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Australian Museum 2017

Year in review 2017

Contents 07 10 11

From the Director & CEO

A year to celebrate 190+ the future path

The Australian Museum acknowledges the traditional owners of the land, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, on whose land the museum is situated. The Australian Museum respects elders past and present, and welcomes all who visit the museum.

12 Exhibitions 22 Science 32 Culture 36 People 48 2018 preview

Cover page: Medaska mask by the Uramot people from the Baining region of East New Britain. This page: Jasperised wood from the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Unless otherwise credited, all text and images are copyright ÂŠ Australian Museum, 2018. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, you may not reproduce or copy any part of this publication without the written permission of the Australian Museum. Please contact the Editor for further information. Editor: Peter Munro Designer: Lucy Dougall Production: Jenny Hooker Printer: Green and Gold Printing Year in Review is printed on Revive, a 100% recycled paper. Australia Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 australianmuseum.net.au

Australian Museum 2017

From the Director & CEO In November, the AM launched FrogID, Australia’s first national frog count, for citizen scientists across the country to help save our most endangered animals. AM scientists also explored Lord Howe Island and the cliffs of Ball’s Pyramid, in search of the world’s rarest insect. Our 190th year was also an opportunity to celebrate our greatest treasures closer to home, in the newly restored Westpac Long Gallery, Australia’s first and finest museum gallery.

‘

The Australian Museum, when it was founded 190 years ago, had the extraordinary and unique responsibility of starting the first systematic collection of the animals and plants of an entire continent. Today, it is a scientific centre of world importance.

’

Sir David Attenborough 6

Australian Museum 2017

Kim McKay AO Walking into the Australian Museum (AM) is an adventure. Around every corner lies a discovery that helps inform our past, understand our present and shape our thinking about the future. That was never more true than in 2017, the AM’s 190th year. It was a seminal and exciting year at Australia’s first museum. A year to celebrate our history, while looking ahead with our ambitious Master Plan, which will propel the museum into the new century. Humans are fundamentally storytellers. And the AM, the world’s fifth-oldest natural history museum, has an interesting story to tell. As custodian of more than 18 million scientific specimens and cultural objects, the AM offers insights into the nation, region and world. Through the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), the AM plays a leading role in conserving biodiversity and understanding the impacts of environmental issues, including climate change.

The permanent exhibition 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum reveals some of the most important objects in our collection alongside the nation’s greatest achievers, across history, politics, culture and sport. Such achievements were made possible with the support of NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin and the State Government, along with the dedication and passion of our partners like Westpac and the Australian Museum Foundation, as well as our staff and volunteers. I would like to welcome new AM Trust President David Armstrong and to thank Catherine Livingstone AO, who stepped down from the role in 2017 after six years of outstanding service. Her encouragement and conviction have been instrumental to the transformation of the AM into an internationally recognised natural science and culture institution. There’s no doubt that we are living at an extraordinary time in history. But it’s only when you take time out from the rush that you remember to experience the world around you — to see what has gone before and what is at stake in the future. I look forward to sharing that adventure with all Australians over many more years to come. Previous page: The AM’s projection “200 Treasures Up in Lights”, highlighting the 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum exhibition. Photograph by James Morgan.

Australian Museum 2017

By the numbers 462,000+

300

18 million+

+ 12,000

366,000+

660

visitors to the AM

events held on-site at the AM

natural specimens and cultural objects in collections

people visited an AM touring exhibition

100+

research projects

129

new species described by AMRI scientists and associates

objects donated to AM collections

139

publications by AMRI scientists and associates

5.5 million

hours of service

school students visited the AM

142,000+ students engaged with the AMâ€™s education outreach programs

10,000+

18,400+

30,000+

61,000+

downloads of FrogID app

Australian Museum 2017

183,000

43,000+

website visits

downloads of AM app

volunteers contributed about

members

Facebook followers

Australian Museum 2017

A year to celebrate

190+ the future path

190th Anniversary

Barrabuwari muru

On 30 March 2017, the AM, the nation’s first museum, celebrated its 190th anniversary. The museum is an important symbol of our nation’s history — from its early days as a storehouse of the rare and exotic, to its now vast collections and acclaimed scientific research institute. It is a living encyclopaedia of knowledge on the cultures and creatures of Australia, the Pacific and the world. The AM has welcomed more than 34 million visitors to its site in Sydney and helped teach more than 5 million school students through its education programs. The AM’s collection of more than 18 million cultural objects and scientific specimens is the largest in the region, and includes the world’s finest Pacific collection. To mark the start of its 190th year, the AM bestowed on global treasure Sir David 10

Australian Museum 2017

Attenborough the museum’s highest honour of Lifetime Patron. The AM also named a genus of semi-snail, the Attenborougharion rubicundus, discovered by AM scientists in Tasmania, after the living legend. Sir David stressed the museum’s crucial role in documenting and studying the natural world. “The Australian Museum, when it was founded 190 years ago, had the extraordinary and unique responsibility of starting the first systematic collection of the animals and plants of an entire continent,” he said. “Today, it is a scientific centre of world importance.” Above: Sir David speaks to schoolchildren at the AM in March 2017. Photograph by James Morgan.

