(Wednesday 16 December 2015, Sydney, NSW): The Australian Museum (AM) today announced an historic partnership with Westpac, and the NSW Government to restore the nation’s first museum gallery, and to showcase its 200 most significant treasures, including two artefacts from Westpac’s and the NSW Government’s collections.
The $9 million project is jointly funded by Westpac, the NSW Government and the AM’s own philanthropic efforts, and will see the current Long Gallery become the Westpac Long Gallery in 2017, to mark the AM’s 190th year and Westpac’s 200th anniversary.
“The Long Gallery restoration project represents the Australian Museum’s largest corporate partnership and one of the largest bestowed on a cultural institution in NSW in recent years,” Kim McKay AO, Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Museum said.
The historic partnership represents the AM’s commitment to developing collaborative and sustainable financial models.
“To assist the AM in its transformation, we need to partner with companies that share our long-term vision and values. The Westpac Long Gallery’s showcase of 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum is an exciting example of this collaborative funding model,” McKay said.
“The Long Gallery is itself a treasure, since it was constructed in 1850, and the announcement of its restoration marks the start of stage two of the transformation of Australia’s first museum,” she added.
Heritage restoration of the Long Gallery is slated to begin in mid 2016. To enable the exhibition of the 200 treasures, the Australian Museum is asking donors to support each of the priceless objects. Pledges have already been received for 25 of the treasures.
One of the treasures already supported is a rare and beautiful Kalani’opu’u cape collected by Captain Cook on his third and final voyage in 1778, while a treasure still available is the complete specimen of a thylacine pup, an object of immense scientific value for it’s intact DNA.
Of the 200 treasures will be showcased in the Westpac Long Gallery, two of them have been recently acquired by the AM on long term loan: Australia’s first bank note and the Maitland Gold Nugget.
Australia’s first bank note was presented to the Australian Museum today on extended loan from Westpac. The note was issued on the day the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) first opened in April 1817.
The Maitland Gold Nugget, the only surviving example of a large gold nugget from the early mining years of NSW, is also on extended loan from the NSW Government’s Department of Primary Industries to the Australian Museum.
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