Dear Museum Educators
Hello from your new President!
Museums Australia Education National Network (MAENN) represents people working in education-based program delivery within museums, galleries, libraries, archives and arts/culture/heritage interpretation spaces throughout Australia.
At the recent Annual General Meeting, held at the Museums Australia conference in June in Melbourne, a new executive for MAENN was elected. Your new committee includes some names that have been volunteering in the interests of museum educators nationally for a while, and fabulously, some new names! The committee now comprises:
President: Samantha Rutter (ACT)
Vice-President: Deb Sulway (ACT)
Secretary: Stephanie Smith (NT)
Treasurer: Rachael Cottle (VIC)
Social Media Coordinator: Sacha Fawkes (VIC)
NSW Rep: Emma Best
SA Rep: Madelena Bendo
WA Rep: Emma Mueller
TAS Rep: vacant
QLD Rep: Joan Kelly
NT Rep: Stephanie Smith
ACT Rep: Deb Sulway
VIC Rep: Sacha Fawkes
Ordinary Members: Janis Hanley (QLD), Barb Jennings (VIC), Hannah Webb (ACT), Christine Healey (VIC), Andrew Hiskens (VIC, IPP)
Welcome to the wonderful volunteers who are just joining the committee, and thank you to those who have been active over these past few years – in particular Andrew Hiskens (Immediate Past President) Peter Hoban, who recently stepped down as Treasurer, and Christine Healey (previously Social Media Coordinator).
Bursaries for 2019 MA National Conference in Alice Springs, May 2019
The 2019 MGA conference will be held in Alice Springs, 13 – 17 May, 2019. In acknowledgement of the increased travel costs that the location represents, the MAEN committee did not want museum educators to have less of a presence or opportunity to attend. As a result, MAEN is offering 5 x $500 bursaries for 5 x museum educators, where finances might prevent their attendance.
Stay tuned for the deadline (in 2019) for applying for these bursaries, and do reserve those dates in your diary now to make sure you can take up the opportunity if offered.
At that conference, we also hope to have a social function, so that museum educators can get together and meet one another, and feel part of a wonderful proactive and engaging tribe.
Professional Learning Funding Opportunity
Museums Australia Education – PL Funds Request Form 2019
Do you have a brilliant idea to help support museum education in your region, city or town? Did you go to a great talk somewhere and want that person to come and talk to your wider district? Perhaps you want to hire a consultant to help build your dream education program or engage with a local Indigenous group to create marvelous opportunities for young people through your institutions? All of these ideas can be real if you want our financial support. Simply fill in a Professional Learning Opportunity Form (above) and submit your idea to the national committee. Deadline for applications for 2019 is Friday 8th February, 2019. Funding (a total of $3,000 to be offered across 4 -6 opportunities nationally) can cover catering, venue hire, speaker’s fees, or similar.
Special General Meeting of National Council: 26 November, Canberra.
The MA National Council is meeting in Canberra, on Monday 26th November, and in the afternoon of that meeting, there will be a special general meeting at 5pm where members will vote on a name change to the organisation. The name being proposed is “Australian Museums and Galleries Association”. The vote is a yes or no, for that proposal. The reasons behind the decision can be found on the MGA website.
If you are not located in Canberra, please arrange your proxy vote. If you are located in Canberra, and want to participate, please attend that meeting to make your vote. Each institution and individual member is entitled to vote (so if your institution is a member, you can use that vote).
Connect with us!
Don’t forget to follow Museums Education Australia on facebook and twitter where some rather wonderful and inspiring ideas are regularly shared.
Warm regards,
Samantha Rutter
President, Museums Australia Education Network
AMaGA Education 