Hi Folks
Hi folks, this month is a bit of a “I’m not sure where to start” kind of month, there’s so much going on and happening behind the scenes and it’s all very exciting and important. I might start with the Heritage Festival, which saw the BMI not only featuring its own variety of functions including opera, film, tours, exhibitions and generally welcoming the festival visitors, but also playing host to some external organisations providing programming including Botanical Drawing, plus an exploration of quackery and magical cures with Dr David Waldron and A Life in Photos with John Gollings. Just a note, the Marionettes, Mesmerism and Magic Lanterns exhibition has been postponed from the Heritage Festival to the Ballarat Winter Festival, it will be in the Heritage Reading Room, this be in place through from 5 to 27 July.
This fascinating exhibition of archival documents, newspapers and photographs will be your guide through the ‘foreign country’ of entertainment – and audiences – of the past. Thank you to everyone who assisted with the Festival again this year. Next up on the festival scene is the Ballarat Winter Festival, you will be able to find out offerings below.
Thank you so much to Mark Potter who has managed the Library very well in Rosemary’s absence for two weeks in May. We hope Rosemary had a fabulous time and that many of you were able to meet Mark whilst he was “in her seat”.
Liam Mudge is now the full time Venue Manager at the BMI. This decision and appointment comes in line with our strategic goals and should provide the support required to enable us to utilise the venue and hireable spaces more often and more flexibly to draw in a varied audience, a more sustainable revenue stream and ultimately to attract more members. Thank you Liam, for all the work you have done so far and congratulations on the new position.
Book Sale
Don’t forget we have the ever popular book sale on again this weekend.
This is a very important fundraiser for the BMI but also is a lot of fun for book lovers and gift buyers, not to mention great value!! Come in and discover a bargain!
Our End of Financial year campaign is well underway with a good result to far. You can head to our donations page at:
If you would like to contribute to your organisation in this way. There you will also be able to read a bit more about the challenges and rewards that come with supporting our wonderful Institute on this page.
Grants
As part of the Victorian Government Mechanics’ Institutes Grant Program, we have been fortunate to receive a Grant of $9000. This grant will go towards some works in the Hugh Williamson Foyer – which is also a gallery space often featuring our Max Harris images, the bathrooms on the same level to enhance the visitor experience and some lighting upgrades in the Hooper Room to make the space more comfortable for research, workshops and community meetings.
The Amazing Lucas Girls | Cate Whittaker
We were delighted to welcome playwright Cate Whittaker into the building with her fabulous cast and crew for three performances of The Amazing Lucas Girls in early May. This fabulous play was received very well by local audiences after a successful season further afield. Fortunately for our technical crew and those from our community partners Ballarat National Theatre, the very talented sound technician, Mehran Mortezaei, provided some pro bono training on our sound desk, before he left Ballarat; it really was a win-win for all and we thank the team for choosing the BMI and Gerardine Christou for the part she played in bringing them to us.
Von Mueller | Ellen Becker
Looking back for a moment, our Heritage Collections Curator Ellen Becker was recently invited to prepare a paper and to speak at a Mechanics’ Institute seminar at Deakin University, Melbourne which she duly did, on March 14th. She spoke on the von Mueller specimens held at the BMI and was commended on her presentation by the Seminar Convenor, Jim Lowden. Thanks to Ellen for her advocacy for the BMI and for her professional approach to this opportunity.
At a governance level, the Board are working with staff and external providers (many are assisting us pro bono which is terrific) to undertake various audits of several areas of the business to ensure we are compliant with ever changing legislation. This includes some maintenance of essential services, general repairs and even cleaning, not very exciting but very necessary and we ask that you forgive us for any inconvenience during these works.
We continue to upgrade our security, both cyber and physical, and thank volunteer Travis Charlton for continuing to work with the BMI in this area.
Oubliette – Gemma Cavoli
We all enjoyed our recent and very talented Artist in Residence Gemma Cavoli, who came to us through a Seedpod Residency. Gemma made a studio in our basement as she created an extraordinary work which was then exhibited via public interactive viewings in early May.
The work examined many lost stories of those incarcerated in asylums and other institutions, and was very thought provoking. We are always looking for new and different ways to activate our building and Gemma’s project certainly aided us in this quest.
Royal South Street Society
It won’t be long before the BMI officially becomes the home of the new Margaret Schofield Memorial Piano a Schimmel K195, belonging to the Royal South Street Society. This arrangement will bring many benefits to both organisations and we look forward to this occasion in early July.
Several applications for funding have been submitted in the past month, we look forward to letting you know of the outcomes. These applications include funding for conservation works on the Collection, building, library and security. We are delighted to announce that at the BMI we have received funding from Ballarat Connected Communities to purchase an on-site defibrillator. The BMI plays a vital role in our community, welcoming over 20,000 visitors annually, many of whom are mature-aged. The need for an on-site defibrillator, given the current distance to the nearest device and the building’s central location in the Arts Precinct, was recognised and rewarded through this grant, so a huge thank you to Ballarat Connected Communities for their support for a project that so directly enhances public safety and community wellbeing.
The Little Brass Band
And finally from me, looking further ahead in August, we are very thankful to The Little Brass Band who have offered to hold a fundraising event for and at the BMI, details are below:
be sure to get your ticket soon, it sounds like a very entertaining event.
Paula Nicholson
