Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery News

Dr Cath Dickson - Hope in Nature, private land conservation in Tasmania

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 07:17:31 GMT

To celebrate the 2025 International Womens Day we invited Dr Cath Dickson, Conservation Land and Planning Manager at the Tasmanian Land Conservancy to speak about her career as a scientist and the work of the TLC. To view Cath's slide show while listening to her presentation, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Cath Dickson - Hope in Nature

Laura Lewis-Jones - the 2024 Venice Biennale

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:30:00 GMT

TMAG Visitor Services Officer, Laura Lewis-Jones, spent an unforgettable six weeks tending the Australian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale. In this talk Laura paints an emotional picture of her time with Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist Archie Moore's staggering work Kith and Kin, which won the Biennale's major prize, the Golden Lion. Laura also brings to life the joy of spending a summer in this most extraordinary of cities. Don't forget to click here to view Laura's slide presentation while listening to her speak.

Friends of TMAG · Laura Lewis-Jones - Venice Biennale

Hingor Chung - Home: Here and Now

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:30:00 GMT

Listen to Hingor Chung and Isobel Andrewartha speak about the history and experience of Chinese in Tasmania and TMAG's exhibition, Home: Here and Now.

Friends of TMAG · Hingor Chung - Home: Here and Now

Through our eyes: a woman's place is in Antarctica

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:40:21 GMT

Friends of TMAG · Through our eyes: a woman's place is in Antarctica

Listen to Elspeth Wishart talk about the Bond Store: 200 years

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Friends of TMAG · Bond Store

Unshackled

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 07:30:00 GMT

Friends of TMAG · UNSHACKLED

The TMAG exhibition Unshackled: The True Convict Story uses a mixture of objects and data to reveal startling new insights into Australia’s convict past. In this talk Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart will reveal details of the digital treasure trove that enabled this retelling and the thinking behind the design of Unshackled as a new form of interactive exhibition.

To view Unshackled slide show while listening to the talk Click Here

Red handfish

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 11:39:45 GMT

Friends of TMAG · RED - HANDFISH

Dr Andrew Trotter, Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith, and Ness Delpero speak about conservation and recovery efforts for the critically endangered red handfish.

Simon Grove - Seasonal Saunters in the South

Wed, 08 May 2024 00:30:00 GMT

Listen to TMAG's Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Simon Grove speak about his new book Seasons in the South: a Tasmanian naturalist's journeys of discovery and recovery.

Friends of TMAG · 08 05 2024Grove, Simon

Richard Leplastrier - Lands of Light: Lloyd Rees and Tasmania

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 08:00:00 GMT

After an introduction from TMAG curator Peter Hughes who co-curated the museum's Lloyd Rees exhibition Lands of Light: Lloyd Rees and Tasmania, the esteemed Australian architect Richard Leplastrier, friend and student of Lloyd Rees, speaks about the importance of Tasmania for Lloyd Rees and the impact of his wisdom and teaching.

Friends of TMAG · Richard Leplastrier - Lands of Light: Lloyd Rees and Tasmania

Chris Tassell - An enigmatic colonial sculpture

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 23:30:00 GMT

Listen to Chris Tassell speak about the research into the Maritime Museum of Tasmania's recent acquisition of an extraordinary colonial sculpture which is regarded as a vituperative political comment on Governor George Arthur.

To view Chris's slide show while listening to him speak, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Chris Tassell - An enigmatic colonial sculpture

Saving Nature - Nick Mooney, Sally Bryant and Andrew Young

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 23:30:00 GMT

Listen to Nick Mooney, Sally Bryant and Andrew Young provide different perspectives on the state of nature conservation in Tasmania and how we can all help. To view Sally and Andrew's Powerpoint presentations while listening to them speaking, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Nick Mooney, Sally Bryant, Andrew Young - Saving Nature

Ian Terry - Uninnocent Landscapes

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 07:54:22 GMT

Listen to retired TMAG Curator of Cultural Heritage, Ian Terry, as he speaks about his three year truth-telling project photographing the landscapes George Augustus Robinson passed through on his Big River Mission in 1831.

To view Ian's slide presentation while listening to his talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Ian Terry - Uninnocent Landscapes

Yoav Bar-Ness: Giant Eucalyptus Specimen Archive

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 06:01:11 GMT

Forest canopy ecologist Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness spoke to members about the Giant Eucalyptus Specimen Archive. After introducing the project, he spoke about individual trees, the Tasmanian Herbarium collections, and described the catastrophic backstory to this project and the lessons learnt.

To view Yoav's slide show while listening to his talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness: Giant Eucalyptus Specimen Archive

Lucienne Rickard - Extinction Studies

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:30:00 GMT

On the fourth anniversary of her project Extinction Studies Dr Lucienne Rickard spoke to members about the life events, career progression and passions that have led her to perform one of the longest-running artworks to take place at our museum.

To view Lucienne's slide show while listening to her speak, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Lucienne Rickard / What an artist contributes to conservation

Friends TMAG Annual General Meeting

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 11:33:09 GMT

Here are the reports presented at our AGM. Read about what the Friends have been up to over the past year.

Agenda 2023 Minutes 2022.pdf

President's Report 2023.pdf

Treasurer's Report 2023.pdf

Eleanor Cave - my life as a collection manager

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:30:00 GMT

Following the 2023 AGM newly appointed TMAG Senior Curator, Cultural Heritage, Eleanor Cave, gave an entertaining talk on her life as a collection manager for ten years at the Australian War Memorial. Among other things she described grappling with hazardous materials, live ammunition and finding somewhere to store very large pieces of military hardware.

To view Eleanor's slide show while listening to her talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Eleanor Cave - My life as a collection manager

Mary Knights & Walter Mason - Twist and Charles Dickens

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 07:30:00 GMT

In this talk art curator Mary Knights provides a brief introduction to TMAG's current Charles Dickens inspired exhibition Twist, and president of the NSW Dickens Society Walter Mason gives and entertaining account of the life and work of Dickens himself.

The recording is accompanied a slide show of works displayed in TMAG's exhibition. To access these images while listening to Mary and Walter, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Mary Knights & Walter Mason - Charles Dickens and Twist

Kirrily Moore - Gascoyne Marine Park biological survey

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:30:00 GMT

Friends of TMAG · Kirrily Moore - Gascoyne Marine Park biological survey

In 2021 TMAG's soft coral expert, Dr Kirrily Moore, joined the RV Investigator for a four week research voyage off the Western Australian coast. In this talk Kirrily Moore tells us about the voyage and its results.

To view Kirrily's slide presentation while listening to her talk, click here.

Keren Ruki - Weaving a pathway through TMAG's Pacific collections

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 01:00:00 GMT

Join TMAG's Curator of Pacific Collections, Keren Ruki, as she weaves an intricate and enthralling pathway describing the museum's extraordinary Pacific collection, its genesis, its present and its future.

To view Keren's slide show while listening to her presentation, click here.

Friends of TMAG ·

Friends of TMAG · Keren Ruki - Weaving a pathway through TMAG’s Pacific Collections

Gardeners, Plant Collectors, Friends: Hobart Town and Beyond

Thu, 25 May 2023 07:30:00 GMT

This floor talk is facilitated by Kate Warner, as she converses with Ann Cripps about the research undertaken for Ann's recent book, Gardeners, Plant Collectors, Friends: Hobart Town and Beyond. Ann's book explores the early colonists who brought European flora to the colony of Van Diemen’s Land, and also sent endemic Tasmanian plants to collectors overseas. As you follow Ann’s research you will meet Quakers, botanists, doctors, horticulturalists and nurserymen who were instrumental in bringing Tasmania’s flora to the wider world.

To view the slide presentation while listening to the audio, see Anne Cripps Gardens-compressed.pdf

To read notes by Sheena Sims about the embroidery on the table cover by Catherine Augusta Mitchell, which was on display as a special feature of this event, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Gardeners, Plant Collectors, Friends: Hobart Town and Beyond

Timber in colonial Tasmania

Wed, 17 May 2023 00:30:00 GMT

This talk is presented by Peter Hughes, TMAG's Senior Curator, Decorative Arts. He reveals the genesis of colonial Tasmania's timber industry, focusing on the use of indigenous timbers in cabinet-making and the increasing acceptance and showcasing of them as suitable timber to use.

To view Peter's slide show while listening to his presentation, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Peter Hughes - Timber in colonial Tasmania

Avoiding Crisis Management: the Forty-spotted Pardalote

Thu, 04 May 2023 08:29:20 GMT

This talk is presented by Dr Sally Bryant AM, Hon. Research Fellow, Tasmanian Land Conservancy and Chair of the Forty-spotted Pardalote National Recovery Program.

Sally highlights the plight of this plucky Tasmanian bird that is on the brink of extinction and what can be done to save it.

Friends of TMAG · Sally Bryant 40 Spots May23

Behind the Layers presentation on oil painting conservation techniques

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:30:56 GMT

Senior Painting Conservator Jenny O’Connell and Conservation Technician Lisa Charleston made a special presentation to the Friends of TMAG on the treatment and research undertaken for Behind the Layers and show how the conservators have been able to solve these mysteries through their work and discussed current painting and frame treatments.

taypani milaythina-tu: Return to country

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:30:33 GMT

This talk is presented by Keren Ruki, TMAG’s Pacific curator, First Peoples Art and Culture, and is co-curator of taypani milaythina-tu. Keren talks about the development of the exhibition, and goes behind the scenes to look at the logistics of setting it up, the research undertaken, and the negotiations involved to bring the ancestral objects home.

The exhibition presents the creative work of twenty Tasmanian Aboriginal artists responding to relationships between community and ancestral objects, particularly those held in institutions overseas and currently on view in this exhibition.

Friends of TMAG · taypani milaythina-tu: Return to Country

Eagle CSI - investigating causes of death in Tasmania's endangered birds of prey

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 23:30:07 GMT

TMAG Technical Officer, Dr Judy Clarke is funded by a partnership between TMAG, TasNetworks and Woolnorth Renewables to investigate the mortality of Tasmania's endangered birds of prey. In this presentation Judy describes how she uses forensic and veterinary tools to determine causes of death and develop strategies to avert those dangers.

To view Judy's slide presentation while listening to her talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Judy Clarke - Eagle CSI: Investigating causes of death in Tasmania’s threatened birds of prey

Fossils of Tasmania

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 23:30:39 GMT

Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Palaeontology, Dr David Hocking, presents the history of Tasmanian palaeontology as recorded in the collections of TMAG.
David discusses Tasmania's earliest fauna to our current marsupials and what the recent research, using new digital tools, has unearthed.

