QVMAG FRIENDS - Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

QVMAG FRIENDS
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery newsletter November 2012
Sky–high interest
September saw the long-anticipated
opening of the exhibition Southern
Skies: Astronomy in Tasmania, adjacent
to the QVMAG Planetarium at
Inveresk. The exhibition includes
a wealth of information about the
history of astronomy in Tasmania,
along with a fine collection of objects.
Many of these objects have been
collected by the QVMAG in
recent years in preparation for the
exhibition. A significant proportion
has also come from the University of
Tasmania.
A major object of interest is the
James Dear Telescope, donated to
the University of Tasmania in 1918.
It was used not only as a telescope,
but as an optical device called a
collimator in the University’s optical
annexe on the Queen’s Domain in
Hobart during World War 2 to assist
with the production of gunsights for
the war effort.
Other fascinating objects include
the transit telescope from the
Hobart Observatory, a muon counter
used in cosmic ray research, and
even the QVMAG original Zeiss
ZKP1 planetarium projector, which
operated from 1968 to 2008.
QVMAG Manager of Sciences and
History and the exhibition’s curator
Martin George said ‘This is a unique
collection of Tasmanian astronomical
objects.
‘It represents a wide range of periods
and research topics, and includes
the important contributions made by
Tasmanian amateur astronomers. We
are delighted to have brought this to
our visitors.’
The exhibition was opened by
Dr Marc Duldig, President of the
Australian Institute of Physics, whose
contribution to cosmic ray research
and physics in Australia in general,
is of world standing. For Dr Duldig
the exhibition brought back many
memories of his own earlier work.
At the exhibition opening, he spoke
of the importance of communicating
astronomy to the public through such
facilities as the QVMAG Planetarium.
Top Southern Skies Exhibition Manager Andrew
Johnson and Curator Martin George are thrilled
with the new exhibition.

QView
It’s been a busy year and as before,
we report on many recent QVMAG
activities and programs.
In this edition there’s a special
feature on the Gallery Guides,
including the recent graduate
class. Beyond the guided tours
of Royal Park the Guides provide
great assistance with many of our
programs, such as the Family Fun
Days and school groups.
A new addition to our Art Gallery is
the exhibition of Chinese antiquities
donated to QVMAG by Professor and
Nancy Wong.
The Friends AGM on 26 September
was a pleasant evening with David
Maynard (Science), Louise James
(History) and Damien Quilliam
(Visual Arts) providing a ‘curator’s
insight’ into their collections.
I would like to thank the outgoing
Friends committee members,
Victoria Nicholls, Nick Cummings,
David Henshaw and Judy Morrall
and welcome Jennie Chapman, Jim
Garnsworthy, Mary Machen, Sally
Coltheart and Jill Dearing.
Lastly, please keep in mind the
QVMAG Friends Christmas party
which is on 5 December. This year
we will be back at Royal Park, and it
promises to be a great night.
Richard Mulvaney
Director, QVMAG
Photographer: Olegas Truchanas. QVMAG collection, reproduced with the permission of Melva Truchanas.
Capturing the wilderness
Photographs by ANZANG Nature
Photography prize winner Rob
Blakers will feature in an upcoming
QVMAG exhibition at the Art
Gallery from 16 March 2013.
Into the Wild - Wilderness
Photography in Tasmania highlights
the artistic talent of key Tasmanian
wilderness photographers and the
impact this type of photography
has had on the state.
The exhibition charts the
development of wilderness
photography from its earliest days
to the present.
Photographs by Morton Allport,
Stephen Spurling III, John Watt
Beattie, HJ King, Florence Perrin,
RE Smith, Jack Thwaites, Olegas
Truchanas, Jim England, Peter
Dombrovskis and Martin Wach will
also feature.
Wildlife extravaganza
From spectacular sweeping
landscapes to intimate portraits
of animal behaviour, two distinct
photographic exhibitions were on
show recently at the Museum.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
and ANZANG Nature Photography
each showcase world-class nature
photography with a focus on wildlife
conservation and a love of nature.
