Museum shortlisted for four awards
OTAGO Museum staff are ‘‘abuzz with excitement’’ after the museum was shortlisted for four awards, museum director Dr Ian Griffin says.
In a report to the Otago Museum Trust Board yesterday, Dr Griffin said the museum’s new Tuhura Otago Community Trust Science Centre had been shortlisted for the New Zealand Tourism Awards in the visitor experience category.
The centre has also been shortlisted in the Designers Insti tute of New Zealand Best Design Awards spatial — lighting design category.
A former Otago Museum exhibition ‘‘Things Change — Martin Phillips and the Chills’’ was shortlisted in the 2018 International Design Communication Awards, in the best temporary exhibition communications category.
The same show was also shortlisted for the New Zealand Best Design Awards, exhibition and temporary structures.
Dr Griffin said the awards outcome would be known next month, but it was ‘‘a real honour that our institution is being recognised by our peers on the national stage’’.
The New Zealand International Science Festival was ‘‘always one of the highlights of the Dunedin cultural scene’’ and some ‘‘truly extraordinary events’’ had taken place throughout Dunedin in this year’s festival.
The museum had, as usual, been a major sponsor, and had hosted and contributed to many festival events and activities.
One of the festival’s ‘‘undoubted highlights’’ had been the run of six soldout performances by former Dunedin musician Anthonie Tonnon in the museum’s Perpetual Guardian Planetarium.
‘‘The museum’s digital team did themselves proud by providing a set of beautiful backdrops to Anthonie’s ethereal music, demonstrating the immersive power of our planetarium,’’ Dr Griffin said.
It was hoped the musician would perform again at the planetarium in November.
‘‘Things Change — Martin Phillipps and The Chills’’ was a ‘‘great success’’, attracting more than 1000 visitors in its short run, he said.
The show ran from June 23 until July 16 at the museum’s H D Skinner Annex.