After a career that has touched on film and TV production, exhibiting the story of shipping containers and creating major new gallery spaces at a key library Mary-Elizabeth Andrews is ready to tell the stories of Orange.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dr Andrews is the manager of the Orange Regional Musuem, taking over the reins just as the coronavirus pandemic restrictions arrived.
She said her focus for the museum would be on telling the stories of Orange people and how they connected to events of national and regional importance.
That will start with the museum's next major exhibition Inherit: Old and New Histories which will open on Saturday September 5.
"[We're] looking at doing a program of different aspects of telling stories people in the region can relate to," she said.
Dr Andrews said they needed to "hit the high, middle and low grounds" of connecting the stories to events and places in history.
She said she was looking at major exhibitions lasting for up to five years interspersed with smaller exhibitions introduced annually. "Exhibitions use a lot of time and resources," she said.
Dr Andrews said she had not looked into what might become available for regional museums to exhibit when the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney was moved to Parramatta.
"I'm not really sure what's on offer," she said.
Dr Andrews said she would only consider items that directly related to the Orange region.
She said she had worked for the ABC's commissioning editor for TV drama in Sydney that saw her working on productions including Changi and All Saints before becoming involved in films.
That including working behind-the-scenes on movies including two of The Matrix films and Superman Returns.
However, she said she then switched to museum studies that led to working for the Historic Houses Trust, the Australian Maritime Museum and the NSW State Library.
Dr Andrews said her time at the State Library showed there was plenty of source material that might be handy for the Orange museum.
"The State Library has wonderful material that relates to the region," she said.
Dr Andrews said the highlight of her career so far had been working on her own exhibitions and projects.
However, she said she had wanted to move to the country.
"I was looking at moving to a regional centre for some time because I was looking at buying my own house. I did focus on this region. I bought a little house in Millthorpe and this job came up on the weekend I moved in."
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below ...