conference 2003
By Heather Wallace
Sustainability for the future is a major issue for all Australia's museums-large and small.
In May more than 400 museum professionals from all over Australia attended the Museums Australia 2003 Conference in Perth to discus issues related to using, developing and protecting cultural heritage resources for future generations.
The 2003 conference, titled The other side, launched two policy documents important for the museums sector.
Peter Yu, former Executive director of the Kimberley Land Council, launched the draft of the updated Indigenous policy Continuing Cultures, Ongoing Responsibilities. Since the policy was originally released in 1993 as Previous Possessions: New Obligations it has had an enormous impact on the way our museums think about their core business and go about working with the cultural heritage and cultural property of Australia's Indigenous people.
Continuing Cultures, Ongoing Responsibilities updates the document to reflect developments in a range of areas, such intellectual and cultural property rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the broadening role of museum collections and technological advances in the sector.
ABC Science Show presenter, Robyn Williams launched the Museums Australia policy Guidelines for Policy and Practice in Museums and Galleries that will stimulate the development of sustainability policies and practices in many Australian museums, and assist them to realise their vital community education role.
Mr Williams also a presented popular 'hypothetical' session, posing to an expert panel the tricky 'what if' consequences of the Western Australia Museum and Gallery falling into the Swan river!
A significant component of the 2003 conference was the regional and remote stream. Workshops focused on broadening skills of professionals in regional organisations, including creating visitor-friendly museum text for display panels, protecting and conserving collections on a limited budget, planning websites and conducting and using audience research.
Greg Wallace, Convenor of the regional component of the conference, was enthusiastic about participation in the conference: 'Delegates participating in this stream availed themselves of a stream designed to meet the needs and interests of workers in regional, remote and rural museums,' he said.
A video-link with delegates from the Shear Outback Museum in Hay brought in another group of people, allowing Australia's regional museums across the country to discuss issues facing the sector.
Museums Australia also announced the popular Museums Australia Publication Design Awards at the Conference. National collecting institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Archives of Australia were successful in various categories. The Best in Show category-sponsored by Australian Post-was won by Wesfarmers for Sublime: 25 years of the Wesfarmers Collection.
The 2004 conference will be held in Melbourne in April/May next year. For details, keep an eye on the Museums Australia website, www.museumsaustralia.org.au .