AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

This presentation will discuss the outcomes of The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa National Time-Based Media Art Capability Building Project 2023 - 2024, which was implemented to strengthen the long-term care and preservation of the national collection of time-based media art.

The project has an internal Te Papa-focused component and an external outreach component that aims to build capability across Aotearoa, New Zealand’s gallery and museum sector. The work program has been built around the guiding principle of Mana Taonga, which is a key statement for our National Museum and at its core is the recognition that there still exist living relationships and connections between taonga and their cultures of origin.

The internal capability project had five key focus areas: review, policy and procedure development, collection management, education and strategy development. The national gallery sector capability building project will be achieved through a series of workshops aimed at institutions that collect time-based media artworks in both metropolitan and regional centres.

Rose Cangadis-Douglass has been appointed to the fixed-term role of Assistant Conservator Time-Based Media Art – the first role of its kind in New Zealand. The project will also draw on expertise from staff across Te Papa, and Asti Sherring, Manager of Changeable and Digital Collections at the National Museum of Australia. Te Papa’s initiative in collaboration with the National Museum of Australia has provided the opportunity for discussion of real-world challenges and opportunities and has fostered a national community of practice around the preservation of time-based media art in New Zealand.