To view David's slide presentation while listening to his talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Fossils of Tasmania presented by David Hocking

Grace Williams - Contemporary Migrant Experience Project, two years on

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 23:30:00 GMT

TMAG's Contemporary Migrant Experience Project Officer, Grace Williams, updates members with what she has been doing in this project in the two years it has been running.

To view Grace's slide presentation while listening to her fascinating talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Grace Williams - Contemporary Migrant Experience Project

Behind the layers: authenticating the secrets in paintings

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 07:03:35 GMT

Jenny O'Connell, Senior Conservator (Painting) at TMAG shares a behind-the-scene look at painting conservation with the public; and Dee Dzelalija, TMAG Exhibitions Manager discusses researching and setting up the current exhibition - 'taypani milaythina-tu: Return to Country.

Friends of TMAG · Behind the layers: authenticating the secrets in

Friends TMAG AGM, 5 September

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 05:50:58 GMT

Read all about what we've been doing over the past twelve months.

Agenda 22-Minutes 21.pdf

Presidents Report 21-22.pdf

Treasurers Report 21-22.pdf

Simon Munn, Lucy Burke-Smith & James Barker: Bond Store Repairs

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:30:08 GMT

Listen to Simon Munn, Lucy Burke-Smith & James Barker talk about the complex conservation works undertaken by TMAG on the 1824 Bond Store.

Friends of TMAG · Bond Store Repairs

Gabrielle Balon & Janine Combes: volunteering on Tasmania's remote island lighthouses

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:30:00 GMT

Listen to Gabrielle Balon & Janine Combes speak about their experiences volunteering on two of Tasmania's remote island lighthouses - Maatsuyker and Deal Islands.

You can download Gabrielle's slide presentation here and Janine's slide presentation here to view while listening.

Friends of TMAG · Gabrielle Balon & Janine Combes: volunteering on Tasmania's island lighthouses

Barbara Frankel: Cape Adare pendant

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:30:00 GMT

Listen to Barbara Frankel talk about her research into a fascinating pendant with Antarctic provenance which was discovered in a Melbourne op shop in 2018. The Cape Adare pendant is now in the TMAG collection.

To download and view Barbara's slide presentation while listening to her talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Barbara Frankel: Cape Adare pendant

Interview with TMAG Director Mary Mulcahy

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 01:04:39 GMT

July 2022: Friends Vice President Janine Combes caught up with recently appointed TMAG Director Mary Mulcahy to chat about her career before joining TMAG, her hopes for the role and relationships with the Friends. You can read the interview here.

Interview Mary Mulcahy July 2022.pdf

Sea Monsters! David Hocking

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 05:26:10 GMT

Listen to David Hocking talk about TMAG's collection of large marine species and Chris Black speak about a Great White Shark mould he made which was recently acquired by TMAG with financial assistance from the Friends.

To view and download David's slide presentation while listening to his talk, click here.

Friends of TMAG · Sea Monsters! David Hocking

Calligraphy - Two Perspectives

Thu, 26 May 2022 00:30:25 GMT

Listen to Gemma Black and Amir Molaverdikhani speak about their respective calligraphy practices. To view the slide presentation of their work while listening to the talk, download it here.

Friends of TMAG · Caligraphy - Two Perspectives, with Amir Molaverdikhani and Gemma Black

Government House Tasmania: a remarkable story

Tue, 03 May 2022 00:30:00 GMT

Listen to the former Governor, Kate Warner, and the Official Secretary to the Governor, David Owen, speak about the research they undertook to write their two volume history of Tasmania's Government House.

You can download their slide presentation here

Friends of TMAG · Government House, Tasmania - a remarkable story

Made/Worn: Contemporary Australian Jewellery

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 02:34:18 GMT

Listen to Tasmanian jewellers Lola Greeno, Gabbee Stolp, Sarah Stubbs and Janine Combes speak in response to TMAG's Made/Worn: Contemporary Australian Jewellery exhibition.

Friends of TMAG · Made/Worn: Australian Contemporary Jewellery

Listen to Gay Hawkes in conversation with Sarah Day about her exhibition, The House of Longing

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Tasmanian poet Sarah Day converses with artist Gay Hawkes about her retrospective exhibition, The House of Longing.

To view a slide presentation of Gay's work while listening to the conversation go to: Gay Hawkes, The House of Longing.pdf

Friends of TMAG · Gaye Hawkes: The House of Longing

Listen to Gary Werskey speak about Australia's forgotten artist, AH Fullwood

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 23:30:14 GMT

Cultural and art historian, Gary Werskey speaks about his research and recent book about Australia's forgotten illustrator, Impressionist and war artist, AH Fullwood, and his influence on Australian and Tasmanian art.

To view Gary's slide presentation while listening to his talk go to: AH_Fullwood_Presentation.pdf

Friends of TMAG · Gary Werskey: the art of AH Fullwood

Listen to Grace Williams speak about TMAG's Contemporary Migration Project

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 22:25:53 GMT

TMAG's Contemporary Migration Project Officer, Grace Williams, speaks about her two year project to engage with Tasmania's recent migrant communities, assisting them to record and preserve their stories of living in Tasmania and to develop the museum's contemporary migration collection.

To also view Grace's recent video mystery tour of TMAG's migration collection go to: https://fb.watch/9k9ukN6ORT/

Friends of TMAG · Contemporary Migration: Grace Williams and TMAG's Contemporary Migration Project

Watch Deborah Wace's documentary about her Churchill Fellowship in 2017-18

Sat, 16 Oct 2021 04:26:25 GMT

Botanical artist and fabric designer Deborah Wace gave a talk to the Friends on 14 October about her art which is inspired by Tasmania's unique botanical heritage. During the presentation she screened this documentary on her Artist in Residency at Recherche Bay in far south Tasmania and her 2017/18 Churchill Fellowship to study the early French botanical collections from Tasmania which are held in herbaria in Europe. This research has enabled her to create a new body of artwork for fabric. Click on the link to view the video which is 28 minutes long.

https://vimeo.com/345161322

Video by Joe Shemesh

Listen to Gintaras Kantvilas speak about TMAG's 2019 biological survey expedition to the Spring Bay Mill.

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 02:31:18 GMT

In this talk the head of the Tasmanian Herbarium, Gintaras Kantvilas, talks about the museum's Friends supported biological survey expedition to the Spring Bay Mill in November 2019.

The talk included a PowerPoint presentation. See the attached PDF of the presentation: Gintaras_Kantvilas_Spring Bay.pdf

Friends of TMAG · Spring Bay Expedition: Gintaras Kantvilas

Listen to TMAG's new Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, David Hocking, speak about his adventures in zoology

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 06:07:21 GMT

In this talk TMAG's new Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology talks about his adventures in zoology, seals, wombats, whales, Tasmanian devils, biological surveys and the new technology that will bring the world of vertebrate zoology alive for visitors.

This talk included a PowerPoint. Please see the attached PDF.

Friends of TMAG ·

Vertebrate Zoology: David Hockin g

Listen to Jenny O'Connell and Lisa Charleston speak about paintings conservation and art framing

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:51:03 GMT

In this talk TMAG's paintings conservator, Jenny O'Connell, discusses painting conservation, in particular recent research into the colonial portraits of Henry Mundy to determine accurate attribution of some mystery paintings. The museum's art framer, Lisa Charleston, also provides an insight into framing colonial paintings.

The talk included a PowerPoint presentation. See the attached PDF of the presentation with additional images on art framing: 2021_Paintings_Conservation_Presentation.pdf

Friends of TMAG · Painting conservation: Jennifer O'Connell & Lisa Charleston

Listen to Jane Stewart speak about the life of convict artist, Thomas Griffiths Wainewright

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 06:40:47 GMT

In this floor talk Principal Curator of Art, Jane Stewart, talks about her five year long research project for the exhibition Paradise Lost: Thomas Griffiths Wainewright.

The talk included slides of the works Jane spoke about. See the attached PDF: 2021_Thomas Griffiths Wainewright.pdf

Friends of TMAG · Paradise Lost: TG Wainewright - Jane Stewart

Listen to Andy Baird and Michael McLaughlin speak about TMAG's new children's gallery

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 07:25:24 GMT

In this floor talk Andy Baird and Michael McLaughlin tell us about the concept and realisation of Mapiya lumi: around here, TMAG's new gallery aimed at children aged 0-7.

Friends of TMAG · Mapiya Lumi: Andy Baird and Michael McLaughlin

Listen to Peter Hughes speak about TMAG's textiles collection

Mon, 03 May 2021 00:04:45 GMT

In this floor talk TMAG Curator of Decorative Arts Peter Hughes takes a walk through some of the highlights of the TMAG textiles collection including: 18th and 19th century samplers, examples of stump work and contemporary works by artists like Tara Badcock and Hermie Cornelisse.

The talk included slides of the works he spoke about. See the attached PDF: 2021_FTMAGTalk_TextilesCollection_s.pdf

Friends of TMAG ·

TMAG's Textiles: Peter Hu ghe s

Listen to Dr Kris Carlyon on whale strandings in Tasmania

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 00:30:10 GMT

Dr Kris Carlyon from the Wildlife & Marine Section of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment talks about whale strandings, what we know about why they occur, how we respond, the experience of scientists involved in events and the role TMAG plays in whale strandings and their aftermath.

Friends of TMAG · Whale strandings: Dr Kris Carlyon

Explore the Hedberg

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:19:04 GMT

We weren't able to record this event, but we do have a written account from member Andrew Ross, along with lots of photos. Enjoy the tour!

Hedberg Apr21.pdf

Listen to the Hobart Current: Liberty Artists' Talk

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 05:46:13 GMT

Hobart Current is an innovative long-term partnership between the City of Hobart and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. It is a major biennial program to nurture and showcase contemporary artists working across different media, including visual art, performance, music, film, design, and literature.

A Creative Director is appointed for a two-year cycle. They set the theme and select ten artists to participate, each of whom will be commissioned to create a new work for the exhibition. At least six of the ten chosen will be artists who identify as Tasmanian.

Rosie Dennis, the inaugural Creative Director of Hobart Current, has selected Tasmanian artists Sinsa Mansell, Brigita Ozolins, James Newitt, Jacob Leary, Dexter Rosengrave and Nadege Philippe-Janon, as well as interstate and international artists Uncle Wes Marne, Suryo Herlambang, Jagath Dheerasekara and Sarah Jane Pell.

Our Friends event featured TMAG principal Art Curator Jane Stewart in conversation with four of the artists, Dexter Rosengrave, Jacob Leary, Brigita Ozolins and Nadege Philippe-Janon.

