OTAGO MUSEUM

GOAL ONE:
A WORLD-CLASS COLLECTION
COLLECTIONS
The Collections and Research (C&R) team is
now the largest it has been in the Museum’s
147-year history.
During the past financial year, Robert Morris
(Director, Collections and Research), Nyssa
Mildwaters (Conservation Manager), Kane
Fleury (Collection Officer, Natural Science)
and Lisa Yeats (Conservator) joined
the team.
Trudi Webster and Ellen Sima were both
made part-time Assistant Curators in Natural
Science, and Dr Carolina Loch was appointed
part-time Natural Science Research Officer.
Adding these new roles gives the entire C&R
team increased scope for work, research and
interpretation of the collection.
C&R undertook a full review of the
Museum’s collections and conservation
policies to ensure that collection
management, development and access
meet international standards.
The Otago Museum Collections Policy
2015–2020 was approved by the Trust Board
in February 2015. It ensures collection items
are acquired, documented, maintained,
utilised and disposed of within professional
standards and that all relevant legal and
ethical obligations are met.
Conservation Manager Nyssa Mildwaters
developed the Conservation and Collections
Care Policy, which was approved by the Trust
Board in June 2015. It outlines the standards
and practices applied to all collection items
and balances the long-term preservation
of items with allowing access for research,
interpretation and display.
THE SECRETS OF DISPLAY
Collection Officer Jamie Metzger created a
complex two-case foyer exhibit, The Secrets
of Display, as part of the 2015 Dunedin
iD Fashion Week, and to continue supporting
the Museum’s goal of sharing the collection
with the public.
The exhibit featured an elaborate 19th
century princess line dress from the
storeroom and broke down the process of
preparing such a fragile object for display.
The step-by-step explanation showed how
a mannequin is taken from bare canvas to
lavish model.
It fascinated both visitors and media, and
served as a visually arresting reminder of
how much unseen work goes into preserving
and displaying our history.
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