Categories
Gastronomy in the Museum
With funding from an Arts NSW Partnership grant Sydney Living Museums (SLM) is a major institutional partner with Central West NSW Villages of the Heart Project, designed to tell rural stories, with particular focus on a ‘from pasture to plate’ research theme.
SLM’s ‘resident gastronomer’ Jacqui Newling curates the Eat your History initiative, using food as a lens to explore their historic places, collections, family histories and related stories, engaging audiences in an active and meaningful way. Adapting elements of the Eat your history concept Jacqui has presented public programs, round table activities and training workshops based around local produce, food and culinary history in the NSW Central West region with active support from Orange City Council.
Jacqui conducted a one-day masterclass Gastronomy in the museum: interpretation and programming through food, in Orange, NSW, for regional museums’ professionals. Masterclass participants engaged in various sensorial activities and workshopped ways to develop theme-based programs and activities within their museums. She has since worked with local museums’ staff to develop community-based programs such as Carcoar Hospital Museum’s Farewell Dr Rowland colonial dinner (March 2015) and Molong Museum and Historical Society Packham pears luncheon with CWA’s Merle Parrish (April 2015).
This fact sheet is derived from the masterclass and offers practical tips, suggestions and checklists to assist in the development of food-related museum interpretation and programming initiatives.