Now in its 47th year, the 2011
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
competition attracted almost 41,000
entries from 95 countries.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is
presented by the Natural History
Museum in London and the
Australian tour was organised by the
Australian Museum, and ANZANG
Nature Photography was presented
by the South Australian Museum.

Opening the exhibition was Professor Wong Shiu Hon, with QVMAG Director Richard Mulvaney looking on. Also present was an Order of Buddhist Monks from Hobart.
A significant gift
Hobart-based Professor Wong Shiu
Hon and Mrs Nancy Wong have
generously gifted a collection of 40
Chinese ceramics, glass and wooden
antiquities to the QVMAG. The
works, which are now on show at
the Art Gallery, are from the private
collection of the donors acquired over
the past 35 years.
Their collection, from which this
donation has been selected, has been
developed to represent a history of
the development of Chinese culture
from the earliest Neolithic pottery to
outstanding works from the earlier
20th century.
QVMAG Manager of Visual Arts and
Design and the exhibition’s curator,
Glenda King, said ‘The donation adds
significantly to the QVMAG holdings
of Chinese antiquities and provides
links to our Guan Di Temple and its
collections.
‘We are delighted that Professor
Wong Shiu Hon and Mrs Nancy
Wong decided to offer this collection
which complements existing areas
of our collections, particularly
our international ceramics, and
strengthens the representation
of Chinese ceramics within that
collection.’
Favourite works for each of the
donors are featured in the exhibition.
Professor Wong identified two works,
Lokapala (Heavenly Guardian) and
the gilded carved wooden panel
which depicts the fourteen Immortals
of the Taoist religion. Mrs Wong
nominated the serene figure of the
court lady which dates back to the
Tang Dynasty.
Having previously donated a major
collection of Chinese objects and
antiquities to the Tasmanian Museum
and Art Gallery, Professor and Mrs
Wong looked to provide a similar
opportunity for audiences visiting
the Queen Victoria Museum and Art
Gallery to engage with Chinese works
of art.
‘The gift to QVMAG is in appreciation
and recognition of how the Museum
has honoured Chinese culture and
history in Tasmania,’ said Glenda.
Professor Wong Shiu Hon and Mrs
Nancy Wong’s gift is now displayed
in Gallery 5, where visitors to Royal
Park can see the complete donation.
‘
. . .how the
Museum has
honoured
Chinese culture
‘

M e m b e r P r o f i l e
Arts writer for the Examiner and QVMAG Friends new member, Mary Machen at the QVMAG Art Gallery.
Joss House rules
For new Friends member, Mary
Machen, it’s the Guan Di Temple at
Royal Park that holds the strongest
memories.
‘I came to love the Joss House, as I
have affectionately known it as, for
more than 45 years. I recall as a sixyear-old
girl the resonating recorded
message of welcome to visitors, its
aged opulence thanks to the regal
red and gilding, and an intoxicating
aroma of joss sticks.’
The Joss House was a fascination for
Mary, just as the Guan Di Temple is
for her today.
‘The new-look working temple,
enwrapped as it now is in roughhewn
timber to honour its heritage
from the tin-mining town of
Weldborough, no longer has the
mysterious voice or the incense but
is still a highlight attraction.
‘I moved away from Launceston
for 20 years, but among my vivid
recollections was always the Royal
Park building and its Victorian
grandeur.’
New to Friends
The QVMAG recently appointed
Jemma Gardam as the
Administration Officer for the
QVMAG Friends. The newly-created
role is being funded by an annual
Friends contribution.
Mary’s role as arts writer for the
Examiner newspaper provides her
with many opportunities to visit
QVMAGs two sites.
‘Conversations surrounding each
and every exhibition, project or event
always promise knowledge and
insight.
‘Among my favourite exhibitions
since reporting on the arts have
included the collections, from
Indigenous to contemporary,
selected by QVMAG curators to
mark the reopening of the new
Art Gallery as well as the portrait
exhibition courtesy of the National
Gallery of Australia.