In the years to come, the AM’s Master Plan will be a game changer for NSW and Sydney. Named barrabuwari muru, meaning “future path” in the Sydney language, the Master Plan will redefine the role of a museum, bringing new experiences, digital engagement and community participation to Sydney, while delivering significant benefits across the state. The Master Plan propels the museum into the new century, as the leading natural science and culture museum in the region with its Indigenous, Pacific and science collections. The proposed redevelopment and expansion will turn the museum “inside out”, making 20 per cent of its collection accessible to the public by tripling the existing public floor space (currently, the AM has space to display less than 1 per cent of its collection) and sharing more of the collections digitally.

The Master Plan’s vision also includes a grand hall, cultural centre, five new permanent galleries, specialised learning spaces and state-of-the-art DNA labs to expand the work of AM scientists. The AM’s extraordinary collection already establishes it as one of the world’s great museums. The Master Plan sets the future course for the AM, to cement its place as a museum of international standing. Above: Artist’s impression of the proposed Oceans and Reef Gallery, one of the features under the Master Plan.

Australian Museum 2017

Exhibitions

Australian Museum 2017

Westpac Long Gallery Uncover hidden stories In October, the AM unveiled one of the greatest collections of treasures in the nation’s history in the new permanent exhibition 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum, in the restored Westpac Long Gallery. The exhibition, opened by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, celebrates the objects and people who have shaped the nation. The launch of the exhibition also marked the reopening of Australia’s first and grandest museum gallery, built between 1846 and 1855, after almost two years of restoration, conservation and exhibition design. The $9 million restoration and new permanent exhibition were funded in equal partnership between Westpac, the NSW Government and the Australian Museum Foundation. The exhibition showcases 100 of the most important and intriguing items in the AM’s collection of more than 18 million objects, including a wooden sledge and ice pick from Sir Douglas Mawson’s expedition to Antarctica, a 2800-year-old Egyptian mummy and a 120-million-year-old Australian opalised pliosaur, nicknamed “Eric”. The 100 treasured objects are complemented by 100 people who have helped shape the nation through contributions to history, science, nature or culture, including Cathy Freeman, Dr George Miller, Lord Howard Florey, Sir Donald Bradman, Mary Lee, Eddie Mabo, Sir Sidney Nolan, Kylie Minogue and Professor Fred Hollows. Previous page: Roro feather headdress from Papua New Guinea. Photograph by Stuart Humphreys. Far left: Inside the newly restored Westpac Long Gallery. Photograph by Abram Powell. Left: The Lamond butterfly collection, one of the treasures on show in the gallery.

Australian Museum 2017

Transformations: Art of the Scott sisters Sisters Helena and Harriet Scott exuded wit, intelligence, scientific curiosity and artistic expertise at a time when such qualities were largely attributed solely to men.

Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

From the 1850s, they produced more than 600 intricate and beautiful paintings and drawings of the moths, butterflies and botany of NSW, establishing themselves as two of the colony’s most prominent natural history artists. Their extraordinary work and lives were captured in the Transformations: Art of the Scott sisters exhibition, from February to June 2017. Presented side by side for the first time, the sisters’ delicate watercolour paintings were displayed with specimens representing the butterflies and moths they drew. Transformations, which won the 2017 IMAGinE Award for best museum exhibition, presented by Museums & Galleries of NSW, featured 41 original artworks, hundreds of entomology specimens and archival documents that placed the sisters’ art in the context of women’s struggle for education and recognition in 19th-century Sydney. The opening of the exhibition coincided with International Women’s Day. A scholarship benefitting young natural science illustration students was also awarded in honour of the Scott sisters, as part of the AM’s 190th year celebrations.

