Annual Report 2010-2011 - Western Australian Museum

Western Australian Museum ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011
The Western Australian Museum is seeking to engage new and existing audiences and increase visits across all
Museum sites. As part of this process, work has been undertaken to better understand the Museum’s different
audiences and determine whether exhibitions and marketing strategies are being correctly targeted. During the year,
a contract was entered into with Pacific Micromarketing to use Mosaic, a leading ‘geo-demographic segmentation’
tool that helps to develop profiles of people based on where they live. This information is better enabling the
Museum to identify its customer groups and focus its marketing and evaluation activities. A market research study
was also conducted to assess the current brand perceptions of the Museum within the community and further
inform a new branding project.
In response to public feedback, the Museum has opened its doors for seven days a week, following a 12-month trial
of Wednesday closures across its six public sites.
exHiBition HiGHliGHts
The A Day in Pompeii exhibition at the Western Australian Museum in Perth (www.museum.wa.gov.au/pompeii/) was
a definite highlight for museum-goers this year: there were more than 113,000 visits to the exhibition, with public
demand so strong that the exhibition was extended by a week. Sponsorship from Eventscorp (Tourism Western
Australia) also enabled the Museum to stay open on Friday nights until 9pm towards the end of the exhibition. Perth
was one of only two Australian cities to host the exhibition, which gave members of the public fascinating insights
into the daily life of people in the city of Pompeii at the height of the Roman Empire. More than 250 exquisite objects
including marble sculpture, gold jewellery and delicate frescoes helped to evoke the richness and culture of life in this
once bustling city. A 3D theatre experience also gave visitors the chance to appreciate the terror the town’s citizens
felt when Mt Vesuvius began the deadly eruptions that lead to the city’s violent demise.
An exhibition tracing the history of world-famous Australian rock band AC/DC has also proved extremely popular
with audiences. AC/DC: Australia’s Family Jewels (http://www.acdcfamilyjewels.com/), which opened in April, was
developed by the Arts Centre, Melbourne and the WA Museum in association with AC/DC, Albert Music and Sony
Music. It is the first and only fully endorsed exhibition to bring to life the history, creativity and power of one of the
world’s greatest bands, recognising its place within popular music culture. The exhibition has more than 400 items,
including photographs, instruments, gig posters, programs, show tickets, letters and lyrics, personal memorabilia and
costumes, interspersed with projections of more than three hours of live footage, video clips and interviews.
A five-year research and exhibition partnership between the WA Museum and the British Museum was cemented
with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in London, in the presence of Western Australia’s Premier the
Hon Colin Barnett MLA. The first project under this memorandum will bring a unique exhibition to coincide with
the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October. Extraordinary Stories from the British Museum
(www.museum.wa.gov.au/bm-exhibition/) will feature some of the British Museum’s most important objects from
a selection of the 54 Commonwealth countries – rarely lent to other museums – representing 1.8 million years of
human history. These include some of the first ever human-made tools, magnificent buried treasures, a Lewis Chess
piece and the stunning 20 th Century sculpture, ‘Throne of Weapons’, from Mozambique. This is the first time most of
these objects have been seen in Australia. The exhibition will be augmented with items from the WA Museum’s own
collection.
Other highlights in 2010/2011 (see www.museum.wa.gov.au/explore/past-exhibitions/) included:
• an exhibition of an array of works by Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo at the Old Gaol at the Museum’s Perth
site, including Light and Dark a portrait of Perth-born actor Heath Ledger that won the People’s Choice Award in
the 2008 Archibald Portrait Prize. The Heath Ledger painting will also be included in a new world-class exhibition,
currently in its planning stages, that will trace the late actor’s life and career. A video documenting how Vincent
painted 30 portraits in 30 days to represent the diversity of New york in September 2010 can be seen at:
www.museum.wa.gov.au/explore/videos/videos/vincent-fantauzzo-light-and-dark/.
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