Friends of TMAG · Hobart Liberty Artists' Talk

Listen to Kath Uziallo and Peter Hughes discussing the exhibition Around the World in Eighty Objects

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:25:03 GMT

This Friends of TMAG Floortalk was recorded on Thursday 4 February 2021, in the Central Gallery of the Tasmanian Musuem and Art Gallery. Andrée Hurburgh also addressed the group, but unfortunately there were some technical problems with the recording so we aren't able to bring you her contribution. The speakers were introduced by FOTMAG President, Jane Wilcox.

Friends of TMAG · Kath Uziallo and Peter Hughes on Around the World in Eighty Objects

Listen to David Keeling in conversation with Jane Stewart

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 06:51:48 GMT

This conversation was recorded at our floor talk in the Central Gallery at TMAG on Monday 23 November 2020. You may find that John Sexton's introduction sounds a bit echoey – do persevere though, because the recording improves with David and Jane.

Friends of TMAG · David Keeling in conversation with TMAG curator Jane Stewart.

Caterpillar Key

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 11:04:39 GMT

Dr Cathy Byrne (TMAG Senior Curator of Zoology) and Di Moyle (honorary curator) were contracted by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to develop an interactive key to identify caterpillar species in Australia.

They scoured the literature for information on caterpillars, examined specimens and painstakingly recorded data on hundreds of anatomical features for each family to gather the information required to enable the key to distinguish between most caterpillars encountered at the border or in the bush.

Cathy spoke to the Friends about the key in an engaging floor talk, which included a great overview of the lifecycle of moths and butterflies.

To check out the key, click here.

Spotted handfish

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 12:25:29 GMT

This floor talk is about a scientist and an artist who collaborated to help save an endangered species, and in the process won a Tasmanian Design Award.

Spotted Handfish Spawning Habitat and Clay is an insight into science-based, research-driven collaboration with art and design resulting in site specific ceramic artificial spawning habitat installations into the Derwent River. The project is a collaboration between Dr Tim Lynch, Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO, and Jane Bamford, ceramic artist. The aim of the project is to support the spawning of the critically endangered spotted handfish to further secure this charismatic marine species from extinction.

Click here for Dr Tim Lynch, and here for Jane Bamford. Read about the Tasmanian Design Award here.

To visit the Handfish Conservation Project website, click here.

Tasmanian Seashells

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 11:48:16 GMT

While TMAG, and hence the Friends, were prevented from holding events during social isolation in 2020, we produced an online presentation for you to watch.

Dr Simon Grove, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, has put together a talk on Tasmanian seashells. Simon knew what he wanted to do from an early age, and you'll catch a glimpse of his shell collection from his childhood in England, and then hear how he came to Australia to continue his studies at James Cook University in Queensland, and on to a job he loves here at TMAG.

We thank Simon for putting his time into this, and Friends committee member Janine Combes for facilitating the presentation. We hope that you enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whRtvf_3AsI&feature=youtu.be

Sketch noting workshop with Suzy Cooper

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 10:16:30 GMT

A great chance to cast aside our inhibitions and pick up some hints about creating a fun and meaningful journal. It opened everyone's eyes to the treasures of TMAG, and helped reluctant writers to find a way of putting their words on paper, and hesitant sketchers to take the plunge with those pencils.

Friends meet dinosaurs!

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 10:22:43 GMT

Members brought their children and grandchildren along to a great family event, and a chance for the kids to educate their elders on the finer details of augmented reality, a segment of the Dinosaur rEvolution funded by the Friends.

Australian Antarctic Division

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 10:35:42 GMT

You can't sum up Australia's presence in Antarctica in an hour or two. We were given a taste of ice core sampling, a penguin-cam view of Southern Ocean krill, an insight into why Antarctic medicine is being used as a model for NASA's preparations for Mars, and a look at the outside and the inside of the new supply ship Nuyina. And I haven't even mentioned the penguin biscuits. In the words of one of our members, 'Extremely informative, well planned and with entertaining and engaging speakers'.

Bush Blitz: getting down and dirty

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:15:50 GMT

Miguel de Salas and Lyn Cave of the Tasmanian Herbarium did a great job of explaining what it's like to go bush in Tasmania in search of new plant species.

Tasmanian Herbarium

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 01:58:28 GMT

It's a squeezy venue but the forty members who managed to fit into the Herbarium were treated to a wonderful talk by Dr Gintaras Kantvilas, and a rare opportunity to see at first hand some of the carefully preserved specimens that form the Herbarium's collection. Gintaras recounted the tangled history of some of the specimens -- one was first collected by the French, impounded in Batavia by the Dutch, seized by the English in transit to the Netherlands, and finally returned to the French through patient dialogue between the scientists, despite their nations' continuing war footing.

Lahaye's Garden, Government House

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 11:45:30 GMT

A capacity crowd of 120 members enjoyed a walk through Lahaye's Garden at Government House, followed by a warm welcome from Her Excellency the Governor, an informative talk by gardener Tara Edmondson, and a superb selection of canapes themed for the occasion by chef Ainstie Wagner.

Lahaye's Garden is a recreation of a vegetable garden established at Recherche Bay in 1792 by a French scientific expedition led by Rear Admiral Bruni D'Entrcasteaux.

To whet your appetite once again for both history and food, we invite you to read up about them by following the links below.

To read Tara's talk, click here.
And to revisit Ainstie's marvellous menu, click here.

To see more photos of the event, go to our photo album.

Floor talk: Sampling the Abyss

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 11:13:28 GMT

A team of specialists recently completed an old-style ‘voyage of discovery’ on the RV Investigator, sampling animals living in the abyssal depths off the continental shelf on the east coast of Australia. Very little is known about the fauna from these depths (2500–4000m) and what is known is based on very old, patchy records from surveys a century ago. Dr Kirrily Moore, TMAG Collection Manager (Invertebrate Zoology), was one of the expeditioners, and she described her talk, Sampling the Abyss, as ‘a festival of weird fish, taxonomists, blogs and mud’:

‘We experienced the highs of successful collection of samples from un-described species and very rarely collected species, viewing footage of live animals is an extreme environment and linking with live schools and researchers to spread news of our discoveries as they happened. We also experienced the lows of broken and lost gear, 2 am start times, bad weather and a LOT of mud!’

Further links: the blog website https://www.nespmarine.edu.au/abyss-landing-page

Tim’s summary of the voyage at https://theconversation.com/sludge-snags-and-surreal-animals-life-aboard-a-voyage-to-study-the-abyss-79924

The priapulid worms got a good run on US late night comedy shows, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPgVtWDljcU

More event photos in the website photo album.

The Derwent

Wed, 23 Aug 2017 11:22:21 GMT

The Derwent exhibition explores Tasmania’s Derwent River system and its complex natural and cultural histories. This exhibition includes videos and photographs by Tasmanian artists David Stephenson and Martin Walch, along with several historic works on paper and panoramic photographs from TMAG’s collections.

Our Friends event featured two distinguished TMAG speakers: Senior Curator of Art Dr Mary Knights, and Educator Richard Hale.

More event photos in the website photo album.

Floor talk: Inscription and Place

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 11:27:17 GMT

Inscription and Place presents a poetic exploration of place, family and objects told through contemporary jewellery.

During 2016-17, four Tasmanian jewellers worked with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s Henry Baldwin Bequest collection on a project re-interpreting, reframing and contextualising history and memory through the jewellery object. Bequeathed to TMAG in 2008, the Baldwin Collection was the largest single donation in the museum’s history and contained among other things, jewellery, diaries, letters, books and small domestic objects which speak to the lives of the women of two of colonial Hobart’s leading families, the Manings and Knights.

The resulting artworks fuse references to the forms and materials of objects from the collection with traces of the lives of the women and an overlay of elements from the artists’ own lives and connection to place.

After an introduction by Senior Curator of Decorative Arts Peter Hughes, participating artists Alexandra Parish, Janine Combes, Sarah Jones and Sophie Carnell told us about the women who were their inspiration, and the process of creation, while we viewed their work.

More event photos in the website photo album.

A curious conversation

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 11:37:10 GMT

We listened to internationally renowned Tasmanian printmaker Milan Milojevic in conversation with Andrew Harper about his exhibition Wunderkammerama, presented by Dark Mofo and Clarence City Council.

A wunderkammer — cabinet of curiosities — of prints, projections, dioramas and constructed objects inspired by the imaginary flora and fauna from Jorges Luis Borges’s The Book of Imaginary Beings (1957), giving form to ideas of homeland, memory and myth. Overlaid upon this inspiration was Milan's own experience of growing up as a first generation Australian, son of a Hydro worker.

Thanks to Clarence City Council and the Friends of Rosny Farm for inviting us to share this captivating evening.

Staging The Tempest

Sun, 16 Oct 2016 10:47:35 GMT

Despite tempestuous weather conditions outside, a group of hardy Friends members and their guests enjoyed a wonderful introduction to the upcoming performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest at TMAG. Director Robert Jarman recounted how months of planning for the staging of the play in the basement of the Bond Store went up in smoke when he walked into the Central Gallery on the opening night of Tempest. From the moment he saw the space remodelled as Prospero's Library, that was where the play would be held -- the set was already in place. Minor logistical problems could be worked out as they went along.

Accompanying Robert was designer Bill Dowd, who showed us two of the costumes: Caliban's, with its allusions to his fish-like character, and Prospero's cloak, emblazoned with maps of the known world. So newly minted were the costumes that Guy Hooper, who plays Prospero, had his first sighting of the cloak, along with the audience.

Guy gave us one of the key speeches, while Fiona Stewart played guitar and sang. It was certainly a great teaser for the upcoming performances!

AGM

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:56:08 GMT

Fifty hardy members braved forecast stormy weather to attend the Friends AGM. Outgoing president Julie Hawkins presented a report on what the Friends have been up to during the past year. To read the President's Report, click here.

After the formalities, attendees heard an address by TMAG Director Janet Carding, talking about her first 18 months at the helm of TMAG, and offering some tantalising glimpses of what they are planning for next year. Suzy Cooper then presented an introduction to the Friends website, followed by a hands-on website session with Suzy Cooper and Andrew Ross.

The new committee for 2016-2017 is:

John Sexton, President

Christopher Thomas, Vice President

Julie Hawkins, Secretary

Noel Harper, Treasurer

Gabrielle Balon, Committee

Peter Black, Committee

Jean Boughey, Committee

David Coleman, Committee

Matt Spencer, Committee

Jane Wilcox, Committee

Shipwreck archaeology in Tasmania

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 07:30:00 GMT

This was a busy night, with around 80 guests. We started off with a talk by maritime archaeologist Michael Nash, Manager Historic Heritage at the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service. Mike's illustrated talk covered shipwrecks right around the Tasmanian coast, dating from the Sydney Cove, which ran aground in 1797 in the Furneaux Group, to the Viola, uncovered by stormy weather just a few weeks ago.