Nature at its most dramatic, graceful and unexpected was captured in the annual Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition. The exhibition, which ran from August 2017 to January 2018, featured more than 100 photographs displaying the extraordinary natural wonder of the Australian, New Zealand, Antarctic and New Guinea regions. The photographs in the exhibition, developed by the South Australian Museum and Australian Geographic and presented in partnership with Digital Camera Warehouse and Kent Street

Australian Museum 2017

Studios, were selected from more than 2100 competition entries, submitted by over 450 professional, emerging and junior photographers from around the world. The winner, Predatory Pursuit, by NSW photographer Justin Gilligan, captured the moment that a hungry octopus was picking its prey of spider crabs, off the coast of Tasmania. “The octopus was behaving like an excited child in a candy store,” Gilligan said. Above: Justin Gilligan’s Predatory Pursuit, winner of the 2017 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year award.

Australian Museum 2017

Mammoths – Giants of the Ice Age The Ice Age world of woolly mammoths was brought back to life in MammothsGiants of the Ice Age. The international exhibition, exclusive to the AM from November 2017 to May 2018, features the world’s most complete prehistoric animal: a 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth named Lyuba (which means “love” in Russian). It was the first time the world’s best-preserved prehistoric animal — discovered in 2007 with her flesh, internal organs, bones and milk tusks all perfectly intact — travelled to the Southern Hemisphere from Siberia on loan from The Shemanovsky Museum and Exhibition Centre. Mammoths — Giants of the Ice Age, was secured with the support of the NSW Government via Destination NSW. The exhibition, developed by Chicago’s The Field Museum, also showcased more than 100 rare fossils and specimens from around the world, including mammoth skeletons, tusks, cave drawings, ivory carvings and spear points used by hunters to stalk their giant prey. Visitors could walk through the landscapes where mammoths and mastodons (their smaller, stockier cousins) lived, come face to face with a herd of mammoths and pet a mammoth coat to learn about cold-weather insulation. The interactive exhibition also investigated the roles of climate change and humans in the eventual extinction of mammoths — and asked whether it is possible to clone them today. Left: Life-size models in the exhibition. Photograph by Peter Rae.

Australian Museum 2017

Spiders — Alive & deadly

From the much-feared Sydney Funnel Web Spider to the predatory Portia Spider (which eats Orb Weaver Spiders for breakfast), the Spiders — Alive & Deadly exhibition explored how and why these extraordinary creatures have evolved to become one of the most successful animals on the planet. The exhibition, which attracted 143,000 visitors from October 2016 to July 2017, featured more than 400 real specimens from the AM’s extensive Arachnology Collection and many live spiders, some of which were milked for their venom on a daily basis in the Venom Lab. Spiders — Alive & Deadly was developed by the AM in conjunction with Questacon, in Canberra, drawing upon the respective scientific strengths of each institution.

Australian Museum 2017

The popular exhibition transported visitors to the subterranean home of the Tasmanian Cave Spider through the use of augmented-reality interactive displays. Visitors also experienced the work of the Golden Orb Weaving Spider in the Cobweb Room. Bringing together science, information and entertainment, the exhibition included features on how spider silk is used for technologies such as medical sutures and rubber tyres, and how scientists are using funnel-web venom to help cure ovarian cancer. The AM also offered arachnophobia treatment workshops, challenging visitors to confront their fears and get closer to some of nature’s most deadly, yet misunderstood creatures. Above: The exhibition featured a display of more than 400 real specimens. Photograph by James Horan.

Touring exhibitions

Australian museums and galleries have often brought in big exhibitions from overseas. The AM is now taking its work to the world. In 2017, the AM embarked on its first major international touring program. Exporting the AM’s award-winning exhibitions to museums and exhibition centres in North America and Asia is part of the continued growth of the museum — and is expected to reap significant new revenue in the years to come. Above: Getting up close and personal with the members of the Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family exhibition.

Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family attracted record crowds after opening in Canada’s Waterloo Region Museum in February, before moving to Nova Scotia and then North Carolina, with more major museum venues to follow. Spiders — Alive & Deadly was also adapted for the North American market and will commence touring overseas in mid-2018 at the Royal Ontario Museum. The AM’s domestic and international touring program featured five exhibitions in 2017 and attracted 366,000 visitors. Within Australia, the AM toured a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex model to Stockland shopping malls across greater Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the mid-north coast. The 11-metre-long and 3-metre-high model, donated by National Geographic, returned to the AM in September for the AM’s Dinosaur Festival and is now on permanent display. Australian Museum 2017

Science

Australian Museum 2017

AMRI AMRI comprises the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Centre for Citizen Science, Lizard Island Research Station and the AM’s natural collections, materials conservation and research programs. The staff of AMRI is made up of world-expert scientists, collection specialists, educators and citizen science innovators and coordinators. Their dedication to scientific research and collections management is crucial to the AM’s role in exploring and understanding the natural world.

