behind the scenes

White earthenware kangaroo on a black studio background. To the right of the kangaroo is a upright metal ruler (for scale), paper object tag, and colour reference chart. The kangaroo is about 20cm tall.

International Museum Day 2020: Digitising the Powerhouse Collection

May 18, 2020

We are digitising more than 330,000 items in the Powerhouse Collection to provide extraordinary levels of community access and support ongoing research and interpretation. The Powerhouse is custodian to over half a million objects of national and international significance spanning cultures and millennia.

A woman with glasses and curly hair sits at an office desk.

Meet the Registrar: Karen Biddle

July 10, 2019

Name: Karen Biddle Role: Registrar / Collection Database Administrator What is the main focus of your role at MAAS? My main focus is the MAAS collection database (called 'EMu'), for which I manage user group permissions, report design, QA work, large data queries and exports, periodic statistics, and providing training/support to users for everyday usage queries.

The museum interns stand beside a large yellow ball on a high tower. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is in the background.

Collecting in health and medicine: A curatorial intern experience

January 16, 2019

As a third year university student studying an arts degree, the same inevitable and dreaded question often arises in daily conversations; “oh, so what kind of job are you hoping to get with that degree?” My answer has always been that I would like to work as a curator or conservator in museums and art galleries, as I enjoy uncovering the history of objects and understanding what they can tell us about the past.

Two men and a woman stand around a table discussing fashion drawings and fabric samples. They are in the designer’s studio with garments hanging on racks in the background.

Serenely Akira: from storyboard to exhibition

December 20, 2018

Dismantling Reigning Men took a full week of sweat, noise and dust. But from it the MAAS team has crafted a cocoon of serenity designed to celebrate the creativity and subtle complexity of Akira Isogawa, in a new exhibition which opened on 15 December 2018.

Presenter Dr Graeme Phillips explains the finer points of time travel.

How to build a time machine

September 5, 2018

Back in January, the Catalyst team from the ABC approached us about using some of the Museum's clocks in an upcoming episode of their show. They were producing an episode entitled ‘How To Build A Time Machine', which would delve into the nature of time, whether time travel could ever become a reality, and what rules you'd want to follow if you did indeed find yourself in possession of a working time machine.

Photograph of the Macaroni Ensemble Suit on display

Men getting dressed: installing a fashion exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum

May 23, 2018

The four-week installation of the touring exhibition Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015 was one of the most complex that I have ever been involved in. At the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), we displayed over 130 ensembles and single garments, primarily from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which was an edited version of the original exhibition first shown at LACMA in 2016.

International Museums Day: Hyperconnected museums

May 18, 2018

International Museums Day (18 May) has been celebrated each year since 1977 to promote the role of museums around the world. This year’s theme Hyperconnected museums raises awareness about museums as an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.

View from mezzanine of Room 3, Museums Discovery Centre

Sydney’s Best Kept Secret: The Museums Discovery Centre

May 9, 2018

This post was written by Chloe Appleby, a Curatorial Volunteer working under the supervision of Curator Margaret Simpson throughout 2017 and 2018. Chloe also works as a Program Producer and Visitor Services Officer at MAAS's Powerhouse site in Ultimo and the Museums Discovery Centre in Castle Hill.

Senior Curator Roger Leong at work on a series of pin up boards

Behind the scenes: Developing Australian Men’s Style

March 14, 2018

The Museum is excited to present Australian Men’s Style featuring 25 objects from the MAAS collection that touch on aspects of Australian men’s dress over a period of 200 years. From gentlemen’s attire in the early colonial period to post-World War II outfits and contemporary design, Australian Men’s Style will feature some of the milestones in the evolution of Australian menswear.

Powerhouse Museum turns 30!

March 10, 2018

On 10 March the Powerhouse Museum celebrates its 30th birthday. Over the past three decades the Museum has produced an enormous number of amazing exhibitions covering everything from science to art, Star Wars to high fashion.

View overlooking a gallery space at the Museums Discovery Centre in Castle Hill. Hanging from the ceiling are several small planes, including one which is upside down. On the level below are other objects from the Museum's transport collection, including a boat, tram carriage, steam train and fire engine.

Storing a collection of 500,000 objects

January 17, 2018

The MAAS collection contains an estimated 500 000 objects. These objects are routinely moved around the Museum as they are taken on and off display, undergo conservation work, are photographed for publications, or even loaned to other museums and institutions across Australia and internationally.

Positioning railway models and toys on an example template

Behind the Scenes Interning

November 21, 2017

Chloe Appleby is a university student who has spent the last 4 months interning in the Curatorial department at MAAS. Below she reports on her experience and what parts of her internship she enjoyed the most.

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