By coincidence, a story about the Viola appeared in the Hobart Mercury on the same day as our talk, featuring Mike's discussion of how the wreck was identified by analysis of the timbers which pinpointed construction to north America. Perhaps it was this timely exposure in the press that prompted some additional guests to attend.

As always with our Friends audience, there were lots of questions for Mike. One enquiry centred on what divers do if confronted by a dead body among the wreckage. Mike answered that fortunately that has only happened once in his personal experience. Depending on the circumstances of the wreck, the cargo can endure for a long time. Sealed bottles have been recovered from a number of wrecks. Recently yeast from the Sydney Cove cargo was reactivated to produce a beer with an extremely long pedigree.

We also took a walk through the Tempest shipwrecks gallery, with its magnificently lit collection of paintings and ship models. TMAG Senior History Curator Elspeth Wishart and model expert Michael Stoddart were on hand to chat with guests and answer questions about the exhibits.

The TMAG Shop opened to give guests the opportunity to avail themselves of the 10% Friends discount on all items.

Below: Artefacts recovered from the Brahmin (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service)

Key drivers in Tasmania's climate variability

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 06:36:41 GMT

On 23 June 2016 Dr Mike Pook gave a compelling talk about the various drivers that influence Tasmania's cllmate, leading to the changes in weather that we either endure or enjoy during the course of each day, or sometimes each minute.

Meteorologists use a wide array of acronyms and we became familiar with some of these in the course of the evening:

-- ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation)
-- SAM (Southern Annular Mode)
-- IDO (Indian Ocean Dipole)
-- MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation)

Analysis of these various drivers culminated in a series of maps showing how the impact of each of the influences changes on a seasonal basis. The whole subject left the audience with an enhanced awareness of the baffling complexity of climatic systems, and increased admiration for the scientists who work to unravel the complexity, helping us anticipate what the future has in store for us.

You can see more photos of the evening in our Photos section, or download the graphics from Mike's presentation here.

About Mike Pook

Mike Pook is an Honorary Fellow in CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and an Associate of the University of Tasmania. Prior to his retirement, he was a Research Scientist at CSIRO, working in the Seasonal Prediction and Climate Variability Group. He began his career with the Bureau of Meteorology in Brisbane in 1967 while completing a BSc at the University of Queensland. After postgraduate training in Melbourne, Mike worked as a weather forecaster in Perth and Port Hedland before moving to Pearce RAAF Base in 1971. A short stint in Port Moresby was followed by a four-year posting to RAAF Base, Point Cook, as meteorology instructor to Defence Force pilots. Mike then worked as a senior forecaster in Hobart from 1978 to 1985 and spent the 1983-84 summer at Casey in Antarctica. After completing a PhD at the University of Tasmania in 1994 he worked as an academic, science communicator and administrator at the Antarctic CRC before moving to CSIRO in 2002. Mike was ABC Tasmania’s TV weather presenter for approximately 18 years from 1985 to the end of 2002.

Snapshot Photography and Migrant Women: A Tasmanian Experience

Sat, 28 May 2016 06:57:29 GMT

Image: Leva Saulis

After World War II, thousands of migrant women from Britain and Europe arrived in Tasmania, and along with migrant men and children they were part of the largest number of free migrants to arrive in such a short period of time in the island state. There would not be many among us whose families have not included women from this migration, and as a society we are immeasurably richer for it.

The Snapshot Photography and Migrant Women exhibition was based on stories collected by Dr Nicolá Goc, Researcher at the University of Tasmania. She used the women's snapshot photographs to assist them in recalling memories of their migrant experience. The exhibition was so much more than photographs framed on a wall. Whole rooms were created -- kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms -- complete with the treasures of a lifetime, the photographs sent back and forth to families across the years.

Dr Nicolá Goc spoke to members about the process of putting together the exhibition, and gave us some insights into a number of women and their stories. In addition to showing us their precious photographs, Nicolá was able in many instances to let us hear snippets of their stories told in their own voices.

After the talk we visited the exhibition in the company of Nicolá and Elspeth Wishart, Senior History Curator at TMAG. It was the kind of exhibition that's very hard to leave, and in the end we had to round up the last of the guests so that the museum could close for the night.

Thanks very much to Nicolá and Elspeth for a wonderful exhibition and a night to remember.

About Nicolá Goc

Dr Nicolá Goc is a senior lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communications at the University of Tasmania. She is a feminist scholar with a commitment to better understanding the lives of women and the ways in which they use various forms of media in their lives. She has written widely about the media's representation of the 'deviant' female, exposing the ways in which the media demonises women.

The Snapshot Photography and Migrant Women Exhibition comes out of her research on post-war migrant women and an examination of the ways in which they use family photography as a form of social media. Nicolá interviewed more than 50 women in Tasmania over three and a half years for the project. The exhibition was made possible by a Tasmanian Community Fund Grant.

For more photos see the Photos section on our website. Thanks very much to Elspeth Wishart for photos taken at our event.

Above, from left: Anne Tucceri, Nicola Goc and Helen Kalis.

Above: Friends member Joy Smith absorbed in a photo album.

Where Science Meets Art

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 05:01:09 GMT

One of the most popular recent events for the Friends of TMAG took place on Thursday April 14 2016. Entitled Where Science Meets Art: The Botanical Illustrations of Rod Seppelt, members enjoyed a fascinating talk from Professor Rod Seppelt of the Tasmanian Herbarium, and a viewing of the current TMAG exhibition.

After the usual refreshments upon arrival, almost 80 members were welcomed to the event by John Sexton, Immediate Past President of the Friends, who then introduced our guest speaker. Professor Seppelt is one of Australia's most accomplished botanical illustrators and the exhibition presents a selection of his illustrations of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). The Tasmanian Herbarium holds an important collection of over 35,000 botanical specimens collected from Antarctica and the subantarctic islands. Many were collected by Rod himself, who participated in numerous expeditions to both polar regions and conducted research in these areas.

Rod Seppelt's talk had two strands: firstly, he gave a brief but very entertaining survey of 4,000 years of botanical illustrations, beginning with the Sumerians and Egyptians, and then secondly he talked about his own career and how he had come to specialise in botanical illustration, particularly of mosses, liverworts and lichens.

Rod talked to us about the processes involved and the differences between botanical art (the portrait of a plant) and scientific illustration (which combines both the portrait with all the cell and anatomical detail).

This talk provided an excellent spring-board for members to then view the exhibition itself, and the success of this event can probably be best measured by the fact that many of our members found it difficult to pull themselves away from the exhibition when it came time to leave.

Our thanks go to Professor Seppelt for his generosity and enthusiasm in making this such a successful event.

For more photos taken at this event, browse the Photos section on our website. If you attended this event, chances are you will be in one of the pictures. Photography by Jack Robert-Tissot.

Pattern Play February 24 2016

Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:29:43 GMT

Pattern Play has been a very successful TMAG exhibition, and a hardy group of Friends enjoyed some behind-the-scenes explanation of this fascinating show. Our members' function happened to coincide with two other noteworthy events: a short but violent rain storm and traffic gridlock through much of central Hobart. This probably explains why not all who had booked for this event actually made it - and many who did arrived looking bedraggled and somewhat frazzled with stories of prolonged travel time in miserable conditions. Some restorative refreshments soon got everyone's equilibrium back on an even keel, and we had a very enjoyable event.

Friends' Vice President Chris Thomas, on behalf of our absent President Julie Hawkins, welcomed members and introduced Andy Baird, TMAG's Acting Deputy Director (Audience Engagement), and Dr Catherine Byrne, Senior Curator of Zoology.

Andy Baird gave members an overview of the Pattern Play exhibition, and then members were split into two groups: one experienced the hands-on aspects of Jemima Wyman's Pattern Bandits, a Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) travelling exhibition, while the second group inspected Patterns in Nature, a TMAG exhibition, under Dr. Cathy Byrne's direction. After half an hour or so the two groups swapped so everyone could enjoy both exhibitions.

One of the highlights of this Friends' event was that it encouraged members to bring children and grand-children with them, and it was wonderful to see kids and oldies sitting down together at tables to play and let their imaginations run riot with the materials that formed an essential part of the exhibition.

Another highlight for members was to see how our own fund-raising activities had been put to great use in the presentation of the Bornemissza beetle collection within Patterns in Nature.

A number of Members expressed their great delight with this event, particularly as its hands-on element meant that it had a different feel from the structure of our 'normal' Members' nights. Having a number of children present also added to the interest of the occasion and we are hoping to be able to do something like this again in the future.

Panoramic Views, December 2015

Wed, 23 Dec 2015 04:40:51 GMT

For this event, we were very fortunate to have historian Dr Alison Alexander speak to us about Hobart's early days as shown in the exhibition Panoramic Views.

Alison has kindly given us a transcript of her talk, reproduced below. If you'd like to go back for another look at Panoramic Views before it closes on 17 January 2016, a printout of her talk would give you valued insights into the paintings, and what went on behind the scenes.

Julie Hawkins

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Panoramic views

The word ‘panorama’ comes from two Greek words, ‘pan’ meaning all, and ‘orama’ meaning view. The late eighteenth century was a time when people like quirky inventions, and artist Robert Barker invented the panorama, in which people walked in into a round room and saw a 360˚ painting all round the room. This was an exciting novelty in 1791.

Not everyone had a large round room, and panorama came to mean the painting from the walls laid out flat, and then merely a long painting. The question of when a painting turns from a panorama into a landscape is one I couldn’t find an answer for, but that needn’t bother us. We can concentrate on the beauty a panorama can portray.

And surely, of all cities in the world, our Hobart is among the leaders as the subject of a panorama, up there with Rio de Janeiro and Naples. So many cities are flat: Sydney, Melbourne, London, New York, Paris and so on. Beautiful perhaps, but flat. A panorama needs height as well as length. Real height, not just skyscrapers, the sort of height provided by mountains in the background. It also needs a mixture of subjects: not just forest or bush, not just buildings, and certainly not just sky. It’s best if it has an expanse of water in front, and an impressive mountain behind. Hobart, in fact.

When artists sailed up the Derwent and saw Hobart, their fingers must have itched for the brush. What a noble mount behind (in the language of the day)! Towering above the small town, so lofty and picturesque! Such a beautiful deep blue, and with its majestic dolerite columns of the Organ Pipes! Surrounded by attractive foothills of all shapes and sizes, in changing shades of blue-green, from pretty, noble Knocklofty to the gentle slopes of Battery Point, and with all sorts of bays, inlets, headlands and beaches leading to the water in such an attractive way. Then there was the town, a pretty little collection of buildings – you don’t want too much city in your panorama, because a lot of buildings tend to get a bit boring, rather bitty and repetitive. In front, the beautiful River Derwent, with little waves tossed by the breeze, and an attractive assortment of vessels, from grand sailing ships, their sails swelling in the breeze, to quaint little fishing dinghies. What more could the artist want?