‘I was also personally humbled by
the donation to the QVMAG from
Professor Wong Shiu Hon and Mrs
Nancy Wong of Chinese antiquities
collected over 35 years. Their gesture
is representative of many gifts
that have come the QVMAG way
throughout the decades.
Jemma’s strong administration
background and customer service
experience made her an ideal
candidate for the position.
Acting QVMAG Friends Coordinator,
Leila Frohmader, said ‘Jemma is
‘The exhibition which has probably
pulled the strings of nostalgia most
for me this year however, is Hooked
on Books, an exhibition of Australian
children’s picture book illustrations
from the collection of Albert Ullin
OAM.’
When asked what she would hope
for QVMAG into the future, Mary
said:
‘For youngsters who visit with their
mums and dads, through school
excursions and participation in the
special QVMAG School Holiday
Programs, my hope is that they will
know similar affection as I have for
both sites and all it holds.
‘Oh, there’s one other little secret
I would only share with fellow
QVMAG Friends. Just how much
I wish I could be that six-year-old
again. Yes, the Joss House would
beckon, but I’d also once again
experience the thrill of sneaking
a slide down that beautiful oak
banister at Royal Park . . . Every child
did it in my day.’
settling in well and will be a real asset
for the QVMAG Friends.’
Please feel free to make yourself
known to Jemma who works every
Thursday at the QVMAG Museum.

S P E C I A L LY F O R T H E K I D S
Science attracts thousands to QVMAG
A launch evening sponsored by
Bell Bay Aluminium kicked off the
National Science Week Science Open
Season program, which featured at
the QVMAG Museum in August.
Now in its 12th year, National Science
Week attracted more than one
million people who participated in
science-based events across the
nation.
QVMAG Director Richard Mulvaney
was thrilled by the local response
with more than 2000 people
attending activities designed to
promote all things science to people
of all ages.
‘As science is a key component of
QVMAG I wanted to use the week to
showcase the diversity and quality of
all things science that is represented
in our collections, exhibitions,
research interests and academic
knowledge,’ Richard says.
‘A highlight for me was the Be a
Scientist expo that was held on the
last two days. It attracted a huge
number of school children and I am
sure we will now have many more
budding scientists from the region
than ever before.’
QVMAG Science Open Season
organiser Tammy Edmunds said ‘This
year’s events were numerous with
something for everyone! Science is
not all about lab coats and test tubes;
it’s about being aware of how science
is important in everything we do
every day.’
The QVMAG also recently
announced the winner of the
Catchment to Coast Student
Photography Competition with a
special unveiling by Bureau of
Meteorology’s Brendan McMahon.
The winning entry, The Decomposer,
was a macro image of fungi in a
rainforest setting submitted by Year
10 Riverside High School’s Lachlan
Bovill.
The competition, which is open to
Tasmanian students in Year 7 to 12, is
a partnership between the Australian
Maritime College/ University of
Tasmania, NRM North, Northern
Tasmania Camera Club and QVMAG.
The runner up was Year 9 Riverside
High’s Lachlan Macfarlane with a
stunning long exposure image of a
mountain forest stream.
Dazzling diversity
The new ArtStart exhibition,
Bejewelled, is on display in the Art
Gallery café from 12 November 2012
until 17 March 2013. The artworks,
by children from Kindergarten to
Grade 6, are inspired by the theme of
jewellery.
The ArtStart program was developed
by the late Terry Woodward, a
Tasmanian art educator and QVMAG
Gallery Guide, to support art and
design teaching. It operates through
the enthusiastic participation of
teachers and students and the
assistance of a committee which
selects and frames the artworks
to be exhibited. The committee
comprises Nan Woodward, a Gallery
Guide, several local primary school
teachers, and the QVMAG Visual
Arts Education Coordinator.