The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) is the centre of science and learning at the AM.

AMRI has an international reputation as a pioneering research institute and is one of Australia’s leaders in biodiversity research and discovery. It was an active year for AMRI scientists, who described 129 new species, representing about 1 per cent of all new species of fauna and flora discovered globally. AMRI scientists published 139 peer-reviewed papers and academic journals, covering everything from the evolution of Australia’s bird fauna through to studies of Australasian rubies and limestone cave minerals. Scientists in the AM’s wildlife forensics lab helped develop an identification test for seized rhino horn, to stem the illegal wildlife trade, and spearheaded the international Oz Mammals Genomic (OMG) Initiative, which analyses DNA from marsupials to reduce extinction rates. AMRI scientists underscored future biosecurity policies by investigating the spread of invasive species such as a Mediterranean fan worm, SouthEast Asian beetle, an upside-down jellyfish and Australian mussel. AMRI also worked with the ARC Centre of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage to track the natural and human history of Australia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. The AM’s Lizard Island Research Station also supported more than 70 scientists and 40 postgraduate research students from around the world in studying the biodiversity and impacts of a changing climate on the Great Barrier Reef. 24

Australian Museum 2017

Previous page: Research specimens collected at the Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station (from left to right): a striped surgeonfish; a spotted moray; and an emperor fish. Left: During a class at Bialla International Primary School, in Papua New Guinea, Mitchell Kira displays the Barema replica obsidian tool. Photograph by Rocky Roe. Above: A koala specimen featured in the 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum exhibition.

Australian Museum 2017

Expeditions The AM embarks on major scientific expeditions each year, to develop a greater understanding of the natural world. In 2017, AM scientists and “extreme citizen scientist” rock climbers explored the remote crags of Ball’s Pyramid, the world’s tallest sea stack, which rises from the Tasman Sea near Lord Howe Island. They went in search of the world’s rarest insect: the Lord Howe Island stick insect or phasmid. The team returned with a female phasmid named “Vanessa”, which then successfully joined a captive breeding program at Melbourne Zoo to ensure the long-term survival of the species. The two-month expedition to Lord Howe Island, 600 kilometres off the coast of NSW, involved more than 30 AM scientists, whose discoveries included new beetle species, such as an endemic Lord Howe longhorn beetle that was thought to be extinct. Scientists also exhumed the skeletons of three dense-beaked whales, which died on the island’s outer reef in 2011. These specimens will significantly enhance the AM’s collection of marine mammals and understanding of the oceans. The expedition was made possible with the generous support of donors, including major donors the Graeme Wood Foundation, the Dick and Pip Smith Foundation, and Memocorp. Also in 2017, AM scientists joined two collaborative expeditions sampling deep-water fauna along Australia’s entire east coast for the first time. The AM also explored the remote islands and reefs of the South West Pacific — to discover new species and enhance the museum’s collections of marine fauna. Scientists undertaking the survey of Ball’s Pyramid in search of the Lord Howe Island phasmid. Photograph by Tom Bannigan.

Australian Museum 2017

Citizen science The AM’s Centre for Citizen Science plays a leading role in promoting community engagement in scientific projects and research around the world. FrogID, the centre’s flagship project, was launched in November to help save one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth. Australia’s first national frog count is a citizen science project that puts the power to save our native frogs in the palm of your hand, by using mobile phone technology and “audio DNA” to discover where frogs are at risk and how to conserve them and our waterways.

Citizen scientists also play a crucial role in the AM’s Cockatoo WingTag Project and the Streamwatch water quality monitoring project. The AM’s globally successful “DigiVol” (digital volunteer) program has enabled more than 2800 volunteers from around the world to digitise hundreds of thousands of specimens and archival records in the museum’s collection. DigiVol’s other programs include Wildlife Spotter, where volunteers process and identify images of animals in wilderness photos. Left: Dr Jodi Rowley with “Godzilla” the green tree frog and the free FrogID app. Photograph by James Alcock. Below: White’s seahorse in the waters by Bare Island, uploaded to the Australasian Fishes project. Photograph by Andrew Trevor-Jones.