I’m going to concentrate on the panoramas of Hobart in this talk, partly because of time, and partly because they make such a good contrast. The painting of Mauritius is fine, and fits in well, partly because its artist, Augustus Earle, also painted a panorama of Hobart, and partly because Mauritius is like Tasmania. In fact when I looked up ‘Mauritius historic’ in google images, there was a painting that looked so like Collins St with Mount Wellington in the background that I had to check the title to see it was in fact Mauritius. The other panoramas all have their attractions, but tonight Hobart is the subject.

Why do people paint panoramas? There are many reasons. For sale, to make a profit. To illustrate a book, nearly the same thing: as an attractive illustration to make the public open their wallets. To send Home (Britain), as an illustration of their new home. For the family. For their private enjoyment. For a friend or neighbour. As a work of art. The various motives affect the end result: how is the artist trying to depict the subject? As a success or failure? Beauty or ugliness? Civilisation or wilderness? With each of these panoramas it helps to understand the painting if we look at the artist’s situation and possible motives, as well as the actual subject. These panoramas were painted over a period of sixty years, during which Hobart developed enormously. The surroundings remained the same – the hills and Mount Wellington are still just the same, of course – but the objects made by humans developed.

How did the artist balance accuracy and artistic endeavour? Some of these paintings are very accurate, almost down to the last brick and leaf. Others are more concerned with general atmosphere. Again, this question is bound up with the artist’s aims, and also perhaps with how talented he or she was. A question to bear in mind. The accuracy point I judge by looking at the artist’s depiction of Mount Wellington. If you want to be accurate, there it is, its shape clearly outlined. If you get it wrong, either you want to depict it differently for some reason, or you aren’t skilled enough to get it right. After all, we’re not all Turners and Constables.

Hobart was founded in 1804, part of the great British Empire – though an extremely remote part, almost as far from Britain as one could travel, and highly disreputable in that it was a convict colony, where Britain got rid of the criminal element from its own shores. As a convict colony, it had a dreadful reputation in Britain, not so much because of what it was, but because of what the British thought it must be – the home of thieves and murderers. It’s another aspect of these paintings: they were done with this background. How was the artist affected by it?

If you’re interested, and most people are, you can pick out many individual buildings in these paintings. Some are less accurate than others, of course, but some are amazingly so, and it’s a great sport to find what’s there and what isn’t. ‘Is that government house?’ ‘I think he’s put the barracks in the wrong place’, and so on. Just don’t get so enthralled you forget when your parking meter expires.

A digression. I recently published a book about Hobart’s first twenty years, Corruption and Skullduggery, a title that shouted at me after I had completed much of the research, because it was exactly what I found. Because I published the book myself, I could include as many images as I liked, and I tried to depict every painting of Hobart in its first two decades. The one I chose for the cover was painted by a convict artist, W.H. Craig, in 1815, and I liked it because it showed Hobart as rough and ready, rather wild-west-looking, a struggling little settlement on the edge of the world, not the prim and proper town depicted by artists like Joseph Lycett, of which more later. Lycett’s paintings are very pretty and are often chosen as covers for books (I’ve had several myself) but this wasn’t the Hobart I’d found in my research. I really enjoyed trying to show this early, ramshackle little town, and Julie Hawkins who designed it so brilliantly entered into the spirit as well – we had a great time together. I’m saying this so you can realise the town’s background: a place of drunkenness, corruption, adultery, pubs and brothers, with ramshackle little houses, no rubbish collection, roads which were just tracks, often with tree stumps still in them, night soil flowing into the rivulet – as suggested, at least partly, by this painting. Craig painted it as a present for Governor Davey, who led the way in the drunkenness, corruption etc, and presumably revelled in the idea. No need for Craig to pretend Hobart was anything it wasn’t. In any case, he was in the not-Turner league, and probably just painted what he saw.

The first panorama in this exhibition was painted five years later in 1830 by George Evans. It depicts an extremely attractive little town, neat, prim, proper, tidy, without a pub or brothel in sight. Instead of being wilderness at the end of the world, it looks like an English park. There’s a very proper-looking couple who might have come straight out of Jane Austen, a gentleman in elegant clothes and a lady in a charming dress. Even the animals are tamed, a horse and cows doing what they are told by humans. The only evidence of Australianness is a couple of small, quiet, inoffensive kangaroos under a tree. No Aborigines, of course. None of these panoramas include them, and the kangaroos are a rarity; mostly, everything on view is thoroughly English (not even Scottish or anything else). This panorama is saying: isn’t this a successful transplanted English town! Wilderness tamed, a charming town built on unknown antipodean shores in under 20 years! This is what makes the Empire! Aren’t we wonderful! Evans published a book about Van Diemen’s Land in London, which said much these things, presenting a very positive picture of a colony with wonderful climate, scenery, soil, and prospects for the British. He managed to avoid mentioning convicts (although it was a convict colony) and it was the same with this painting, which might have been done as an illustration for the book, or at any rate for sale in London, showing British success.

The irony of this is that Evans was very much part of the scene of corruption and skulduggery of the first twenty years. He was the surveyor-general. Settlers brought letters from the secretary of state in England, allowing them so many acres free. The governor gave his permission and provided a location order; the settlers chose the land, the surveyors measured it, and the governor gave the settler a land grant. But settlers complained that they could not get their grant surveyed without paying bribes. One bribe got the survey done, another got it done generously. Thomas Gregson even gave Evans a piano to get a larger amount of land. Evans was in the thick of the bribery, doing very nicely, thank you. In 1820 when he painted this panorama, he was right in the middle of all the shenanigans. However, hypocrisy was alive and well in Hobart, and he painted this picture of an idyllic, and therefore utterly honest and upright, English town.

The second panorama is a huge contrast. For a start it’s anonymous, so we can’t place it according to the artist. Probably, however, it means it was not done by an artist who lived in Hobart, since these tended to be known in the small community. Perhaps it was done by a visitor, who would see the new colony as an object of curiosity? This would be a credible suggestion, for this painting shows Hobart as darkly Gothic: menacing, gloomy, with glowering brutal hills from which a dragon or man-eating bear might emerge at any moment. The town is small, unimpressive; there are no people. It is worth looking closely at this painting, because it’s probably the only time you will ever see the organ pipes painted horizontally. I think we’re back in the not-Turner group here. But it is certainly interesting, the way a visitor might well see a new, wild, mysterious colony from the deck of his ship. I think it’s the panorama where Hobart appears the smallest, just a few of the larger buildings.

Next we come to Joseph Lycett. Born around 1774 in England, Lycett was an artist, who was convicted of forgery and transported to Sydney in 1814. Once given a conditional pardon in 1819, he resumed his career of painting. He was given an absolute pardon in 1822, and returned to England. There he published books of NSW and Van Diemen’s Land views. His pictures of Van Diemen’s Land are pretty accurate, but it’s not clear if he ever came here. If not, he must have had something to copy: what? Artists were thin on the ground in Hobart at about 1820, and so are records. No detailed biography has been written of Lycett, and it is possible that he made a quick trip to Van Diemen’s Land – presumably he was planning on these views, and would have wanted to include it. He was a quick and prolific artist. He could have sailed from Sydney (about 10 days), spent a couple of days painting Hobart roughly, to be filled in later; gone to New Norfolk, travelled to Launceston, then returned to Sydney inside a month. On the other hand, his paintings are rather like Evans’s: perhaps he commissioned Evans to make him sketches, which the surveyor would do with great accuracy? However, that’s not really important, though fascinating. What is important for this talk is the end result.

Lycett was painting for the market. His views of Van Diemen’s Land look more like England, that English park of Evans, than Van Diemen’s Land. Also like Evans, everything is tame, obedient, law-abiding, proper – as well as neat and pretty. There are two versions of this painting of Hobart: a sketch in black and white, which looks very geographically correct, and the painting, which like most Lycetts is very attractive. It’s a sunny painting, with lots of blue and white, and surely it attracted a good price in London, Lycett’s aim. It told the British that they were successful colonisers. Only two decades, and here is this previous wilderness, just like anywhere in England!

Next we come to a painting by either Augustus or Elizabeth Prinsep. Augustus Prinsep was born in London in 1803 and joined the East India Company, arriving in Calcutta in 1822. He rose fast through the ranks of the civil service, and in 1828, as Commissioner of Pergunnah Palamow, he married Elizabeth Acworth, from a distinguished naval family. Augustus’ ill-health drove the Prinseps on a trip to salubrious Van Diemen’s Land, where they arrived in 1829. They remained six months, then returned to Calcutta, but Augustus died at sea. Elizabeth published his letters home with illustrations, perhaps done by her – she was an accomplished artist. The book did not include the present panorama.

This is a lively, cheerful painting, more of the river than the town. The ships with their billowing sails, the picturesque harbour – it makes a charming picture to hang in your drawing room. It is an early part of the strong maritime tradition of Hobart, of those who see it more as a port full of shipping and maritime activity than a city with a hinterland. However, there is Mount Wellington, more accurate than most of this period. It would be understandable if a senior Indian civil servant, the Commissioner of Pergunnah Palamow, liked accuracy. Or his wife.

And now it’s back to George Evans, with a panorama of Hobart he painted in 1828. By this time the new LG, upright and competent George Arthur, had managed to get rid of this dishonest scoundrel of a surveyor, who retired on a generous pension. In 1828 he was not in Hobart, having gone to England, so presumably this was done from memory, or from another painting. This is very neat and accurate, as you’d expect in a surveyor, even a crooked one. As before, it shows a very neat and orderly town, in park-like surroundings. Hobart has fine buildings for a town only 24 years old: it’s a progressive-looking colony, a credit to the British Empire.

What marks this panorama out from others are the humans in it. The other panoramas have no people, or small figures mostly in the background. This one has larger men in the foreground, and one of them is the surveyor at work, looking competent and gentlemanly. Certainly no bribes poking out of his pocket! It’s easy to imagine Evans enjoying putting in his alter ego, in charge of the project, making some new infrastructure vital to the colony’s development.

As well, Evans included convicts. This is really rare. There are hardly any convicts in early Van Diemen’s Land paintings, as artists did not want to mention this blot on the colony’s escutcheon, so it’s interesting that Evans does. Although they’re very neat and obedient convicts, working away as they should, and it doesn’t matter for the British market that they are convicts, because there’s nothing to show it, no uniform or brand, let along leg irons. British viewers would probably take them for ordinary labourers. Tasmanians know they are convicts, because only convicts did such manual labour, but Evans wasn’t painting for them.