Our volunteer Gallery Guides are: (front, from left top right) Anne Moulden, Janet Tomlinson, Bronwyn Walkem, Shirley Watson, Sally Coutheart, Annie Fischer,
(back, left to right) Pam Palmer, Lesley Reed, Susi Reid, Moira Simpson (QVMAG Visual Arts Education Coordinator), Patricia Roberts, Sue Wise, Jill Macpherson,
and Annie Robinson.
Guiding minds through galleries
Thirteen QVMAG volunteer Gallery
Guides were awarded certificates of
completion for gallery guide training
at an award ceremony held at Royal
Park on 17 August 2012.
Gallery Guide coordinator Moira
Simpson said ‘The Gallery Guides
play a vital role in our public
education programs in the Art
Gallery, leading tours for adults and
children, presenting Guide’s Choice
talks, and assisting with Family Fun
Day activities.
‘The training involves floor talks
by QVMAG staff, visiting curators,
artists and academics; readings
and personal research to develop
knowledge about art history and
artists; and educational presentations
about the origins, history and
purposes of museums and their
social functions in contemporary
society,’ Moira says.
‘It also includes gallery-based
activities to develop visual literacy
and communication skills; practice
sessions to hone delivery skills;
discussions of art analysis and
planning thematic tours.
‘Becoming a Gallery Guide is a
significant commitment in terms
of time and energy required to
undertake training, however, there are
tremendous rewards for the Guides
themselves in terms of personal
learning and art education.
‘No previous art experience is
required, just enthusiasm, willingness
to learn, and a desire to share a
growing knowledge with visitors.’
Eight school guides provide valuable
support for schools by leading gallery
tours, offering related art activities
and making links between the art and
design collections and the school
curriculum.
Lyn Henshaw, who has recently
retired as a QVMAG Gallery Guide,
was recognised during the August
function for her 21 years of service to
the QVMAG.
Lyn, who will be dearly missed,
reflects ‘My time as a Gallery Guide
was a wonderful and fulfilling
experience that leaves me with many
happy memories. I really enjoyed
continuously learning about all
aspects of art, visiting galleries all
over Australia and, most importantly,
making special friendships with
people with a similar love of art.’
Current QVMAG Gallery Guides
have varied backgrounds including
teaching, nursing, business, and
wine-making.
QVMAG is now seeking expressions
of interest from individuals interested
in becoming Guides to provide tours
of the history and science collections
at Inveresk. For more information
please contact Acting Volunteer
Coordinator, Ann Teesdale on
03 6323 3761.
‘. . .making
special
friendships
with people
with a similar
love of art.
‘

Biodiversity science gets a boost
The QVMAG recently celebrated the
completion of the Natural Sciences
laboratory.
The 100 m 2 laboratory features
designated wet and dry laboratory
spaces, state-of-the-art fume
extraction and environmental control
room. Included in the development is
a new microscope and camera setup
which allows for high quality digital
imaging of magnified objects.
QVMAG Natural Sciences Curator
David Maynard says the team is
extremely pleased to have the new
facility.
‘The upgraded facilities were needed
to support the Natural Sciences’
research and collection activities,
having been moved from the
basement area of the Royal Park site,’
David says.
The benefits to the team are many.
Not only does it allow for staff
initiated research, but it also provides
a safe, comfortable and practical
space for visiting researchers,
postgraduate university students and
volunteers.
‘Already we have hosted Dr Phil
Suter from LaTrobe University who
is studying scorpion flies in the
QVMAG collection. Dr Suter is
confident that we have a number
of new species on the shelves and
the new technology we have in
the laboratory has assisted him in
photographing microscopic detail of
body components,’ says David.
‘We have also hosted Kathryn
Audroing, who is studying fisheries
science at the Australian Maritime
College. Kathryn is from Trinidad
and Tobago, and is here in Australia
under the AusAid program. She has
spent her time developing a standard
operating procedure for processing
temperate marine soft coral samples
for identification.
The laboratory has also allowed the
Natural Sciences staff to restart the
processing of marsupials for addition
to the collection.