The free FrogID app, developed in partnership with IBM, records the sounds made by different frog species — from croaks and chirps, to whistles and barks. In its first few months, more than half of Australia’s 240 native frog species were recorded via the app, which had been downloaded by more than 30,000 citizen scientists across the country. FrogID is supported by the Australian Government’s Citizen Science Grants under the Inspiring Australia program and operates in collaboration with the nation’s leading natural science museums. Community involvement is at the core of the AM’s Australasian Fishes Project, a citizen science identification initiative that has seen some 800 members upload more than 22,000 photos of fish from across Australia and the region. The project, led by ichthyologist Mark McGrouther, has resulted in the identification of more than 1700 fish species, including the discovery of two species recorded in Sydney Harbour for the first time. 28

Australian Museum 2017

Science on show The AM runs the largest school science festival program in Australia. The Sydney Science Festival, which is co-produced by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, helps students explore the latest developments and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). Across the 2017 festival, held during National Science Week in August, the AM’s Education team engaged with more than 13,000 people through interactive workshops, shows, virtual excursions and a specialty Expo.

The AM’s focus on educating and inspiring the next generations of scientists and researchers will help change the world.

Also in August, the AM honoured the nation’s most outstanding scientists at the 2017 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the “Oscars of Australian science”. Fifteen awards totalling $150,000 in prize money recognised excellence in scientific research, scientific leadership and school science across a broad spectrum — from environmental and innovative technologies to national security, citizen science and data science. The Australian Museum Research Institute Medal was awarded to Dr Anne Hoggett AM and Dr Lyle Vail AM, the directors of the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station, for their outstanding work managing the station for close to three decades and for their service to scientific understanding and conservation of the Great Barrier Reef. Australia’s premier science awards, presented in partnership with sponsors and supporters, celebrated scientific breakthroughs, such as a blood test for bowel cancer, low-cost and reliable technology to help save the lives of newborn babies from infection, and commercial robotic systems to boost Australia’s competitiveness in the fields of farming, aerospace, transportation and mining. Left: Hands-on science at the Science Festival. Photograph by Samuel McDonald. Right: The 2017 AM Eureka Prizes award night at Sydney Town Hall. Photograph by Daniel O’Doherty.

Australian Museum 2017

Culture

Australian Museum 2017

Cultural connections

Museums aren’t just places for studying old objects but living, breathing testaments to the strength and diversity of the world’s oldest continuous cultures. The AM is the caretaker of a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection of cultural material, including more than 20,000 cultural objects and over 1 million archaeological items, each representing a diverse continuum of practices and resilience. The museum is also custodian to one of the largest Pacific cultural collections in the world, with more than 60,000 objects from across the region. Together, these collections are developed in consultation with local communities, artists, Elders and Traditional Owners. Objects and cultural materials are enhanced by the weaving together of knowledge, stories and experiences to build a better understanding of First Nations cultures across Australia and the region. 34

Australian Museum 2017

In 2017, this commitment to promoting greater understanding of Aboriginal and Pacific cultures included a special visit by members of the Kwaio community from the Solomon Islands, which featured collection tours, performances and weaving workshops. The AM’s focus on community engagement extended beyond the museum to include the Pacific Youth Outreach program, where cultural collections staff help rebuild links between people in juvenile detention and their Indigenous cultures. The AM has a long history of returning ancestral remains or objects of cultural and spiritual significance to Traditional Owners across Australia, the Pacific, Canada and India. In 2017, such initiatives saw the AM take part in a major repatriation of ancestral remains to Menindee, in western NSW. Previous page: Smoking and cleansing ceremonies held in the Westpac Long Gallery in July 2017. Left: A rainforest shield made by the Koko-Yellani people of Cape York. Photograph by Stuart Humphreys. Above: Kwaio people from the Solomon Islands visiting the AM’s Pacific collection in May 2017. Photograph by Abram Powell.

Australian Museum 2017

People

Australian Museum 2017

Public programs The AM’s programs are designed to inspire communication, understanding and care for our world by exploring the relationship between people, culture and the natural environment. In 2017, programs for families grew to meet demand by offering everything from theatre shows to silent discos, kids’ yoga, creative writing and photography workshops, and the annual Dinosaur Festival, as part of the AM’s popular school holiday program. Immersive and irreverent programs helped the AM attract more diverse adult audiences, including the Culture Up Late series over summer, Jurassic Lounge, Murder at the Museum and the inaugural AM Seniors Day, presented in association with Family & Community Services NSW. Adult programs were designed to deepen engagement with AM exhibitions, such as a short original play inspired by the Scott sisters and arachnophobia treatment workshops for visitors to Spiders — Alive & Deadly. First Nations programs also increased significantly to include Aboriginal meditation, jewellery making workshops, documentary screenings and live performance. Growing in parallel, the AM’s community outreach activities included collection tours for community members, meetings with key Elders and the AM’s Youth Reconnection Project, which rebuilds links between people in juvenile detention and their Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific cultures. Previous page: Mark Tonga from the AM Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Panel with friend in Bayala Nura: Yarning Country. Photograph by James Alcock. Left: Dancing up a storm at Jurassic Lounge. Photograph by Diabolique Photography. Right: Getting in the mood for the Dinosaur Festival.