Earle’s Mauritius follows, a very dramatic work of towering mountain peaks. In 1827 Earle also painted a panorama of Hobart which is less dramatic, much longer, a real panorama, almost the full 360 degrees. It’s very charming, and also very accurate, so that you can stand on the place where it was painted and see the bays and headlands, an enjoyable activity. They were for sale a few years ago, and I can tell you that a panorama is in fact very impractical because it’s hard to find a place on your walls to put it, with doors and windows occurring at inconvenient intervals. It’s no wonder landscape shapes are far more popular.

Now comes an anonymous panorama, entitled ‘After W.J Huggins’. William John Huggins was a sailor with the East India Company who during his voyages made many drawings of ships and landscapes. Retiring to London, he became well known for his maritime art, his paintings selling well. In 1828 the Colonial Times advertised his marine views for sale in Hobart. Did Huggins visit Hobart and someone copied the result, or does the ‘after Huggins’ merely mean someone painted Hobart a la Huggins? Whichever it was, it resulted in a pretty view, another park-like, English image. The next painting is similar: again by an unknown artist, again very neat, clean and tidy, with no people visible.

Frederick Strange was another artist who became a convict, transported for stealing a watch. He arrived in Hobart in 1838, became a government messenger, and when he obtained some freedom, started painting portraits and giving art lessons. However, he made only a miserable living. In the end he opened a grocer’s in Launceston. So he’s another in the not-Turner school. This painting, from Knocklofty, is rather impressionist and vague, the buildings just sketched in.

Now we come to the cream of the crop, as my husband put it: Hobart in 1848 by Francis Simpkinson de Wesselow. Born plain Francis Simpkinson, taking on the aristocratic de Wesslow when he inherited money, the lad was the nephew of Jane Franklin. Encouraged by his Uncle John, he joined the navy at an early age, and from 1844 was stationed at the magnetic observatory in Hobart for five years. An accomplished artist, he made many portraits all around Van Diemen’s Land: see the wonderful book of his paintings Max Angus published some years ago. This panorama of Hobart is magnificent – though, perhaps rather strangely, it doesn’t make full use of Mt W to bring height into the picture. However, the angle it’s painted from, on the Domain, gives an attractive blue bay at left, balanced by blue mountains at right, an unusual and striking perspective. It’s the full 360˚, stretching nearly two metres across ix sheets of paper. It’s not only the largest panorama in this exhibition, but the one which brings Hobart most to life. There are all sorts of ships in the harbour, from traditional sailing vessels to a modern steam ferry, tied up at the Old Wharf at Hunter Street. On the Domain, soldiers are marching, striking in their red and white uniforms. A vehicle is bowling along a road, and other people are busily active. De Wesselow was not painting for profit, or to prove any point, but for his own enjoyment, and this emerges in his panorama.

In the 28 years from the earliest panorama in the exhibition, Hobart has not developed enormously. It has grown, certainly, but de Wesselow’s depiction is not so dissimilar from Evans’ 1820 picture, from much the same spot. Now, however, for the last panoramas we jump through the decades, 20 and 30 years. Hobart is now the capital of independent Tasmania. Convicts are history. The colony’s population had doubled, from 50,000 to 100,000 and though I could find no figures for Hobart, the capital city would doubtless have doubled too. It has impressive new buildings, many built in the first heady days of independence in the 1850s. The Hobart City Council has modernising projects in hand. The Hobart of these paintings is not a small outpost of a convict colony, but a mid-Victorian city, proud of its growth and its position as capital.

First comes an 1876 panorama by E.P.B. It’s frustrating not to know the artist. Edwin Percival Browne, a visitor, from the deck of his ship? Eleanor Phoebe Butler, member of a prominent Hobart family? This panorama is more of wonderful scenery than the town of Hobart, with beautiful inlets, hills, beaches and water views. Similar is the Hobart regatta in 1868, also anonymous, full of boats, and spectators watching in herds on the shore. I can’t get too enthusiastic about the Albert Charles Cooke drawing of Hobart, which is very accurate, intriguing if you want learn about the streets and buildings, but rather boring and dingy just to look at. It’s time to move to the centre display cabinets, and look at Glover’s intriguing sketches, and the Oyster Bay painting which reminds us what a panorama was all about, with the piece at the end still rolled up.

Alison Alexander

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Detached, December 2015

Wed, 23 Dec 2015 04:32:27 GMT

We have been trying to organise a Friends visit to the old Mercury building in its new transformation into the headquarters of Detached, the arts foundation set up by Penny Clive and Bruce Neill. Penny is a major supporter of TMAG and is currently a Trustee, so when a window of opportunity opened for us to visit we emailed an invite to all Friends with email and filled the thirty places within a couple of days.

And it was (as expected) an experience to remember. Not to everyone's taste, it must be said, as the permanent exhibition of Penny's collection of contemporary visual Patricia Piccinini can be challenging as well as powerful and compelling.

Magdalena Lane of Detached gave us a great introduction to the organisation and its future, after we had a preliminary walk around the entire ground floor, where the industrial spaces that housed the old printing presses have been reused to house the works of Piccinini and her partner Peter Hennessey. His huge sculptural installation fits superbly into the rough walled space with its high ceilings, and is set off by the almost delicate fantasy/surreal/lifelike boy with female creature tableau of Piccinini. And that was just the start...

We are very grateful to Penny and Magdalena for giving us the privilege of a visit to this exciting venue at such short notice. if you missed out, keep an eye open for the next time the exhibition will be open to the public, possibly during Mofo early next year. And keep an eye on Detached -- we know Penny and her team have exciting plans for the future and we look forward to hearing more about them over the coming year.

John Sexton

Narryna, November 2015

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:21:37 GMT

On Thursday 19 November 2015 fifty Friends and guests gathered at Narryna for a fascinating insight into this historic home. Interestingly for many this was their first visit to Narryna. Scott Carlin, Manager, House Museums at TMAG introduced us to the house which was built in the late 1830s. The property tells its own distinctly Tasmanian story and it is this that Scott is keen to share with visitors. Through careful work, evidence of Narryna’s original decoration has been uncovered. This includes graining, marbling and wallpapers dating from 1840. Faux finishes were very popular at this time and Narryna obviously embraced that trend enthusiastically.

Incredibly (and very luckily!) we have our own historic wallpaper expert and craftsman, Alan Townsend here in Tasmania. Alan gave a very entertaining presentation on the research techniques and methods used to reproduce the wallpapers now hanging at Narryna. Designs including button satin and ashlar were sourced from Tasmanian properties contemporary with Narryna. In order to create the desired texture in the wallpapers, for example in the button silk design, a series of wood block prints in slightly varying shades of grey needed to be applied very carefully, one on top of the other. Whilst today’s technology makes this much easier than in the 1840s, it is still a very challenging process. Alan also shared some other wallpaper and frieze designs from the time, many of which were incredibly ornate. Going downstairs after Alan’s talk we looked at the walls and wallpaper with a whole new appreciation.

Continuing the theme of attention to detail there was also the opportunity to also view the entries and winner in the Tasmanian Art Quilt Prize which were on display at Narryna.

Our thanks to both Scott and Alan for this most enjoyable and interesting event.

--Gabrielle Balon

Go to our Photos page to see more images of our visit to Narryna.

Janet Carding's address to Annual General Meeting

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 17:43:53 GMT

As mentioned previously, once the formal business of our AGM on 24 September was finished with, members were provided with a review of recent projects and a tantalising preview of forthcoming events and activities by Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Director, Janet Carding.

This is a transcript of her address.

>>>

I’ve been at TMAG for less than six months so I can’t tell you about everything we’ve done over the last year, but here are some highlights of 2014–15:

The many exhibitions included Bush Blitz in Focus: Discovering New Species in Tasmania, City of Hobart Art Prize 2014, George Davis: Master Draughtsman, Jorg Schmeisser: Antarctic Paintings, 21 Up, Things I Once Knew: The Art of Patrick Hall and The Suspense is Awful: Tasmania and the Great War

Participation by TMAG scientists in the national Bush Blitz Program field expedition to the Arthur, Pieman and Savage River areas

Acquisitions have added to our collections including a new piece by Patrick Hall, depth of field bought with the support of the Foundation; a watercolour by Benjamin Duterrau, Schone Castle, Scotland; 1960s dining room suite by Schulim Krimper (dining table, dining chairs, side table, sideboard), coffee table and desk; Patricia Dukes Antarctic collection, 1995–2005. Equipment and supporting documentation for the 1997 Spirit of Australia South Pole expedition, 2000 International Trans Antarctic expedition and the 2002 Arctic expedition; Voucher collection of Tasmanian freshwater invertebrates from Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS) sampling program, of unknown value

Expansion of key partnerships, particularly with the City of Hobart in the delivery of the inaugural summer Friday Nights at TMAG series supported by the council’s cultural initiative, Creative Hobart

Expansion of outreach and art education activities delivered through AccessArt and supported by Detached Cultural Foundation including live virtual tours, Make Your Mark: Freedom youth art initiative and the Artist in Residence Program, January 2015

Expansion of learning programs to include a hands-on program milaythina Makara takila-ti or Country forever in our hearts presented by Tasmanian Aboriginal community members and TMAG staff and the very popular Colonial Hobart Comes Alive

NAIDOC Week and National Science Week programming and a new partnership with Questacon, The National Science and Technology Centre in the delivery of the Invention Convention at TMAG

And looking ahead we’ve signed an MOU with the Natural History Museum, Le Havre in conjunction with six other museums around Australia to be part of a touring exhibition throughout 2016 and 2017 of original artworks from Baudin’s expeditions to Australia.

We have finished the year [with visitor numbers] around 360,000. This is good news as we expected to drop back from the giddy heights of the 475,000 the previous year, but I understand drops of up to 50% are not uncommon in the second year after a reopening.

I know that TMAG is a much-loved organization and the recent redevelopment has been positively received. We have:

Strong collections, 1 million strong, with a unique Tasmanian focus – we tell the stories of Tasmania
Lots of programs, and considerable innovation happening
Dedicated supporters in Volunteers, Friends, Foundation and TMAGgots
Good in-house expertise eg in Conservation, registration, outreach, Aboriginal engagement
A wonderful location for our main site, and good collection facilities at Rosny.

Around the world museums and galleries are changing as we see more programs and events alongside the exhibitions and educational activities, evening openings, collaborations around research, new initiatives for early years, wellness and medical, and increase in collections online. Over the next few years we’ll see increasing use of big data, and gain a better understanding of how museums strengthen communities – giving people a strong sense of identity grounded in history, art and landscape – in this globalised world.

