popping up around the place

POP-UP MUSEUM
YARRA RANGES MAIN STREET PROJECT

Yarra Ranges Regional Museum is heading out on the road for 12 weeks of ‘pop-up’ events from June to August 2013 and they want YOU to be involved and share the story of your main street!

Who are they?

Yarra Ranges Regional Museum is located on Castella Street in Lilydale. It was great to attend the opening after a major re-development, you can read more here. The Regional Museum is operated by Yarra Ranges Council and hosts a range of exhibitions and programs as well as managing cultural collections that reflect the history of Yarra Ranges.

What is the pop-up museum?

The Regional Museum is taking a ‘pop-up museum’ out on the road. It will ‘pop-up’ in approximately 16 places over 12 weeks, covering the huge geographical reach of the Shire. The pop-up museum will be a temporary extension of the permanent museum, comprising collections displays and museum staff in a community venue. It provides a mini museum experience to townships across the region.

The theme of the pop-up museum is small business and retail in local main streets. As well as showcasing museum displays, the pop-up museum is a place to share community knowledge about our main streets. The Regional Museum will then develop an exhibition focused on this theme, to be displayed at the Regional Museum between November 2013 and March 2014.

 

The Yarra Ranges Regional Museum is a terrific
community asset, located on the historic
Castella St in Lilydale, it's well worth a visit.

How does it work?

As well as exhibiting a selection of Regional Museum objects and images on the day for communities to enjoy, the pop-up museum will invite communities in the Shire to share their stories, items and photographs related in some way to their local main street with museum staff and other community members.

To participate, people are encouraged to come by the pop-up museum when in their community, and either simply enjoy the Regional Museum’s collection display or bring along an object, story or photograph associated with the history or present of their main street. They will be asked to write a ‘label’ and contribute it to the temporary display. If people don’t have a story to share, there will be plenty to hear, see and do.

Where will the pop-up Museum be?

The ‘pop-up’ museum will go to 16 locations across 12 weeks. The townships below are the intended locations of the events, but in each place we will be asking surrounding townships to attend and share their stories.

Mt Evelyn   Yarra Glen    Coldstream    Mooroolbark    Lilydale    Chirnside Park    Monbulk    Wandin North    Healesville    Mt Dandenong    Belgrave     Upwey    Woori Yallock    Yarra Junction    Warburton    McMahons Creek

How can you or your organisation be involved?

The Museum is seeking to work with local groups in each of the 16 locations listed above.

For more information and to follow the pop-up museum’s progress:

Visit the project blog or or contact the Museum team on 03 9294 6313 or museum@yarraranges.vic.gov.au

christmas trees, yarra ranges style

To celebrate the festive season Yarra Ranges Regional Museum wants to decorate the museum with 500 individually crafted Christmas trees made out of recycled and reclaimed materials. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Getting into the festive season in another way. This flash mob group, led by Barb McFarlane, are popping up across the hills villages. Here they are flash mobbing in Belgrave last week.

If you want to facilitate a Christmas tree making program there's a handy template available here.

Once your tree is completed bring it down to the regional museum and add it to the Christmas Celebration Forest. Your tree will be on display until January 29, 2012. The first 500 participants will receive a voucher entitling you to a free native plant.

Want to know more? Click here for details.

You can find the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum at 35 Castella St, Lilydale.

and the winner is....

What a great couple of weeks it's been for the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.

For a museum that's only been open a short time (since May), it's racked up an impressive array of popular and industry awards.

The museum took out the Keep Australia Beautiful Cultural Heritage Award.

This was followed by the Museums Australia (Victoria) Award for Medium Museums.

To top it off the museum won the Herald Sun People's Choice Award for Best Museum Experience Prize.

That's a terrific start, what a credit to the staff who look after the museum and organise the exhibitions. If you'd like to visit the museum click here for more details.

excessory comes to yarra ranges regional museum

An exhibition of contemporary Australian Jewellery is one of the first exhibitions at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.

Excessory features the work of six artists who transform everyday and found objects into precious objects.

It's about re-using and recycling, making everyday items beautiful and valuable wearable art.

It's terrific to have this exhibition so close to home.

Excessory runs till August 7.

yarra ranges regional museum opens its doors

It was terrific to be part of the opening of the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, which officially opened on Saturday 14th May in Lilydale.



The museum, over 20 years in the making since its inception is a wonderful addition to the Shire of Yarra Ranges community.



It was wonderful to listen to Wurrundjeri Senior Elder, Aunty Joy, do the welcome to country. The museum features the history of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station (located in Healesville) and stories of the Aboriginal struggle for rights, led by William Barak.



The museum features a number of exhibitions, Connections - Stories People Place, an exhibition that tells the story of the Yarra Ranges region, the connections and relationships between people, the environment and the histories we share.



DigiTALES is the museum's first temporary exhibition, featuring personal images stories and objects for the region from 1950 through to the present. Visitors can also check out the digital photobooth, a modern day version of the photobooth it proved to be very popular.



The museum was jointly funded by all three tiers of government and a hefty contribution of $480,000 raised by the local community, a testament to the dedication of the local community to see this project delivered.



It's a terrific facility, the cafe is operated by the wonderful Healesville Hotel, renowned for their use of local and fresh produce. I encourage you to go for a visit, you can find them at 35 Castella Street, Lilydale.



If you'd like to know more you can call 9294 6313, email museum@yarraranges.vic.gov.au or click online here. You can also find the museum on facebook or follow them on twitter.