Australian Museum 2017

Education programs

Volunteers

The AM’s Education and Lifelong Learning initiatives spark curiosity and a spirit of discovery in diverse audiences.

The AM engages with schools and community organisations in regional and remote NSW via a range of education outreach initiatives such as its Museum in a Box program, virtual excursions and study days. In November, the AM’s Science on the Road program travelled to schools in Far West NSW, presenting programs highlighting AM science, including geology and wildlife forensics.

The AM’s teams of volunteers play a vital role in helping visitors and staff in the day-to-day operations of the museum, citizen science projects and the management of its collections. In 2017, some 660 volunteers contributed approximately 183,000 hours of service, within the museum and behind the scenes.

These programs range from early childhood and school and tertiary programs, through to professional development for teachers.

In the digital sphere, the AM’s mobile app enhanced the experience and accessibility of visitors through audio descriptive tours and highlights of exhibitions in English and Mandarin, along with a Treasure Hunt children’s game in the Westpac Long Gallery.

Over 168,000 students participated in education programs at the AM in 2017, inspiring an interest in STEM learning, natural history and culture through a variety of outreach programs, on-site education workshops and tours, as well as the AM’s Science Festival. 40

Australian Museum 2017

Above: An interactive education show for schoolchildren. Photograph by Samuel McDonald.

Front-of-house volunteers engaged with more than 45,000 visitors, running free orientation tours and managing specimens to allow visitors to touch and learn about some of the items in the collections. Our new program of Event Volunteering attracted many students in assisting the AM at evening events, such as Jurassic Lounge, Culture Up Late and Murder at the Museum.

across 17 cultural and natural history institutions. In 2017, the AM gave particular thanks to 18 groups who volunteer for Streamwatch, a citizen science water-quality monitoring program that empowers community groups to help protect the health of local waterways. Specially recognised for his long service at the AM was 91-year-old Ray Biddle, who has volunteered his time and energy to the AM for 30 years. Above: Front-of-house volunteer Carole Bennetts showcasing some of the museum’s specimens. Photograph by James Alcock.

The AM celebrated their valuable contributions during National Volunteer Week, in May, with volunteers invited to attend events offered Australian Museum 2017

Partners

The AM’s exhibitions and programs were supported by more than 45 partners during 2017. The strength of these vital relationships was highlighted by the $9 million restoration of the Westpac Long Gallery and the new permanent exhibition 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum, which were funded in equal partnership between Westpac, the NSW Government and the Australian Museum Foundation. Collaborating with these partners and donors allowed the AM to create an important exhibition for all Australians in a truly beautiful gallery, the first museum gallery in the nation. The AM’s flagship national citizen science project FrogID and its associated smartphone app were developed in partnership with IBM, and with assistance from the Australian Government’s 42

Australian Museum 2017

Supporters

Citizen Science Grants, under the Inspiring Australia program. The Mammoths — Giants of the Ice Age exhibition was secured with the support of the NSW Government through Destination NSW, its tourism and major events agency. AM partners played a crucial role in many other exhibitions and projects, including: T.rex on Tour (Stockland, IAS Fine Art Logistics and National Geographic); The Science Festival (3M); and the Adventure World Talks series. The AM’s media coverage was supported by long-term media partners The Daily Telegraph, National Geographic and JCDecaux.

The AM has forged strong and lasting relationships with some of the nation’s leading philanthropists. In 2017, many of these friends of the AM became members of the Australian Museum Foundation’s Treasures Circle, by pledging their support for the priceless treasures in the 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum exhibition. Over the year, philanthropic support for the AM Foundation and the AM Trust continued to grow, following an increase of more than 30 per cent in 2016-17. The generous support of Treasures Circle members was acknowledged alongside the treasure in the gallery and on the AM’s Honour Board.

The year’s fundraising efforts received a big boost in March, when 190 guests gathered to celebrate the AM’s 190th anniversary at the annual Gala Dinner, “The Night at the Museum”, which raised almost $200,000 for the 200 Treasures exhibition. Donors to the Australian Museum Foundation also supported a wide range of scientific and cultural projects in 2017, including T.Rex Autopsy and expeditions and field trips to Lord Howe Island, the South West Pacific, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Above: Celebrating the AM’s 190th anniversary at the Australian Museum Foundation’s Gala Dinner. Photograph by Tim Levy.

