Australian Jazz Museum facts for kids
 |
|
| Former name | Victorian Jazz Archive |
|---|---|
| Established | 1996 |
| Location | 15 Mountain Highway, Wantirna 3152, Victoria, Australia |
| Type | Jazz music museum and archive |
The Australian Jazz Museum (AJM) is a special place in Wantirna, Victoria, Australia. It's like a treasure chest for everything about jazz music! This museum collects and keeps important items related to jazz, especially Australian jazz. It helps make sure that the amazing history of jazz music in Australia is never forgotten.
Contents
History
How the Museum Started
The museum first opened its doors in 1996. Back then, it was called the Victorian Jazz Archive (VJA). People who loved jazz were worried that the rich history of Australian jazz might disappear. So, they decided to create a place to save it all. The very first meeting to start the archive happened on August 18, 1996, in Melbourne.
A New Name for a Bigger Role
In 2014, the archive changed its name to The Australian Jazz Museum. This new name showed that it was no longer just for Victoria. It became a national museum, looking after jazz history from all over Australia. This change happened after some other jazz archives in different Australian states closed down.
Amazing Collections
What You Can Discover
The museum has a huge collection of cool stuff! You can find many different items that tell the story of jazz. These include CDs, audio cassettes, posters, books, and lots of photographs. They also have musical instruments and other special items.
Famous Jazz Stars
The collection includes works from famous Australian jazz musicians. Some of these legends are Graeme Bell, Bob Barnard, Ade Monsbourgh, Smacka Fitzgibbon, and Frank Traynor. You can also find magazines, newspapers, and articles about many other Australian and international jazz performers. The museum also keeps the collection from the Australian Jazz Convention.
Visiting the Museum
The museum building has a special research library. This library is a great place to learn more about jazz. You can visit the museum on Tuesdays. You can also make an appointment to get a tour and see all the amazing things they have.
Awards and Recognition
Celebrating Great Work
The Australian Jazz Museum and its dedicated volunteers have won many awards. These awards show how important their work is in preserving jazz history.
- In 2002, John Kennedy received a MIRA Award. This award was for his excellent volunteer work at the AJM.
- In 2005, the museum (when it was still the VJA) won the Knox Pride Award. This award from the Knox City Council recognized it as an "Outstanding Archive of Everything Jazz."
- In 2007, the AJM won the Best Exhibit / Display award. This was from the Victorian Community History Awards for their exhibit called Jazz Spans the Decades – A History of Jazz in Victoria.
- Also in 2007, AJM member John Kennedy won another award. This one was from the Australian Sound Recording Association for his amazing leadership in jazz archiving.
- In 2009, the AJM received a Community Heritage Award and Grant. This important recognition came from the National Library of Australia.
- In 2010, the AJM received a Special Commendation. This was in the Knox City Council's Environment Awards.
- In 2012, the AJM won a Victorian Museum Award. This award was for museums run by volunteers, showing their hard work.
- In 2013, the AJM received a Sir Rupert Hamer Award. This award was for their special project to digitize (make digital copies of) their jazz collection.
See Also
- List of music museums
- National Film and Sound Archive, which also has its own Australian Jazz Archive.
