Regional Museums Development Project

Initiated by Arts Northern Rivers, in conjunction with 21 volunteer run museums in the Northern Rivers, the Regional Museums Development Project has been established to support the operation of our local heritage centres in accordance with museum best practice. In August 2007, Regional Museums Development Officer, Joan Kelly, was appointed to oversee the implementation of the Project.

Initially this involved working closely with volunteer museum staff to examine the current situation of the museums and map requirements for their sustainability. Following on from this research, a series of workshops were delivered to train volunteer museums staff in skills such as collection management, conservation, audience development and planning.

A Regional Significance Assessment was also undertaken, supported by a Community Heritage Grant through the National Library, to assist volunteer museum staff identify and write Statements of Significance about their most important artefacts. While many of these artefacts may not have high monetary value, they all form a valuable heritage link in the local story telling of the region. Some of these items include handmade silks from the New Italy heritage listed collection, a growing collection of Indigenous cultural material at Lismore Regional Museum as well as specialist collections such as The Alumny Creek School Museum and the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum collection. Within the community, there is a strong belief that these objects should be held locally, where they retain the most significance.

The second stage of work on the Regional Museums Development Project has commenced, supported by ongoing funding from Arts NSW and Clarence Valley Council. This enables further development of the Project, to address the following priorities:

- Development of individual museum strategies, in addition to a regional museum strategy, to guarantee the sustainability of the valuable heritage collections in the region;
- Building connections with councils and other strategic partners;
- Building links with the community through the production of high quality interpretative displays, and educational and public programs;
- Advocating to local councils, the need for the integration of professional staff into sub-regional museum hubs based in the three valleys of the region.

The Regional Museums Development Project is supported by Arts NSW, Museums and Galleries NSW and Clarence Valley Council, with ongoing core operational support from the seven local government authorities in the Northern Rivers region.

Image: Conservation with Christine Ianna at New Italy Museum