Australian Museum 2017

Behind the scenes

Above: Exhibitions production officer Rocket Mattler helping to assemble the Mammoths â€” Giants of the Ice Age exhibition. Photograph by Steven Siewert. Right: Ichthyology Collection Manager Mark McGrouther taking photographs of Larval fish with a light microscope. Facing page Top left: A tiger specimen being moved to the AMâ€™s new storage facility at Castle Hill. Top right: Yuri Humeniuk moving the skeleton of a Sei whale. Photograph by Abram Powell. Bottom: A visit by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Photograph by Abram Powell.

Australian Museum 2017

Clockwise from left: Dr Rebecca Johnson and Dr Greta Frankham viewing objects commonly found in the wildlife trade. Taxidermist Katrina McCormick in her laboratory. Photograph by Abram Powell. Materials conservator Sheldon Teare working on a specimen for display in the Westpac Long Gallery. Photograph by Abram Powell. Angus Adameitis readying the T.rex Autopsy model for touring across NSW. Photograph by James Morgan. Dr Jodi Rowley showing the free FrogID app to children at the FrogID launch. Photograph by James Alcock.

Australian Museum 2017

2018 preview The AM has set its sights beyond its 190th year, with an impressive program of exhibitions, expeditions and events. In 2018, the programming calendar is led by Weave, the AM’s inaugural month-long celebration of Aboriginal and Pacific cultures. The centrepiece is GADI, a landmark exhibition celebrating the rich culture of Aboriginal Sydney, which will feature the creation on-site of a major sculptural installation dedicated to Aboriginal fisherwomen. The highlights of Weave also include the world premiere of the ground-breaking virtual-reality documentary Carriberrie, which takes viewers on an exhilarating 3D journey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, music and song, from Uluru to Sydney Harbour. Also running through 2018 is HumanNature, a landmark speaker series exploring humanity’s role in the causes and consequences of environmental and social crises such as climate change, mass species extinction, racism and the excesses of capitalism.

In 2018, AM scientists will embark on a major expedition to the Solomon Islands Archipelago, which boasts a menagerie of unique fauna and flora — a Western Pacific equivalent of the Galapagos. The AM is helping communities develop local projects to help preserve biodiversity in Bougainville and Malaita, and to protect from extinction the region’s largest native animals — giant rats and monkey-faced bats. To help prevent further declines, the AM expedition will survey surviving populations of its endemic species, to assist conservation planning. Closer to home, the AM’s Education and Lifelong Learning team will roll out a new full-day program for senior biology students, along with four digital education festivals and the Sydney Science Festival. The Museum in a Box program is expected to reach more than 120,000 regional students and communities throughout the year. Left: Bangarra Dance Theatre’s performance in the virtual-reality film Carriberrie. Below: Studying skeletons in the Whales exhibition.

The blockbuster exhibition Whales/Tohora will bring to life the world’s largest creatures, from October 2018. The exhibition, produced by Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, draws on one of the world’s most extensive marine mammal collections to explore the diversity, biology and adaptation of whales to life in the oceans. AM exhibitions for 2018 also include the ever-popular Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year and an AM original exhibition of black-and-white specimen photographs from the museum’s archival collections.

Australian Museum 2017

Thank you Lifetime Patron Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE

Albert Y Wong AM and Sophie Wong Fengjun Zhu

Patrons The late Senta Taft-Hendry Ann Macintosh Trust Brian Sherman AM & Dr Gene Sherman AM Chris & Gina Grubb Alasdair & Prue Macleod Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd Helen Molesworth

President’s Circle Claude & Maryanne Gauchat Chris & Gina Grubb Bill & Alison Hayward Judy Lee Diccon & Elizabeth Loxton Robert Rich Dick & Pip Smith Foundation Anonymous

Benefactors Mary Holt & the late Dr John Holt Graeme Wood Foundation

Director’s Club Pauline & Alan Campbell Margot & Stephanie Chinneck Jenny Crivelli Kim McKay AO Tracey Steggall Shona & David Thodey Wendy Walker Anonymous

