Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Encyclopedia
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart
, Tasmania
. The museum was established in 1843, by the Royal Society of Tasmania
under the leadership of Sir John Franklin
, the oldest Royal Society
outside of England
.
.
TMAG is now controlled by a Board of Trustees which is set up pursuant to Section 3 of the Tasmanian Museum Act 1950, and is currently part of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts.
Dr Peter Sexton
Dr Anthony (Tony) Brown
Dr Alison Alexander
Miss Julia Farrell
Mr Clive Tilsley
Mr Geoff Willis
Collections and Research - Dr Andrew Rozefelds
Public Programs and Promotions - Peter West (Acting)
Business and Operations - Laurence Paine
Tasmanian Herbarium
Collections & Research Facility
Moonah Workshop
Island to Ice - Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Huon Pine
Numismatics
Colonial Gallery
Zoology Gallery
There is a geological
history of the island, protohistory
display from the inter-glacial periods, a display about megafauna
, native Tasmanian fauna, the history of Tasmania's indigenous population, the history of British settlement, the colonial
period, Tasmania's past as a penal colony
, and Tasmanian history
in general.
The art gallery also contains a fine collection of Colonial and Contemporary Art
, as well as a display on the history of money
.
plants of Tasmania. Stage one of FTO was launched in June 2009.
FTO will be published in parts, each covering a single family. It contains keys, descriptions, synonymy, distributional and habitat data etc. for all
taxa with appropriate referencing.
The focus of the FTO will be on the Angiosperms (Flowering Plants; 139 families), especially the Dicotyledons (100 families).
The first 45 accounts (all Dicotyledons)have been published in the first stage of FTO.
FTO combines the scientific value of citable and permanently available documents with the speed and accessibility of the internet. To assist workers with the new classification system used in the FTO there is an interface to determine what family a genus is placed in.
In addition, the FTO allows for public feedback which will help improve and refine the website. This will be used to notify users when new accounts are published on the website and also of any other changes to the site.
Redevelopment will create new exhibition spaces to better showcase TMAG’s collections, and will allow TMAG to offer superior exhibitions and programming.
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The museum was established in 1843, by the Royal Society of Tasmania
Royal Society of Tasmania
The Royal Society of Tasmania was formed in 1844.The RST was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom. It started as the "Tasmanian Society" formed by Sir John Franklin assisted by Ronald Campbell Gunn....
under the leadership of Sir John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
, the oldest Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
outside of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Governance
In 1885, TMAG became a Government authority under the control of a Board of Trustees that also controlled the Royal Tasmanian Botanical GardensRoyal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, which cover an area of approximately 14 hectares , were established in Hobart in 1818 and are located within the Queens Domain. The Gardens hold historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating back to the nineteenth century...
.
TMAG is now controlled by a Board of Trustees which is set up pursuant to Section 3 of the Tasmanian Museum Act 1950, and is currently part of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts.
Members of the Board of Trustees as of 2010
Sir Guy Green, ChairmanDr Peter Sexton
Dr Anthony (Tony) Brown
Dr Alison Alexander
Miss Julia Farrell
Mr Clive Tilsley
Mr Geoff Willis
Administration
Director: Bill Bleathman.Collections and Research - Dr Andrew Rozefelds
Public Programs and Promotions - Peter West (Acting)
Business and Operations - Laurence Paine
Associated bodies
TMAG has a number of associated bodies including the TMAG Foundation, Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and TMAGgots.Other facilities
In addition to the main campus, TASMAG includes the following external sites:Tasmanian Herbarium
Collections & Research Facility
Moonah Workshop
Exhibitions
ningennah tunapry - the Tasmanian Aboriginal exhibition showcases the history and contemporary life of Tasmanian Aborigines.Island to Ice - Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Huon Pine
Numismatics
Colonial Gallery
Zoology Gallery
State Collection
The Museum's collections primarily focus upon the history of Tasmania through every era.There is a geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
history of the island, protohistory
Protohistory
Protohistory refers to a period between prehistory and history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted its existence in their own writings...
display from the inter-glacial periods, a display about megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
, native Tasmanian fauna, the history of Tasmania's indigenous population, the history of British settlement, the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
period, Tasmania's past as a penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
, and Tasmanian history
History of Tasmania
The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the most recent ice age when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland.-Indigenous people:...
in general.
The art gallery also contains a fine collection of Colonial and Contemporary Art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
, as well as a display on the history of money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
.
Online resources
Flora of Tasmania Online (FTO) is a public web-based resource for the identification and dissemination of taxonomic information on theplants of Tasmania. Stage one of FTO was launched in June 2009.
FTO will be published in parts, each covering a single family. It contains keys, descriptions, synonymy, distributional and habitat data etc. for all
taxa with appropriate referencing.
The focus of the FTO will be on the Angiosperms (Flowering Plants; 139 families), especially the Dicotyledons (100 families).
The first 45 accounts (all Dicotyledons)have been published in the first stage of FTO.
FTO combines the scientific value of citable and permanently available documents with the speed and accessibility of the internet. To assist workers with the new classification system used in the FTO there is an interface to determine what family a genus is placed in.
In addition, the FTO allows for public feedback which will help improve and refine the website. This will be used to notify users when new accounts are published on the website and also of any other changes to the site.
Redevelopment
TMAG’s most recent major expansion occurred during the 1960s. Since that time TMAG has outgrown its current spaces and facilities, and is now able to display only a small proportion of its collections. During the last 50 years, museum standards for the collection, storage and exhibition of artworks and historical artefacts have also changed dramatically. TMAG’s exhibition and storage facilities are no longer of a comparable standard to those of fellow state museums and art galleries around Australia, nor with many regional mainland institutions.Redevelopment will create new exhibition spaces to better showcase TMAG’s collections, and will allow TMAG to offer superior exhibitions and programming.