Within Tasmania we’re seeing a push to increase tourism to 1.5 million visitors, but also initiatives around educational attainment – in all of these areas TMAG can and will play an important role.

With the first stage of the redevelopment completed now is the time to build on what we’ve achieved and focus on how we bring the museum and art gallery to life everyday. We’re working on our plans for the future and by the end of the year will have a new strategic plan, but what I can tell you today is that we should be:

The leading destination to explore the stories of Tasmania
A must-do for tourists and popular with locals

We do this by being:

Compelling for adults, families and school students
A centre for volunteering, philanthropy and citizen science/humanities
The State’s collections content hub, supporting culture, tourism, research and education state-wide

This year while we plan we’re making a start by using our next exhibitions to build awareness of the role we play in the community. Let me give you some of the highlights:

We’ve put together the evening events that take place at TMAG, so we can better promote what goes on here, and you can put them in your diary well in advance.

The Hobart Art Prize has just returned, putting us in the spotlight around contemporary practice in Tasmania.

A week later on Sat 26 Sept we will be opening Colonial Panoramic Views, a rich display curated by Sue Backhouse

In mid-December we open Pattern Play, an exhibition that uses the patterns in art and nature to inspire families and young people in their creativity, major show from QAG, with additional material by TMAG which runs until late May next year. We are delighted that the committee of the Friends has committed $15,000 to support the development of new exhibitions about patterns in nature for this show.

Snapshot photography in mid-March 2016 – documenting the experience of women migrating to Tasmania from 1945 to 1975

And then in mid-June 2016 our major exhibition, The Tempest, will open to coincide with Dark MOFO.

Alongside all of this we’ll be completing our plans, building partnerships, promoting ourselves to tourists, increasing our volunteering opportunities and building the case for major investment in our technology – particularly our collections management system – the way we aim to digitise our collections and build a platform that can be shared with the other state organisations to put Tasmania on the map in terms of online access to our unique resources, libraries, archives, museum and galleries.

It is a lot to do and very exciting, and we’ll need your help to make TMAG truly thrive in this world. A museum is as strong as the community that supports it and, whether your interest is in Tasmania’s art, education, research or history, your support can make a major difference.

I’ve already been struck by the joy, enthusiasm and generosity of the Friends, always enjoying learning and new experiences, whilst supporting TMAG. Thank you for making me welcome, and I look forward to talking more with you as each new idea for TMAG take shape.

Theatre Royal

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 11:56:44 GMT

After our first visit to the Theatre Royal sold out quickly, we were able to schedule a second visit for those who missed out.

Most of us are familiar with the theatre from the seating in the stalls, the balcony, and even the gods, but not many have seen it from the other side of the stage.

Our guide Robyn Rheinberger took us first outside, where layers of sandstone, brick and steel reveal the history of the building. Inside is a rabbit warren of dressing rooms, narrow corridors, the green room (which isn't green), the orchestra pit, and finally the stage, with its ancient boards and modern lighting and curtain-raising.

A fascinating insight and a great afternoon tea to follow!

Science and conservation behind the scenes at the Botanical Gardens

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 21:25:24 GMT

Thanks to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens for hosting a terrific event for the Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery on a mild October evening.

RTBG staff members Natalie Tapson and Lorraine Perrins inspired members with their overview of the incredible scientific and conservation work that is done quietly behind the scenes as we enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the Gardens.

Members commented that they had been unaware of the effort that was required and expended on ensuring the long-term survival of Tasmania's rare and endangered native species, and were thrilled and gratified to know that this work was being done by such skilled and passionate professionals at the Gardens.

Annual General Meeting and new committee

Sat, 26 Sep 2015 02:39:48 GMT

The Friends of TMAG AGM for 2015 was held on Thursday 24 September at TMAG.

At the meeting, a special resolution was carried, implementing the proposed updates to the Friends' Constitution. The documentation is being finalised, and a copy of the revised Constitution is available here.

A new committee (with some familiar faces) was elected. The office bearers are Julie Hawkins, President, Christopher Thomas, Vice President, Andrew Ross, Secretary and Noel Harper, Treasurer.

We are delighted that Suzy Cooper has agreed to join our committee. Suzy brings experience as a communications professional along with roles as a Hobart City Council Alderman and the TMAGgots to the team. She joins committee members Jean Boughey, David Coleman, Digby Longhurst and Matthew Spencer.

After what we understand is a record-breaking six year tenure as President, John Sexton is currently enjoying some overseas travel, but he tells us he will be exercising his option (as provided in the Constitution) to join the Committee as Immediate Past President, to which we look forward.

Following the formal business of the meeting, TMAG Director Janet Carding gave members a review of TMAG's highlights for the past year and a preview of some exciting forthcoming activities.

Theatre Royal Visit August 17 2015

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 01:33:08 GMT

On a very cold and wet Winter’s afternoon 32 keen members of the Friends of TMAG battled the elements to attend a guided tour of the Theatre Royal.

We were told how the theatre started its life and the various uses including being used for boxing competitions. Also the dubious ‘goings-on’ in the theatre and the conditions at the time of both what happened in the theatre and its surrounds. The history and the tenuous times that the theatre endured continue to the present day.

The technical procedures of how an event is staged and how equipment and props are delivered on stage were of interest.

Looking back into the auditorium is a magical experience that few had experienced and the difference of the opulence of the auditorium compared to the basic conditions backstage for the cast of productions was commented on.

The dressing room used by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh was of interest and one member shared her memories of having seen them when they performed at the theatre in 1948.

A lovely afternoon tea was enjoyed after the tours with much chat about the experience.

Proposed changes to Constitution

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 06:38:41 GMT

At the AGM of the Friends of TMAG in September, there will be a motion presented to amend certain parts of the Friends' Constitution.

The Constitution hasn't been amended since 1999 and, as you can imagine, there are some aspects that are now somewhat out-of-date. For example, the Constitution (Paragraph 9) allows onloy one method of payment of bills; that is, by cheque. As you will be aware, cheques are becoming an endangered speicies in commercial life, and your Committee needs the freedom to operate financially in other ways.

Similarly, the Constitution (Paragraph 6) prescribes what the membership fees are, and they similarly haven't changed since 1999. The current Committee isn't proposing a change to annual membership fees, but rather the constitutional ability to change them should there be a reason to do so.

Another area that the Committee feels needs amendment relates to our connections with our sister organisations, the Foundation and the TMAGots. The Friends are the senior of the three, in terms of their formation date, but where there were clear inter-connections between us and each of the other two in previous times, we now see a situation where the three organisations have become quite independent of each other, and the links between the Friends and the Foundation that are referred to in our Constitution (Paragraphs 2 and 5) no longer seem appropriate, particularly as the TMAGots have never had any such constitutional connection to the Friends. The Committee is proposing that those historical and restrictive links be severed by the removal of all reference to the Foundation in the Constitution.

There is no proposal to alter the basic meanings, values and purposes of the Friends as established in the Constitution; all the amendments we are proposing are either to reflect current practice, to ease restrictions (particularly in financial matters), to remove historical anomalies and/or to amend minor wording issues. The changes do not in any way affect the fundamental principles, values and intent of the Friends of TMAG, and they affect only five of the 35 paragraphs in the Constitution.

The amendments can be viewed in the document available for download below. The sections to be removed are shown as being struck out, with the proposed replacements indicated with highlighting (track changes for those familiar with word processing parlance).

If any member has any queries about the proposed amendments, please get in touch with us by emailing friends@tmag.tas.gov.au or by speaking directly with a member of your Committee.

FTMAG Constiution 2015 with proposed ammendments.pdf

When My Heart Stops Beating - Patrick Hall book launch

Sun, 16 Aug 2015 00:06:02 GMT

Friends of TMAG members are warmly invited to attend this special book launch, to be performed by TMAG Director Janet Carding. The launch will take place in the midst of the exhibition featuring the book's subject, Patrick's stunning work When My Heart Stops Beating (2011).

Patrick will read from the book, which is limited to just 100 individually signed and numbered copies.

The launch will also be one of the final opportunities to enjoy the wonderful exhibition Things I Once Knew: The Art of Patrick Hall, which closes on 30 August 2015.

2.00pm Saturday 22 August 2015

Venue: Argyle Gallery 3, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Numbers for the launch are limited; please RSVP by Friday, 21 August on (03) 6165 7001(03) 6165 7001(03) 6165 7001(03) 6165 7001 or tmagmail@tmag.tas.gov.au

Secure your copy

If you'd like to secure your copy of this limited edition publication, the Museum shop is taking pre-orders (with payment) and members will receive their 10% discount.

The RRP is $235.00. Contact the shop directly, via the above phone number, more more details.

How to log in and make payments via the website

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 02:33:57 GMT

Our website and online payments system is fully operational and we are asking members to visit the website and make use of the online payments system.

This will help to reduce the substantial workload borne by your committee to manually administer membership renewals and other transactions and communications, and will save the association significant amounts of money currently spent on postage. These funds can then be used for our fundamental purpose - supporting the work of TMAG.

To assist members, we have prepared detailed, step-by step instructions on how to log on, setup or reset passwords, and make online payments.

Read the instructions

Indigenous Culture, July 15 2015

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 04:21:29 GMT

Our Members’ event for July was an illustrated talk by Zoe Rimmer entitled Indigenous Culture, Here and Overseas.

Zoe Rimmer is TMAG’s Acting Senior Curator Indigenous Culture and her very informative and beautifully illustrated talk was appreciated by around 50 Members.

After an acknowledgment of the traditional owners of the land where TMAG now stands, Friends’ President John Sexton welcomed Members to a talk which, as he said, was in many ways overdue: it had been some time since the Friends had heard of the latest developments at TMAG in Indigenous Culture.

Guest speaker Zoe Rimmer told Members of her trip to North America and Europe last year on a Churchill Fellowship. She had visited a number of museums in several countries where items of great importance to Tasmanian indigenous culture were held, including several items that were, to the best of her knowledge, unique.

She also reported on her recent discussions in London and Paris regarding the latest round of repatriation talks with several major museums. She was able to report on the success of some of these talks with several museums, but also reported that there was a need for further discussion with some others. Overall, however, Members were left with the impression that considerable advances had been made in matters of repatriation, and that more success could be expected in the future.

Online payments now available via website

Tue, 07 Jul 2015 02:38:20 GMT

We're delighted to advise that payments for Friends of TMAG memberships, renewals, events and donations can now be made directly online on our website using Paypal.

You can use your credit card or funds directly from your bank account. Next time you are on the website and need to make a payment, you'll see 'Pay Online' as an option. Click on that and the system will step you through the process - it's very easy and secure.