Treasures Circle Robert Albert AO David & Megan Armstrong Ben Barham & Gretel Packer The Calvert-Jones Foundation The Carrawa Foundation Jennifer Crivelli The John Spencer Dickinson Family Warwick Evans Lily & Tina Gao & the New Business China Association Claude & Maryanne Gauchat Belinda Gibson & Jim Murphy Peter and Judy Gregg Chris & Gina Grubb The Hartzer/Trevor-Jones Family The John & Frances Ingham Foundation Warwick & Ann Johnson Virginia Judge & daughters Cecily, Theresa, Rebecca & Dr Patrick Tooth Keith & Maureen Kerridge Jim Lennon in honour of Jean Lennon Lindblad Expeditions Catherine Livingstone AO & Michael Satterthwaite Diccon & Elizabeth Loxton Alasdair & Prue Macleod The Macquarie Group Foundation Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd The Moore Family Jacqui & John Mullen William Murray & Gretel Packer The Nelson Family Francesca Packer Barham & Gretel Packer The Paradice Family Foundation The Patterson Pearce Foundation The Purcell Family Endowment Fund in honour of Mrs Lorna McClelland Robert Purves AM Billie Rose and Warwick Evans Professor Jan Scott, Professor Ian Hickie & Paul Connor

Guardians Martin & Ursula Armstrong Ken & Roddy Bell Bill & Annette Blinco The Graham & Charlene Bradley Endowment Justice Jane Mathews AO Justice Robert McDougall Alice Oppen OAM John Pearson John & Christina Stitt Vonwiller Foundation Custodians Antoinette Albert James & Belinda Allen Michelle Atkinson Christine Bishop Natalia Bradshaw Rosemary Campbell Philip Cornwell Trevor Danos AM Hugh Dixson Belinda Gibson Karina Kelly John Leece AM Howard Lewis Ann Macintosh Trust Nick & Caroline Minogue Lily W Müng Endowment Anne Pickles David Robb Jane & Neville Rowden Alison Scott Cassandra Seaton David & Daniela Shannon Fiona Sinclair Diana Southwell-Keely Jeremy Spinak Ross Steele AM Tehmi Sukhla Anne Sullivan Vera Vargassoff

Australian Museum 2017

The Australian Museum would like to acknowledge the generous support of our donors, corporate partners and research partners in helping us realise our vision as a place of exploration and discovery. These generous individuals and organisations contribute to our scientific research, education and public programs, and assist in the acquisition of items to enrich our collections. Wavish Family Foundation Stephen Wilson Supporters Rae & David Allen Lauren Atmore Dinah Beeston Marco Belgiorno-Zegna AM Kerin Brown Elizabeth Cameron Chikako Carter Michael & Chrissie Crowley Margaret & Peter Donovan Ronald & Suellen Enestrom Jeffery & Christine Goss Greg & Beth Hammond Ronnie Harding Derek Heath Peter Homel Adrianne Johnson Warwick Klabe Gilles Kryger Eugenia Langley A J Loewenthal Ros Madden Ross McNair & Robin Richardson Tony & Fran Meagher David Norman Bruce Norton Judy Ranka Frank & Judith Robertson Alan & Yvonne Sebesfi Dr Fiona Sim Jacinta Spurrett Christopher Still Tom Story Francis Walsh Michael & Mary Whelan Trust Tony White AM & Doffy White Caitlin Woods Michel Zwecker Anonymous Bequests Estate of the late Clarence Chadwick Estate of the late Patricia M Porritt Estate of the late Jean Marjorie Edgecombe Estate of the late Jacqueline Heather Field Estate of the late Phillip Jack John & Maryilyn Evans on behalf of the late Christine Neild Estate of the late Merrill Pye Estate of the late Eileen Silk Estate of the late William S Tatlow Estate of the late Gwendoline A West Estate of the late Jessie Campbell Wise Gifts to AM Collections Steven & Janine Avery Ursula Burgoyne

Sam & Louise Dawson Rod & Robyn Dent in honour of Pat Dent & the Wanindilyaugwa tribe Charles M Ellias The late Paul L Fischer John L Gordon Robin Guthrie Mark Hanlon J Holliday The late John Hume Raymond Kirby AO & Mrs Deirdre Kirby Roger Langmead David Leece Leighton Llewellyn James McColl Mineralogical Society of NSW Inc Dr Max Moulds George & Edna Oakes Dorothy O’Reilly John Rankin Dr William Rieger John Rohde Paul Scully-Power AM Michael Shea Trevor Shearston The late Muriel Snell George Stacey Prof Gunther Theischinger The late Margaret Tuckson David Twine Janet Walker Anonymous PARTNERS The Australian Museum is principally funded by the NSW Government Principal Partner Westpac Major Partners 3M Adventure World ANSTO 303MullenLowe IBM Australia Stockland Media Partners JCDecaux National Geographic News Corp Australia Supporting Partners 4 Pines Brewing Company Archie Rose Distilling Co Australian Geographic City of Sydney Digital Camera Warehouse Guardian Global Systems IAS Fine Arts Logistics Kent Street Studio Oatley Fine Wine Merchants Valiant Hire

Australian Museum 2017