Exhibition Consultant
Qatar Museums Authority
Total years of experience :14 years, 5 Months
Qatar Museums Authority is a cultural instigator for the region; developing, promoting and sustaining the cultural sector at the highest standards through an extensive list of museums, exhibitions and heritage sites.
While undertaking further study in World Heritage Conservation at University College Dublin, I have been managing the delivery of museum and cultural programs for several private clients, national and international. Drawing on deep knowledge of the cultural sector and analytical insight, I help clients plan and realize sustainable cultural projects, providing strategic vision for collections, exhibitions, programs and research activities.
As Acting Head of Exhibitions for the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory I managed the strategic and tactical development of exhibitions and public engagement. My primary objective was to review and analyse program delivery and recommend innovation to improve program and service delivery. Provide leadership and guide the development and planning of MAGNT’s collection and touring exhibitions. Oversee the coordination, construction and delivery of exhibition and public offer enhancement. Supervise the activities of the exhibition development teams and monitor procurement compliance and budgetary activities. I led the Exhibitions, Learning & Outreach teams responsible for the delivery of the exhibitions, galleries and spaces that enhanced the visitors’ experience and engagement with the collection. In this role, I identified and managed relationships with external institutional partners and exhibition developers worldwide. I had oversight of several projects and responsibility for the content, interpretation and production of exhibitions, new galleries and gallery maintenance and upgrades. I was responsible for the development and implementation of digital strategies and new technologies and worked closely with operational staff in the full cycle delivery of exhibitions.
Key Achievements:
o Successful delivery of the 2016 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA); the premier national event in the Australian Indigenous art calendar and a flagship program for the Darwin Festival. Showcasing both established and emerging artists, the award, events, associated workshops and performances recognise the important contribution made by Indigenous artists from regional and urban areas throughout Australia, working in traditional and contemporary media.
As a consultant for Hill International I coordinated the inaugural exhibitions for the the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). GEM is a billion dollar development that will contain over 100, 000 square meters of interior and exterior exhibition space and display some of the world’s most recognizable collections, including for the first time, the complete contents of the tomb of Tutankhamun; over 5, 000 funerary artefacts of unimaginable archaeological and aesthetic value. As Exhibition Coordinator for GEM, I ensured that GEM’s architectural, design and operational ambitions were realising. This was a leading role in the creation of the new museum, responsible for the development of the inaugural permanent exhibitions and public offer, ensuring exemplary standards and practices were developed for on-going delivery of exceptional visitor experiences.
Key Achievements:
o Scoped projects and prepared briefs for the Museums public offer including GEM’s fifteen inaugural exhibitions, associated programs, signage and wayfinding.
o Creation of tender documentation for exhibition development programs with a value of US $120m.
o Managed a diverse international team of museum experts and mentored local Museum employees in best practices for preservation and conservation of the world’s most valuable archaeological collections.
MUSEUM CONSULTANT; NEW MUSEUM PROJECTS
The Australian Museum is Australia’s oldest museum, established in 1827. As a Strategic Creative Consultant to the Public Programs Directorate, this position involved the successful delivery of several collaborative projects including the development of future operational models for gallery redevelopment programs and the design and production management of a number of exhibition and development projects.
Key Achievements:
o The creation of several Prospectus that have contributed significantly to funding procurement for several projects, including $9m investment by Westpac Bank for the redevelopment of the 1851 Long Gallery, Australia’s oldest gallery.
o Achieved greater collaboration between Indigenous community groups and the Museum, resulting in several inaugural joint projects for the exhibition, Garrigarrang; Sea Country.
o Shortlisted for the Interior Design Excellence Awards 2014, for the exhibition Cabinets of Curiosity within The Long Gallery, Australian Museum.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) has its origins in the collections of Australia’s oldest scientific society, established in 1843. TMAG is Tasmania’s leading natural, cultural and heritage organisation, it is a combined museum, art gallery and herbarium. At TMAG, I planned exhibitions, wrote creative briefs, negotiated and managed contracts, and supervised a large multidisciplinary team of creatives that were responsible for the delivery of multiple concurrent projects, 12 new exhibitions and associated programs, both physically and in online environments. I worked closely with Architects, engineers, heritage consultants and curatorial teams ensuring that our listed buildings and our collections were respected and revealed in new and engaging ways.
Key Achievements:
o The redevelopment project was nominated for a World Architecture Festival Award, Old and New Category, 2014.
o TMAG’s Redevelopment exhibitions were awarded the Overall Winner and Best Exhibitions, Museums Australia Awards 2013.
o Shortlisted; Interior Design Excellence Awards 2013.
This is an online masters degree program. This program aims to safeguard international natural and cultural heritage through an integrated approach, this program provides a unique multidisciplinary perspective addressing sustainability and management issues of both natural and cultural heritage.