Of course, you can still make payment by our other methods too - cheiques and direct deposit into our account. And the good people at the TMAG shop can accept cash payments for membership renewals and donations - just pop in and take your membership renewal form with you.

Find out more about using Paypal

Patrick Hall - Things I Once Knew

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 06:40:37 GMT

On June 10 2015 Members enjoyed an event with a slightly different format from the usual: a walk and talk by the artist Patrick Hall around his exhibition Things I Once Knew.

After the usual refreshments, around 50 Members were welcomed by Friends’ Vice-President Chris Thomas, on behalf of President John Sexton who was interstate. Chris briefly introduced Patrick Hall with reference to Patrick’s career as well as some personal anecdotes, and then Patrick led Members off for a walk around the exhibition, explaining different items in terms of their conception, production and with reference to some hidden aspects of some of the displayed pieces.

Because of the usual museum rules of not touching art-works, a number of Patrick’s pieces can only normally be seen from the outside, as it were. The artist, however, was able to show members how several of the pieces opened up or had other inner hidden aspects which viewers are usually not able to see. This revealed a whole new area of understanding which even those Members who were familiar with the exhibition found interesting and informative, adding greatly to their enjoyment and appreciation of the exhibition.

A number of Members reported that they particularly enjoyed this format and felt it was one of the best Members’ Functions they had been to. Our sincere thanks go to Patrick Hall for his generosity in taking part in this event and for leading such an entertaining and informative discussion.

Allport Museum visit May 2015

Sat, 23 May 2015 07:12:44 GMT

On May 21, around 60 Members enjoyed a visit to the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts. The Allport, as it is usually known, is one of those places that we all know about but keep forgetting to visit – or at least that is what a number of our Members said to us on the night. So for many people this was a very welcome chance to catch up with one of the lesser-known glories of Hobart’s cultural scene.

After refreshments and then a welcome from Friends’ President John Sexton, we heard from the Allport’s Curator Caitlin Sutton who gave us an illustrated talk about the Allport family and the story behind their bequest to the people of Tasmania, a bequest made up of fine and rare books, colonial works of art and early nineteenth century furniture, silver, glass and fine china.

We were then privileged to hear from artist Lauren Black who spoke to us about the current temporary exhibition at the Allport, Memento Mori: Art, Medicine and the Body. Lauren Black’s work explores both Western and Eastern medical traditions, and her explanation, again accompanied by illustrations, was fascinating.

After the talks, Members had the opportunity to wander through both the permanent exhibition and the temporary Memento Mori exhibition. Several Members commented upon both contrasts and parallels they found between the two very different exhibitions, and many also mentioned how much they enjoyed the chance to have an informed guide to this delightful museum and gallery.

The Suspense is Awful function April 29 2015

Fri, 08 May 2015 07:52:58 GMT

Our April event for Members was a talk and walk through the exhibition The Suspense is Awful. About 50 Members were able to enjoy this event, beginning as usual with refreshments and a social chat before President John Sexton introduced two speakers: firstly, the newly appointed Director of TMAG, Janet Carding; and then TMAG’s Senior Curator of History, Ian Terry.

Members were delighted to hear first-hand from our new Director as she explained something of her extensive background and experience as a museum professional with stints in several museums, including the London Science Museum, as Assistant Director at the Australian Museum in Sydney, and as Director of the Royal Ontario Museum.

Ms Carding explained that she couldn’t yet claim to have a clear and defined vision for TMAG, because, having been in the job for only a few weeks, she was finding there was still much to learn about TMAG’s operations, and she was looking for the chance to find out more from the various stake-holders, including the Friends of TMAG, before formalizing hew views on the museum’s future.

We then heard from Senior Curator of History, Ian Terry, who gave us a very informative and interesting talk about the current exhibition, The Suspense is Awful, which presents a fascinating view into the lives of those who were left at home when many Tasmanians went off to become participants in various ways in the campaigns of the First World War. Many of those who went off to war kept diaries, sent postcards home and in various other ways recorded their experiences for those at home, and many of these artifacts have survived to become a part of this exhibition. With many of the Members who attended having personal connections to the War, the exhibition and Ian Terry’s explanation of it was a fascinating and engrossing event which many Members told us they enjoyed very much.

Wanted 1900–1915 table - for extended loan

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:49:57 GMT

The WWI exhibition development team is searching for a small to medium size round or rectangular wooden dining table (or the like) to be used in an interpretive space within the exhibition, which will run for a year from March 2015-March 2016.

It is likely that the table will be covered with a tablecloth so marking and stains may not be a problem. As hundreds of members of the general public will sit at the table looking through photo albums and other paraphernalia, it will need to be sturdy and have all four legs in good working order.

If you think you have a suitable table that you can loan the exhibition team for an entire year — perhaps something that is out in the back shed — please send an
image with rough dimensions to Trudy Woodcock at Trudy.woodcock-outram@tmag.tas.gov.au or get in touch via the details below:

Your new committee

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:32:39 GMT

Following the AGM held on 25 September 2014, the new committee for 2014-2015 is

President John Sexton

Vice President Christopher Thomas

Treasurer Noel Harper

Secretary Julie Hawkins

Committee members Jean Boughey, David Coleman, Ruvé Etchell, Digby Longhurst, Andrew Ross, Matt Spencer

Ex Officio Jennifer Storer, TMAG Acting Director

Renewals and membership cards

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 02:02:21 GMT

Thank you to all those members who have responded thus far and renewed your membership for the coming year - well over half our members who fell due in July have renewed, with more coming in daily.

We are planning to issue personalised, credit-card style membership cards, to replace the cardboard cards we've previously used. This will occur in late October; meanwhile, please continue to use your old card, or bring along or print out a copy of your membership receipt, to claim membership benefits.

Website news

Sat, 28 Jun 2014 00:24:02 GMT

If you are reading this, you have clearly found your way to the new Friends of TMAG website. Your committee has been hard at work, getting the site ready for you. In future this will be the major point for dealing with membership applications, renewals, registration for events and more.

For now, we are populating the site with what we hope will be useful and interesting information for members. On the Home page, for example, you can download copies of recent Friends Newsletters.

In the About Us section, we have placed a copy of our Constitution document, for interest and reference. (This is a scanned copy of the hard copy we have - if any member has the current constitution as a word processor document, could you please forward it to us at friends@tmag.tas.gov.au - we'd be grateful and it will save someone a lot of typing!)

Also on the About Us page you'll find our new Privacy Policy. Like any organisation in Australia, the Friends of TMAG is subject to the Australian Privacy Principles and associated legislation. The Policy details what personal information we collect, how it is managed and what uses it is put to.

Membership renewals

Sat, 28 Jun 2014 00:21:01 GMT

Your personalised membership renewal letters and forms are on their way to you. There is even a reply-paid envelope to return the form, plus we have offered a range of options for payment.

We hope you find the renewal process easy, and encourage you to renew promptly so you don't miss out on any of the events that we have coming up.

Second tour of Shene Estate

Wed, 07 May 2014 04:06:13 GMT

We had a brilliant tour of Shene Estate last Sunday afternoon. Anne and David Kernke gave a wonderful tour of the magnificent gothic stables, the great barn and through their homestead before treating us to afternoon tea. Take a look at the Photos page for a taster or reminder.

Due to the overwhelming response to this activity and the large number of members who missed out, we have secured a second tour of Shene on Sunday 25 May. A notice is being sent to those who missed out on the first tour. Depending on the uptake by those members, a wider notification may be sent.

Burnt Rubber.... Mixed Media artworks by Donna Ritchie

Sun, 04 May 2014 00:47:37 GMT

Artist Donna Ritchie, who works as a Visitor Services Officer at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, is having an exhibition at the SideSpace Gallery of the Salamanca Arts Centre this month, and members are warmly welcomed to pop along for a look.

The exhibition, entitled Burnt Rubber, explores social behaviour and the consequences of greed.

Donna writes "by using nostalgic triggers, such as matchbox cars, I aim to give the viewer a personal connection to my work whilst filtering messages through."

"The use of matchbox cars emphasises the 'play' involved in our human existence - when this becomes a 'power play' it has the ability to become an unsustainable process where irreversible damage can be done."

The main materials used are mass produced matchbox cars alongside handcrafted Italian glass.

The exhibition runs from Wednesday 7 until Sunday 11 May 2014, from 9 - 5 daily. The Sidespace Gallery is adjacent to the Long Gallery, on the first floor of the Salamanca Arts Centre at 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart.

For more details, see Donna's website www.donnaritchie.com.au/

Membership renewals are coming up

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 01:41:00 GMT

It is approaching that time of year again when we ask you to renew your membership of the Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. It is hard to believe that it is more than a year since the reopening of TMAG following the first stage of its redevelopment. In that time visitation has grown, as has membership of TMAG.

Your committee has been hard at work implementing a new, very 21^st century membership management system that will, in due course, enable those of you who have the inclination to manage your own subscriptions via a website, as well as access news, information about forthcoming events, make payments and donations and generally stay in touch with the activities of the Friends of TMAG.

We will be using the system from this membership renewal onwards. On this occasion we will be writing to all members and asking you to complete the information a pre-filled form and return it to us by post.

We will also be asking you to provide your preferred method of contact. We know from our survey of a couple of years ago that many of you are keen for contact to be via email and the web, which this new system will soon be providing. Those who are not so keen, never fear; we shall continue to allow you to subscribe, receive news and make payment by post and cheque for as long as the banks keep accepting them.

However, given the increasing costs and workload associated with mailing to our growing membership, we do ask that if you have access to email, that you do seriously consider using that channel; the more money we can save on postage, the more we have to support TMAG and its work.

New membership management system

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 01:30:45 GMT

Your committee is implementing a new computerised cloud-based membership database system to help us stay in touch and better serve our rapidly growing number of Friends.

This new, very 21^st century membership management system will, in due course, enable those of you who have the inclination to manage your own subscriptions via a website, as well as access news, information about forthcoming events, make payments and donations and generally stay in touch with the activities of the Friends of TMAG.

The system, from Canadian developers Wild Apricot, offers a range of benefits, including:

A choice of payment options, including direct debit and online payments while still allowing us to accept postal orders and cheques.
Managing RSVPs and payments for Friends’ events
A Friends website, which could include news, a calendar of events and options for members to manage their own membership preferences online
Communication by either email or traditional post
It can be managed by any committee member or other authorised person from any location – it doesn’t require someone sitting in a particular office.

We anticipate that it will take a few months for us to transfer all the membership information and the years of corporate knowledge that are held within Jean’s estimable card index system. Members should not notice any change or interruption to services at present, until we reach the point where we can begin email communications for those who have opted for it.