2016 in Review

What an absolutely intense year this has been. I finished my Masters, became a curator, travelled to America & Scandinavia, participated in the Open Palace Programme in England, and enjoyed another fantastic year exploring museums and heritage in Sydney. Here is a month by month (very short) summary of 2016.

January

In January this year I was back home in Queensland. For a month I interned with the RD Milns Antiquities Museum, researching the World War I antiquities souvenir market. It was my role as an exhibition research intern to gather as much information as possible about the Anzacs and their connection to some of the objects in the RD Milns collection.

February

February was an exciting month as I travelled to Orlando, Miami, and Nashville. Highlights included the Vizcaya Museum, Hermitage Museum, Graceland, and the Civil Rights Museum. Nothing, however, could compare to seeing the Everglades. This natural World Heritage Site was beyond words, beautiful for its starkness and wildlife.

 

March

I moved back to Sydney and started my second semester at the University of Sydney. I visited the Biennale exhibitions on Cockatoo Island and in the Museum of Contemporary Art. According to my blog posts for this month, I also visited the Art of the Brick at the Powerhouse Museum.

April

In April I went on my first road trip to Canberra to see the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia. I was incredibly impressed with the new exhibition at the War Memorial. Their integration of digital technology into the exhibition space was fantastic.

May

May was a month of exploring exhibitions in Sydney through my university courses. We visited Hyde Park Barracks, the Australian Museum for their VR experience, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

June

Melbourne!!! I visited my amazing supervisor from the Geoffrey Kaye Museum and saw her new exhibition From Snake Oil to Science. I also visited the Melbourne Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria.

July

July was a fantastic month as I set off for the Open Palace Programme in England. Needless to say it was an amazing experience and I met such a wonderful group of like-minded individuals. Definitely a month to remember!!

August – September

August and September were spent catching up on the uni work I had missed whilst overseas. I did visit the State Library of Queensland in September to see their new exhibition. It was also during these months that I became a curator.

October

October consisted of two trips down to Melbourne. I attended and presented at the ICOMOS Conference on the topic of creating an audio guide. One weekend later I attended a writing medical history masterclass at the Geoffrey Kaye Museum. I finished my internship at the Trainor/Owen Archives (and will return to volunteer in the New Year).

November

Almost at the end of the year now. After finishing my Masters of Museum and Heritage Studies I travelled to Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland to celebrate. I ticked seeing the Northern Lights off my bucket list and visited some incredible museums. The Nordic History Museum and Vasa Museum were definitely my favourites.

December

To round off the year I have explored a lot more of Sydney, started a new job at the Powerhouse Museum, and enjoyed having a bit of a break from study.

This will be my last post for 2016. I am going to a couple of exhibitions when I go home for Christmas but I’ll save those posts for the New Year.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!