This placement will see me based at the University of Melbourne working with some of their 31 amazing museum collections. I will be undertaking several different projects with these collections to further develop my curatorial and collections managment skills . . . I know I'm going to have lots of fun along the way too!!

Sunday 22 July 2012

Grainger Museum Visit

Today I began my last week here in Melbourne; I finished off my children's treasure hunt this morning, which I looking forward to seeing many families enjoy (I hope!). This afternoon I visited the Grainger Museum, a building I have been walking past almost everyday as it sits right between my apartment and the university campus. I have been itching to go in, but as I knew I had this visit scheduled, I though I would wait and savour the experience. First, I got to see the Grainger Collection's archival material in the Ballieu Library and was then shown around the museum itself. I think the layout of the displays and amount was information was fantastic and it tells the story of Percy Grainger - who I have come to recognise as an ecentric and very talented individual - through his music career and personal life very well. I enjoyed talking to the staff at the Grainger as it gave me a better understanding of how a public facing musuem is run, something I have not had experience of before - any experience of a museum 'behind the scenes' is always exciting for me! The aspect I liked most about this museum and collection was the incorporation of the various objects within their context. For example, a display about Grainger's talent for beadwork, showed one of the items he had made along a photograph of him actually wearing it. I was also told that the archive holds receipts that show what was bought to make the various elements of the object. With my archaeological background I truly understand how important the context of an object is and to see this incorporation first-hand at the Grainger Museum makes this collection a real 'treasure'.

Grainger's beautiful piano shown alongside a couture dress

A small selection of the many musical instrutments on display

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