Should One of Sydney's Main Museums Move to Parramatta?

Museums are many things, none of which is transient. And yet a controversial Infrastructure NSW report has proposed that Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum be uprooted from its Ultimo site and relocated to western Sydney. Premier Mike Baird supports the move, which is in line with the state government’s plan to strengthen the sport and cultural facilities for Sydney’s fastest growing region. But the proposal has been met with mixed reviews, including scepticism from Rose Hiscock, the Powerhouse director herself.

So is this an easy way for the Liberal Party to win over some all-important western Sydney votes ahead of next year’s state election, a front for a large redevelopment plan in Ultimo or a genuine opportunity for transforming the Powerhouse into the “world's leading museum of science and design”? To help you figure it out/give you something smart to talk about at dinner, here's what you need to know.

WESTERN SYDNEY IS CRYING OUT FOR A CULTURAL BOOST

There are heaps of people in western Sydney. Approximately 2 million to be, well, approximate. But less than 5% of the state's arts funding is allocated to the region, compared with about 90% dedicated to Sydney’s CBD. To rectify this, the state government plans to create a new Parramatta Cultural Precinct around the existing Riverside Theatre complex. Along with Riverside, western Sydney is home to other wonderful arts institutions like the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith. But these institutions are widely dispersed and the folks in the west want more. Moving the Powerhouse would indeed offer a much-needed cultural boost for this ever-growing area.

The proposal has been endorsed by big wigs that you would assume would have a say in a proposal like this, such as Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger and the Western Sydney Arts and Culture Lobby. The University of Western Sydney's vice-chancellor, Barney Glover, also supports a prospective partnership between the two institutions, with a new UWS campus also planned for Parramatta. And, considering the heavy design and science focus of the Museum, it kind of does make sense for it to be located in an area where it can reach out and engage with students rather than tourists.

THE POWERHOUSE AIN’T DOING SO WELL AS IT IS

You probably know that the collection at the Powerhouse is massive, housing more than 400,000 scientific, design or historic artefacts. What you probably don't know is that about 95% of those artefacts are in storage at any one time. That's one big Kennards box. An additional or new site could mean more of us get to see more of the museum's treasures more often.

This can only be a welcome prospect to the Museum which, in its annual report released in December, recorded a fall in visitor numbers by 9,000 from the year before and a 90% fall in sponsorship since Hiscock’s commencement as director in July last year. Moving the museum to a rapidly growing region might be just what it needs to boost these figures and get it back on track.

BUT YOU CAN’T JUST PICK UP A MUSEUM AND MOVE IT

Rose Hiscock has said, “You can’t just pick up a museum and move it”. Well, apparently you can. Just ask the Alaska State Museum or the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering, both of who picked up and moved successfully and one that even has a web page called 'How to Move a Museum'.

But to be honest, as cool as it might be to move an entire museum, it all seems like a lot of hard work. Surely the resources it will take to relocate the Powerhouse could be better spent on re-hiring staff to focus on meeting funding goals and improving the museum’s curatorial vision and outreach?

The Powerhouse Museum is actually one of three venues of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, also incorporating the Powerhouse Discovery Centre in Castle Hill in Sydney's north west and the Sydney Observatory. Rather than uprooting a 26-year-old organisation, management should focus on using existing knowledge and networks to consolidate and reinvigorate it.

ULTIMO NEEDS THE POWERHOUSE TOO

Ultimo is an iconic location, having housed the Powerhouse Museum for over 25 years. And let's face it, without the Powerhouse, Pyrmont is just a street with a pool, a university, the ABC and some cool start-ups.

But that's exactly why Pyrmont and Ultimo need the Powerhouse — as the cultural hub it could be. The museum released its own 2020 strategy this year, citing its current location, proximity to Sydney’s tourist centre, educational institutions and start-ups as vital to its future plans. The Museum has future plans! Plans to be a better museum! Plans to be a powerhouse! But the Museum needs to stay where it is for those plans to work.

THE THIRD WAY

One of the most vocal advocates for the move, Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger has been quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, saying that western Sydney doesn’t have many truly great public buildings (sorry Campbelltown Arts Centre and Casula Powerhouse!) and that major institutions in Sydney’s CBD are ignorant towards western Sydney (discounting the many touring and educational programs dedicated to engaging western Sydney audiences by key institutions including the AGNSW, MCA and the Sydney Opera House).

But why does it have to be an either or? If setting up western Sydney as a cultural hub is a priority for the government, should it really be getting Sydney's leftovers? Rather than pinching and appropriating central Sydney's cultural offerings, why not follow in the footsteps of Campbelltown Arts Centre and use the resources to create a world-class museum that has relevance and a true engagement with the histories and cultures of its location? This is the argument of most of those against the move, including Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah and UTS deputy vice-chancellor Patrick Woods.

Could there be an ulterior motive here? Not that we're saying there's anything suss about a Liberal government trying to force out an iconic arts institution, a move which conveniently reaches out to western Sydney’s powerful voting bloc, and at the same time opens up an area of unprecedented prime real estate for private redevelopment. Seems totally legit.

Whilst against vacating the Ultimo site, Hiscock seems open to the idea of a satellite venue. Perhaps the ideal outcome is this compromise, with the Ultimo site improving its curatorial vision and engagement with target audiences, and rolling out a satellite venue with a specific focus for western Sydney, such as an interactive science museum (a la Questacon).

Realistically though, it’s unlikely anything will happen anytime soon. The proposal put forward by Infrastructure NSW is part of a 20-year plan. Feasibility studies need to be undertaken, stakeholders need to be consulted and, in the meantime, a state election is slated for March 28, 2015.

So while we wait, why not head down to Ultimo to check out the recently opened Recollect: Shoes exhibition that features 700 pairs of shoes? The exhibition includes the first pair of elastic-sided boots in the world, worn by Queen Victoria herself. Or check out the museum's new late-night event for adults, MAASive Lates.

By Roslyn Helper with Jessica Harvie.