little ostraca

Attending the inaugural Museums Australasia Conference is undoubtedly the best thing I have done for my career to date. I had been considering attending a Museums Australia conference for some time and jumped at the chance to immerse myself in all things museums and collections, be a part of something new, network with my fellow EMPs (‘Emerging’ Museum Professionals) and to then embark on my first holiday in New Zealand.

The above ‘Mel’s Moments’ summary captures my favourite moments from the conference; to an extent. After attending the EMP Mini-conference and three jam-packed main conference days it is hard to condense my thoughts into one image. I have not mentioned for example, the fascinating talk by Penny Edwell on the ‘Lowest Museum on Earth’ in Safi, Jordan. Boon Hui Tan‘s comment at the end of this talk; ‘We must protect the shared heritage of humanity’ really resonated with me. I also neglected to mention Katrina Ross‘ talk on how researching beer bottles in the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery collections (go Tassie) has led to new discoveries regarding the human diet of 200 years ago. Jason Benjamin’s presentation on the Arts West building development at the University of Melbourne (my daily workplace) and the implementation of new object-based learning approaches was also very enlightening.

My summary also does not mention the very strong Maori focus of the conference and the important role museums play in representing minority communities. The conference overall left me a little ashamed as to the visibility of First Peoples culture in Australia in general.

The parallel session ‘EMP Stories and how museums can change the world’ was filled to the brim with EMPs and a small contingent of established professionals, or as Andrew Simpson hilariously commented ‘submerging professionals.’ As a group, EMPs are trying to make their voice heard in the museums sector and it was a little disheartening that the session was held at time when the majority of delegates had left for off-site museum visits. This session was the perfect opportunity for the EMP voice to be heard and I do not think it was taken advantage of. Perhaps something to consider in the scheduling for next time so greater numbers are able to attend.

Overall, what my ‘Mel’s Moments’ summary does not capture is how I felt at the conference. As an independent collections & cultural heritage professional my work is often solitary. I’m not surrounded by my peers who share similar interests, experiences and career goals, so to feel like I belonged was such an incredible feeling. I am by nature a little shy but I am so proud of myself for networking like I never have before. I had conversations with so many of my EMP peers which I have no doubt will spark further projects and friendships and I had the courage to speak to those who I admire in the Australian museum sector and introduce myself to keynote speakers and many other Australian and international established professionals. Sharing lunch with Elizabeth Merritt and having a quick chat with Boon Hui Tan (I’m now quite the fan) are some such highlights. I also had the pleasure of meeting Seb Chan and Andy Fenton at the EMP breakfast and was able to seek some very helpful career advice.

I learn’t not do dismiss my ‘day job’ working in research grants management. I’ve always kept my collections work so separate, however through the conference I quickly discovered that working with funding guidelines, agreements and grant applications on a daily basis has provided me with sought after attributes, especially when the cultural sector is so desperate for funding.

I’m looking forward to re-establishing the connections I made in Auckland back in my home city of Melbourne and to fostering new friendships and seeking out new projects. MA16NZ provided me with the confidence to continue doing what I absolutely love to do. I have no doubt I will be back next time.

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