Inside the Collection

Stoneware bowl made by Peter Rushforth, Sydney, NSW, c.1964

Vale Peter Rushforth, a great Australian ceramicist

August 4, 2015

Anne-Marie Van de Ven
Peter Rushforth was one of Australia’s great ceramicists. Along with a number of his contemporaries, including his early mentor Allan Lowe, Rushforth shared an abiding interest in Asian, especially Chinese and Japanese ceramic aesthetics, philosophies and traditions.
Photograph of a 22 hp, 4-cylinder Model T Tourer made at Ford's Walkerville factory, Ontario, Canada, in 1916

Henry Ford’s Model T and its impact in Australia

July 30, 2015

Margaret Simpson
It was Henry Ford's dream to "democratise the automobile" by not only making it available to the rich but to everyone. He did this by producing the inexpensive Model T, a car which took the world by storm and was a significant invention during the Industrial Revolution.
Olympic Games towel designed by Shirley de Vocht for Dri-Glo Towels, Sydney, 1956, MAAS collection

Shirley Martin: Australian industrial designer

July 29, 2015

Anne-Marie Van de Ven
Shirley Martin was a female industrial designer based in Sydney who had a long and illustrious career as a post-WWII Australian textile and ceramic designer. She is best known for designing the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games towel, but there is much more to her remarkable design industry success story.
Photograph of Florence Broadhurst, unknown photographer, 1920s, MAAS collection

Florence Broadhurst’s Fabulous Foils

July 28, 2015

Anne-Marie Van de Ven
From the mid 19th century, wallpapers used in Australia had predominantly been imported from Britain, but also from France, Canada and America. In 1959, Florence Broadhurst decided to buck the trend.
Prosthetic arm, 1920, MAAS collection

The Aesthetics of Prosthetics: a Brief History

July 15, 2015

Damian McDonald
The objects discussed in this post are currently on display in the exhibition Design for Life, 26 September 2020–31 January 2021.   On Wednesday, 15 July 2015, museums around the world are sharing #DisabilityStories found in their collections.
MAAS Director, Rose Hiscock with Eddie Mabo's granddaughter, Gail Mabo, at the Sydney Observatory. Photograph by Jayne Ion.

A Star is Named: Eddie Mabo honoured in star dedication

July 8, 2015

Powerhouse
For NAIDOC Week 2015, Luke Briscoe of National Indigenous TV (NITV) writes about the star naming ceremony in honour of Eddie Mabo which took place at Sydney Observatory on 3 June 2015 (Eddie Mabo Day).
Photo of model wearing 'Desert Pea Dame,' Cooee Couture, made and designed by Romance Was Born, Sydney, 2015

A Fashion Affair: Romance Was Born and MAAS

June 24, 2015

Roger Leong
Our Annual Appeal this year is focussed on acquiring the latest collection by Australian fashion label, Romance Was Born. MAAS has a long relationship with Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, the designers behind the label, as our collection has informed their practice over many years.
Photo of Tanya Binning off Bondi Beach from the 'Made in Australia' book, 1969, David Mist archive, MAAS collection

Australia’s Surfing History and Surfboard Design

June 19, 2015

Margaret Simpson
  On Saturday 20 June 2015 about 30 countries around the world will be celebrating International Surfing Day, Australia included. The idea is to celebrate surfing and the surfing lifestyle with contests and barbecues.
Portrait of Jonathan Croft, Deputy Purveyor of Sydney (Rum) Hospital, 1836, hand coloured photograph, artist unknown, Australia, 1850-1855, MAAS collection, 2008/141/1

200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

June 18, 2015

Tilly Boleyn
On 18 June 1815, over 140,000 soldiers fought at the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon, the French Emperor, was finally defeated in his plans to control Europe. The victory at Waterloo by the British Duke of Wellington and Britain’s allies was the final battle of many in the long French and Napoleonic Wars spanning from 1793 to 1815.
Hartmut Esslinger presents at MAAS

Hartmut Esslinger lets rip on design

May 29, 2015

Tilly Boleyn
While visiting Sydney, German born American design luminary and provocateur Hartmut Esslinger set aside time to visit the Museum for the second time in six months and present his views on design. Convergent design and originality have long underpinned Hartmut’s practice since his early days as founder of Frogdesign.
Photograph of a detail from Minaret, lantern-shaped dress by Issey Miyake, Japan, 1995, MAAS Collection

Japanese Folds exhibition

May 27, 2015

Min-Jung Kim
Japanese Folds (16 May-21 June 2015) is a playful exhibition showing contemporary fashion items and decorative arts from the Museum’s collection centred on the Japanese practice of folding. The exhibition provides an insight into the folding design concept with a focus on the way contemporary Japanese designers have adapted and incorporated traditional folding practices into their work.
View of Palmyra, 1999, photographer Paul Donnelly

National Archaeology Week

May 21, 2015

Tilly Boleyn
It was both poignant and fitting that National Archaeology Week coincides with the dreadful news that Palmyra (Tadmor) in Syria - the ancient oasis city of the desert that nearly two thousand years ago was the western fulcrum of the Silk Road - is under threat of destruction.