Australian Performing Arts Collection facts for kids
The APAC collection in storage
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| Former name | Performing Arts Museum |
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| Location | Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| -37.820278, 144.968333 | |
The Australian Performing Arts Collection (often called APAC) is located at Arts Centre Melbourne. It used to be known as the Performing Arts Museum (PAM). This collection is the biggest of its kind in Australia. It holds over 780,000 items. These items tell the story of circus, dance, music, opera, and theatre in Australia. They also show the history of Australian performers who worked overseas.
Contents
History of the Collection
How the Collection Started
The collection began in 1975. It was first called the Performing Arts Museum (PAM). It was planned to be part of the Melbourne Arts Centre building. The Arts Centre was still being built at that time.
Roy Grounds was the architect who designed the Melbourne Arts Centre. He started designing it in 1959. He wanted a performing arts museum to be part of the building. However, his first plans did not include a special space for it. Instead, he designed display cases around the building's main areas. These cases would hold parts of the collection.
In 1975, a group was formed to decide what items to collect. They also discussed what the museum should be called. Names like Museum of the Performing Arts and Stage Museum were suggested. In 1977, they chose "Performing Arts Museum."
Official Opening and Growth
The Performing Arts Museum officially launched on October 30, 1978. The Premier, Sir Rupert Hamer, opened it. A display was held at the nearby National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). At this event, Mobil Oil gave $300,000 to help set up the museum.
The NGV also hosted PAM's first big exhibition in 1981. PAM then officially opened its own doors in 1982. Its first exhibitions were about famous people like Dame Nellie Melba and the history of Bourke Street. In its first year, the museum welcomed 47,000 visitors. It held four major exhibitions and six smaller ones. It also showed items in the building's main areas.
Today, the collection is known as the Australian Performing Arts Collection (APAC). It continues to grow with new items. Exhibitions created by or featuring APAC items have traveled across Australia and to other countries.
In August 2022, Karen Quinlan became the new CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne. She announced plans to show more of the APAC collection. She also wants to lend parts of the collection to other museums in Australia.
Exciting Exhibitions
The Australian Performing Arts Collection has held many exhibitions. These shows took place in different galleries at Arts Centre Melbourne. Some famous subjects have included the band AC/DC, pop star Kylie Minogue, actor Geoffrey Rush, musician Peter Allen, and artist Nick Cave. These exhibitions have traveled both nationally and internationally.
Since 2017, APAC has also run the Australian Music Vault. This is a permanent exhibition. It was created with help from the music industry. It celebrates Australian music history.
Amazing Collections
The collection started gathering items even before the Melbourne Arts Centre was finished. Official collecting began in 1979. Some special parts of the collection include items related to musicians Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue. Other important collections include the Australian Archives of the Dance, items from The Australian Ballet, and objects from Circus Oz. There are also records from Juke Magazine and many more.
In 1975, an advertisement asked for theatrical items for the new museum. Many people sent in materials. Volunteer archivists helped sort through everything. When it first started, the collection was unique. It didn't focus on just one type of performing art. Instead, it aimed to collect anything related to the performing arts.
In 2001, APAC received many records from the New Theatre, Melbourne (which operated from 1936 to 2000). These included costume and set designs, videos, and other papers. The personal papers of theatre director Dot Thompson were also added to the collection.
Directors of the Collection
- Frank van Straten (1984-1993)
- Janine Barrand (1994-2021)
