Making history ‘exciting’
International expert praises strength of museum collection
I felt the collections were a really good record, a lot of it
from the old families, who kept a lot of ephemera due to their continuous
occupation of homesteads and
stations. Museum expert Rose Evans
Aleading museum consultant has called the Central Hawke’s Bay Museum’s collection “exciting and interesting” after delving into it as part of an assessment process.
Rose Evans, founder of Objectlab, has more than 25 years of experience in major international and national museums and galleries including Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, Auckland Museum, the Australian Museum and the British Museum.
She says: “I had a great time going through the Central Hawke’s Bay Museum.
“I felt the collections were a really good record, a lot of it from the old families, who kept a lot of ephemera due to their continuous occupation of homesteads and stations.
“That is a huge strength. In a lot of other communities it’s simply not the case, as people have moved through and not left a trace.
“These CHB collections show a microcosm of New Zealand’s agricultural society. They reflect the changes in our rural communities and tell a story — quite an intact one as there are even clothes and textiles in the museum archives.”
Rose was in Central Hawke’s Bay recently with Craig Ireson, of Ireson Co fundraising and project management consultancy, to carry out a feasibility assessment on the Central Hawke’s Bay Museum.
The assessment, funded by a lotteries grant and the Heritage Fund, will identify opportunities to preserve and promote the museum’s collection and create a strong package to present to potential funders.
It hasn’t cost visitors a cent to enter Central Hawke’s Bay Museum since May, after the museum gained funding for a year’s free entry from the Gwen Malden Trust.
Since then the number of visitors has soared, says manager and curator Jana Uhlirova.
In September, 1008 visitors went through the door, with 465 of them coming from outside the district.
The previous quarter welcomed 2660 visitors to the museum, over what are traditionally the quieter winter months.
Before the trial, the museum would receive between 3000 and 4000 visitors a year.
“It’s massive, more than double. I’m overwhelmed,” Jana says.
“Over that time we have also been busy with school visits and educational programmes — children get to use their own power to make things and do things, making butter, washing dirty clothes, sewing bags, writing letters using an old typewriter and much more.
“Older visitors find the displays and collections trigger memories — but the children see nothing familiar.
“We need to keep finding ways to introduce history in a way that is more exciting than ‘being on my phone’.
“But about half of the numbers are visitors from out of town. The trial shows the huge potential to raise visitor numbers.”
The feasibility assessment is looking at issues of storage and displays, and also the role of the museum in Waipawa and the wider district.