Around the Museum

The 2021 Australian Museum Foundation Gala

The Annual black-tie Gala Dinner, Night at the Museum, was held on 27 May 2021 in the newly transformed Hintze Hall for 332 guests. It raised a record $270,000 for education programs. Funds raised will support the new interactive Burra Learning Place and A Day at the Museum fund, which subsides the costs for excursion to the AM for schools from low-socio economic areas of NSW.

The opening of Unsettled

On Friday 21 May, the Unsettled exhibition was launched. Gadigal Elder Uncle Allen Madden began the evening with a Welcome to Country. Presenters included the Hon. Don Harwin MLC, Minister for Arts and Aboriginal Affairs; Kim McKay AO, Director & CEO of the Australian Museum; Laura McBride, curator of Unsettled and Director, First Nations; and Professor Larissa Behrendt, Australian Museum Trustee. Performances included the Gahdungal Murrin dancers, a poetry reading by Rob Waters and live music by Buddy Knox. After event formalities, guests were invited for a first look at the groundbreaking exhibition Unsettled.

Photos by Anna Kučera

The Climate Cure: The inaugural Talbot Oration and the launch of Spark: Australian innovations tackling climate change

On 3 June 2021, award-winning climate scientist Professor Tim Flannery outlined practical solutions to address climate change in the Australian Museum’s inaugural Talbot Oration. The event opened with a Welcome to Country by Yvonne Weldon, opening remarks by Kim McKay AO, and the launch of the new exhibition, Spark: Australian innovations tackling climate change curated by Dr Jenny Newell. Following his talk, Professor Veena Sahajwalla, founding director of the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) and recently named NSW Australian of the Year, joined Professor Flannery in conversation with businesswoman and sustainability advocate Sam Mostyn AO.

You can now view Spark: Australian innovations tackling climate change online: australian.museum/exhibition/spark

Photos by Anna Kučera

Throughout the year, the generous community of AM and AMF supporters donated over $5.5m. These donations have supported:

Burra Learning Place

aiming to reach over 5m children in 10 years with First Nations knowledge and Western Science

12,500*

students engaged

with Unsettled online education resources across Australia

2

critically endangered snail species collected from Norfolk Island

for captive breeding and eventual reintroduction

18,000

students from low-socio economic schools

funded through A Day at the Museum including free transport, a lunch and educator-led experience at the AM

Education Cube prototype

providing meaningful in-exhibition experiences for 100,000 students per annum in the years to come

643

attendees to Early Birds: Autism and Sensory Friendly mornings

over two pilot programs

13

AMF grants awarded

towards acquisitions, education and programs

21,000

visitors to Unsettled in the first month

supported by free admission

The Australian Museum gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our major donors and bequests, including those who have donated anonymously.

Leadership Gifts

The Hintze Family Charitable Foundation The Macdoch Foundation Sherman Foundation

Patrons

Ann Macintosh Trust David & Megan Armstrong The Balnaves Foundation Jennifer Crivelli Etheridge Descendants Warwick Evans Chris & Gina Grubb Alison & Bill Hayward OAM Mary Holt & the late Dr John Holt Anna Josephson & Rickard Gardell The Lionel & Yvonne Spencer Trust Diccon & Elizabeth Loxton Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd Minderoo Foundation Neilson Foundation The Paradice Family Foundation Robert Rich Vonwiller Foundation Anonymous

Benefactors

Robert Otto Albert AO RFD RD The Carrawa Foundation Claude & Maryanne Gauchat Belinda Gibson & Jim Murphy Graeme Wood Foundation The John Spencer Dickinson Family John T Reid Charitable Trusts Judy Lee Gretel Packer AM Purcell Family Endowment Fund Martin Terry

President’s Circle

Lucinda Aboud

Drs Gary Holmes & Anne Reeckmann

Kristina Stefanova & James Schultz

Tony Sukkar AM & Josephine Sukkar AM Wavish Family Charitable Trust

Director’s Circle

Antoinette Albert

Dr Charles Barnes

Rosanne Burkhart

Carnegie Family Endowment

Mark Carnegie Margot & Stephanie Chinneck

Louise Cox

Dr Zeny Edwards OAM Greg Hammond OAM Brian & Georgy Hartzer The Horizon Foundation

Dr Janice Hirshorn & Dr George Jacobs JIBB Family Foundation Philip Keir The Hon Ros Kelly AO & Dr David Morgan AO Leathan Family Catherine Livingstone AO & Michael Satterthwaite

Alice Arnott Oppen OAM Henry Pollack Foundation Dick & Pip Smith Foundation

Georgie Summerhayes Andy Wade Robyn Williams AO Anonymous James & Belinda Allen Martin & Ursula Armstrong Lauren Atmore John Balderstone Ken & Roddy Bell Dr Kathy Belov AO Christine Bishop Bill & Annette Blinco Natalia Bradshaw John Buttle Connie Chaird & Darren Yong Count Charitable Foundation Chestnut Tree Foundation Maggie Chien Paul Connor Tim Cooper & Jeannette Lloyd-Jones Phillip Cordony Phillip Cornwell & Cecilia Rice Trevor Danos AM & Dr Veronica Lambert Margaret & Peter Donovan Julia Drew Prof Elizabeth Elliot Amanda Farrar Dianne & Terry Finnegan Susan Foster Edward Griffin Dr Elie Hammam David Handley AM Dr Helen Harding Hartzer Family Endowment Kate Hayward Louise Herron AM Jenny Hewett Peter Homel Fiona James Shauna Jarrett & The Hon Greg Pearce Kane Constructions Pty Ltd Dr Roderic Kefford AM Warwick Klabe Emeritus Professor Amanda Lawson John Leece AM Rachel Levin Howard Lewis Helen McCombie John McConnell Oliver McGarvey Andrew McKinnon David McNee Kim McKay AO Richard & Jane Malcolmson Anne Measday Suzanne Meli Malcolm Moir Lily W Mung Endowment Saskia Orgill Leon Pasternak John G Pearson & Mark B Clark Judy Ranka Drs Jane & Neville Rowden Donald E Russell Drs Jean & Evan Siegel Fiona Sinclair Peter Srbinovski Maisy Stapleton Christopher & Fiona Still John Stitt Christina Stitt-Ditfurth Sugarloaf Pastoral Investments Anne Sullivan Torvac Solutions Louise Taggart Vera Vargassoff Wendy Walker Margaret Waller Philippa Walsh John Winston Watson Dr Tony & Mrs Doffy White Ray Wilson OAM Stephen Wilson & Rachel Hawkeswood Howard Wu Alan Yu Anonymous

Bequests

The late Clarence E Chadwick The late Patricia McDonald The late Helen Molesworth The late Patricial Porritt The late Cameron ‘Ivan’ Walsh