Forecourt
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
- Deliver the Forecourt project, an enhancement of the Museum’s outdoor entry and welcome areas.
OUR TARGETS
- Complete Stage 2 works.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
- The Museum completed stages 1 and 2 of the project to redevelop its Forecourt, which remains on track to open to the public in late 2019.
Analysis
The Museum completed the Stage 1 gardens in September 2018, timed to cause minimum disruption to visitors to the Rome: City and Empire exhibition.
Stage 2 works, including the People’s Walk and the installation of artwork from local First Nations peoples on sandstone markers, were completed this year. The finished Forecourt will be open to the public in late 2019, and will provide visitors with an exciting and sensory experience to welcome them to the Museum.
Discovery Centre
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
- Progress the Discovery Centre to create an interactive space for families.
OUR TARGETS
- Complete design stage and commence construction.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
- The Museum completed the design of its new interactive space for families and started the enabling works to allow construction to commence.
Analysis
The Museum’s new Discovery Centre (working title) is due to open in 2019–20 and will be the first stage of the Museum’s long-term gallery development program. The centre will provide an interactive space designed to attract and engage families and younger audiences, including an area specially designed for 0–5-year-olds. The Museum has engaged Melbourne-based design firm Arterial and teamed up with the original building architects, Ashton Raggatt McDougall, to create a space designed to stimulate imagination and curiosity.
The centre will comprise three main areas: an interactive play and discovery space, an art–craft– activity centre, and a place to rest and refuel. Young visitors will be able to explore the Museum’s stories and the collection in fun, positive and playful ways and will be empowered to be a part of those stories and contribute their own through multimedia and hands-on experiences. Some of the experiences draw on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander themes, and the Museum has collaborated with representatives of the Erub, Wiradjuri and Ngunawal communities in the development of the content. The space features many objects from the National Historical Collection, including some remarkable vintage toys donated by Susan and Andrew Gibson and the Bridge family, as well as specially commissioned artworks and animations.
The Museum has begun the enabling works in preparation for the construction of the Discovery Centre to commence.
Life in Australia
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
- Develop the Life in Australia gallery, representing the environmental history of Australia.
OUR TARGETS
- Complete the design stage and commence construction.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
- The Museum completed the design of its new environmental history gallery and is on track to commence construction in 2019–20.
Analysis
The Museum has now completed the design process for the Life in Australia (working title) gallery, including audience engagement and research and value engineering.
A rich and collaborative partnership with New-York- based ‘experience-design’ firm Local Projects will result in a gallery that presents the majesty and diversity of the Australian continent, and the ways in which the human and natural worlds are adapting and responding to dramatic change, through a number of immersive environments and displays. Visitors will be folded into the story through impressive, provocative and fun interactive and media moments as well as expansive open-collection showcases that celebrate the Museum’s collection. Some of the highlights of the collection that will be on display in the new gallery include 250 mineral specimens from Broken Hill, an ice core drill used by Australian scientists in Antarctica, and the recently acquired pelt of a thylacine.
This year the Museum began preparations to decant the existing gallery spaces prior to construction commencing in 2019–20.