People and practice

Donating to the MAAS collection

October 24, 2018

Ever wondered how to donate to a museum? Curator Tilly Boleyn reveals what to consider before you get in touch. Spring is a busy time. Flowers are blooming, lambs are frolicking and people are clearing out their sheds thinking, “I wonder if I should donate this to a museum?”.

Photograph of Nina Earl in Light Ball Orchestra in Future Park exhibition

Meet the Curator: Nina Earl

October 17, 2018

Name: Nina Earl Role: Assistant Curator What is your area of expertise? All things science but currently I am reading and learning about 3D printing. The exciting part is that I get to visit research laboratories and see what is happening in the speculative research of this area.

Examining a slide rule for collection documentation in the museum store

Clocks, rocks and phonographs: A Curatorial Intern experience

October 3, 2018

I'm currently finishing up a 3-month internship in the Curatorial department of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS). I embarked on this three-month internship without any background in museum work or studies.

Kimberley Bezuidenhout at the entrance to the 'Interface: people, machines, design' exhibition

What’s this doing in a museum?

September 26, 2018

Week 11 as an intern at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. No sign of life in the objects. Starting to think that basing my expectations on ‘Night at the Museum’ was unrealistic. Although, I have only been here during the day, so I won’t write that off just yet.

Graphic of MAAS Ask a Curator Day schedule

Ask a Curator Day 2018

September 11, 2018

The Museum staff have a huge job caring for our enormous collection of over 500,000 objects. Our team includes experts in a vast range of areas, including: fashion, health and medicine, architecture, engineering, sciences, design, decorative arts, technologies and contemporary culture.

A steam engine with a large flywheel on display in the Powerhouse Museum

Industrial Revolution in Australia – impact on manufacturing in the 1800s

August 29, 2018

When we think of the Industrial Revolution in Britain with its steam engines powering machines, the mass production of goods, thousands of poor farming families leaving the countryside to work in 'satanic' mills and factories and the rise of the wealthy middle class, it's hard to see how this could be applied to Australia.

Photograph of Sarah Reeves on the surface of a large radio telescope dish.

So you want a career in Science?

August 8, 2018

The Inside the Collection blog is normally devoted to bringing our readers stories about objects from the Museum's unique collection, and our latest exhibitions, and the amazing staff who make it all happen.

Catalina Frigate Bird II on display at the Powerhouse Museum

Holograms and History

July 25, 2018

Imagine a museum where objects come to life as you walk amongst them. With augmented reality technology, that’s becoming possible, enabling visitors to explore museum exhibits and artefacts in new ways.

Akira Isogawa with MAAS Curator Kristina Stankovski, preparing an asymmetrical spot-print top

Meet the Curator: Kristina Stankovski

July 11, 2018

Name: Kristina Stankovski Role: Assistant Curator What is your area of expertise? Fashion and Dress What's your background and how did you come to work at the Museum? I hold a Master of Arts in the History and Culture of Fashion from the London College of Fashion, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Sydney University.

Photograph of participants of homeward bound

A Curator in Antarctica

July 4, 2018

Summer in Antarctica is smelly, noisy and cold. The temperature hovers around 0°C and on most of the rocky sites there is an overwhelming smell of digested krill or diesel. You may wonder why on earth someone would want to visit.

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.

Photograph of musician Grace Chan playing the portative organ, alongside The lady and the unicorn tapestries at the Art Gallery of NSW.

MAAS outgoing loans program: portative organ

April 4, 2018

A recent loan to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) highlights our commitment to providing access to the collection in new and varied ways. The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) has an active outgoing loans program, through which the diverse collection is made accessible to audiences across Australia and the world.

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