Craig Reid, Judy Rainbird, ‘Bruce’ the Mandrill, Tammy Gordon and David Maynard celebrating the recent completion of the long-awaited Natural Sciences Laboratory.
Friends’ funding gives life to children’s program
A Blue Tongue Lizard, Bronze-wing
Pigeon, Blue Wren, Cormorant,
Kookaburra and Sulphur-crested
Cockatoo are among the creatures
which have been added to the
QVMAG Animal Loans Outreach
Program, thanks to a generous
injection of funding from the
QVMAG Friends.
More than 16,000 students have
used this unique program in the past
12 months from a total of 63 schools,
including those as far-reaching as
King Island District High, Table Cape
Primary and Swansea Primary.
QVMAG Animal Loans Officer
Ros Jordan says ‘The Animal Loans
Program greatly enhances children’s
studies in both Science and the Arts.’
Please feel free to contact Ros on
03 6323 3792 if you would like a
guided tour of the collection.

Come dressed in something with a Christmas theme for the Friends Christmas party in December, and be eligible to win a prize.
Celebrating Christmas ‘Friends-style’
QVMAG Friends and friends of
Friends are invited to join our first
Christmas party back at Royal Park,
to be held on Wednesday
5 December 2012.
The committee is encouraging
everyone to wear something with a
Christmas flavour. As an additional
incentive to Friends, there will be
a special prize for the best male
and female who come dressed as
a character from their favourite
Christmas story. To get the creative
juices flowing, examples include
a Biblical theme, a character from
Charles Dickens, or Christmas
tradition from a different ethnic
background. The prizes will be worth
the effort!
The Friends Committee is also
delighted to announce the
crafted Christmas tree, which
was commissioned in 2009, will
take pride of place in Gallery 2 for
the function. This will be a real
homecoming because the tree, which
was designed and made by Peter
Collenette, was created from timber
sourced from the old Sequoia that
once stood in front of the Royal Park
building and was for years decorated
with lights each Christmas.
Please contact the Friends office on
03 6323 3706 if you didn’t receive
your special Friends invitation.
November 2012 to January 2013 exhibitions
Museum at Inveresk
Southern Skies:
Astronomy in Tasmania
Showcasing Tasmanian astronomy
from its beginnings right through to
the present day.
Presented by QVMAG
Ongoing
The Convict Stain:
Vice, Virtue & John West
From small beginnings, a movement
grew that was to change Australia.
Presented by QVMAG
Ongoing
Art Gallery at Royal Park
. . .come to life. . .
… foregrounds the strength and
diversity of an art scene today that
is generated by Tasmania’s younger
professional artists.
Presented by QVMAG and CAST
Until 17 February 2013
ArtRage
A diverse, vibrant and often
provocative exhibition which offers
insight into some of the pressing
issues facing young people today.
Presented by QVMAG
15 December 2012 to 2 April 2013
A Significant Gift - The Collection of
Professor Wong Shiu Hon and Mrs
Nancy Wong
Hobart-based Professor Wong Shiu
Hon and Mrs Nancy Wong have
generously gifted a collection of 40
Chinese ceramics, glass and wooden
antiquities to the QVMAG.
Presented by QVMAG
Ongoing
QVMAG Friends Contact
PO Box 2076, LAUNCESTON TAS 7250
T 03 6323 3706 F 03 6323 3776
E Friends@qvmag.tas.gov.au
QVMAG Friends Committee
President
Stuart Williams
Vice President Catherine Pearce
Treasurer
Jill Dearing
Secretary
Maureen Mann
General Committee Jenny Chapman (Caswell)
Sally Coltheart
Jim Garnsworthy
Mary Machen
QVMAG Friends Editor: Tamara Clark
E Tamara.Clark@qvmag.tas.gov.au
T 03 6323 3702
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the
views of the QVMAG.
The information in this newsletter is correct at the time of printing
but may be subject to change. It is printed on Australian made,
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