Tūhura Otago Museum was the only southern hemisphere museum to be nominated for the prestigious Museums and Heritage Awards in London.
Out of more than 50 entries worldwide, Otago Museum’s ‘‘The Gallery Gang’s Big Adventure’’ was shortlisted among the top five exhibitions worldwide.
‘‘The exhibition stood out for its amazing storytelling and the impact it had on the community,’’ judge Bernard Donoghue, OBE, said.
The museum should be immensely proud of its achievement, he said.
‘‘It showed that even with smaller budgets, museums can create exhibitions worthy of the international stage.’’
Museums and Heritage Awards director Anna Preedy said being named among the top five exhibitions globally was an extraordinary achievement.
‘‘It is fantastic to see a museum from Dunedin, New Zealand, recognised on the international stage alongside some of the world’s most established cultural institutions.’’
The exhibition was created by design and exhibitions manager Shanaya Cunningham and senior designer Annah Taggart, who attended the awards.
Mrs Cunningham said simply becoming a finalist felt surreal.
‘‘We were the only finalist from the southern hemisphere and were up against museums from China, Europe and Egypt — some of the best museums in the world.
‘‘We couldn’t be more proud.’’
Running over summer, ‘‘The Gallery Gang’s Big Adventure’’ featured more than 30 different craft activities, interactive characters representing museum collections, reward cards and stickers, and direct links to real objects and exhibitions throughout the museum.
The Universalmuseum Joanneum in Austria won the top award for its ‘‘Schloss Eggenberg: the Staging of a World’’ exhibition. — Allied Media
