Melbourne's Living Museum of the West facts for kids
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Australia |
| Type | Culture museum |
Melbourne's Living Museum of the West is a special kind of museum. It's an ecomuseum and a community museum that tells the social history of people in Melbourne's western suburbs, especially Maribyrnong. It started in 1984. This was part of Victoria's 150-year anniversary celebrations. Other museums like the Children's Museum also opened around that time.
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What is the Living Museum of the West?
People often call it simply the Living Museum. It opened in 1984. The idea was to help the western part of Melbourne. This area was mostly industrial and working-class. It didn't have many cultural places.
The museum decided to be an "ecomuseum". This means it focuses on the local environment, the land, and the people. It also looks at their culture and history. A big part of its goal is to involve the community. Local people help record and save their own stories.
Australia's First Ecomuseum
This museum is known as Australia's first ecomuseum. It shares the stories of people from Melbourne's Western Region. This area stretches from Footscray to Bacchus Marsh. It also goes from Sunbury to Werribee.
At first, it was like a "museum without walls". It focused on recording oral histories. This means collecting stories people told about their lives. It also encouraged community members to take part. It didn't collect many physical objects until more recently.
What Can You Find at the Living Museum?
The Living Museum has a large collection of resources. It includes over 10,000 documents, photos, and recordings. These items form its resource center. The museum also has staff and facilities.
What's in the Collection?
The collections include many different things:
- Published books, reports, and articles.
- Maps, plans, and drawings.
- A large collection of photographs.
- Oral histories, which are recorded stories from people.
- Materials from past exhibitions.
It has about 500 objects and 5,000 copies of old documents. There are also 10,000 photos. These photos include historical pictures and new ones. They show the region and museum activities.
The most important part of its collection is the oral history recordings. These stories focus on important topics. They include migration, work, the environment, and culture. They also cover heritage, industry, and women in the community. Most importantly, they share the everyday stories of people in Melbourne's West.
Where is the Museum Located?
The Living Museum started in a small building in Footscray. As its collection grew, it needed more space. Arts Victoria helped by providing money. The museum then moved to a renovated industrial site.
Pipemakers Park Home
Today, the Living Museum is in former industrial buildings. These are located at Pipemakers Park in Maribyrnong. The buildings were updated in 1987–88. This was done with a $2 million grant from the Australian Bicentenary.
Parks Victoria owns these buildings. The Living Museum has a lease to use them. The site includes a visitor and research center. It also has staff offices. There is a large exhibition space in the old bluestone buildings. These spaces have been used for many things. They host exhibitions, concerts, performances, and community events.
The museum's patron is Joan Kirner. She was a former premier of Victoria.
The Living Museum first started in a small house. It was on David Street in Footscray. It had four staff members. Many more people worked there through job creation programs. They helped with research and recording oral histories. They also prepared exhibitions.
What's New at the Museum?
Around 2011, the Living Museum faced some challenges. It lost its main funding from Arts Victoria. It worked hard to find new ways to get money. For a while, a group of local artists called MREAM was very involved. They wanted to turn Pipemakers Park into art studios. However, their idea was not chosen in 2011.
In 2012, the Living Museum reorganized its collection. It moved everything into the Visitor Centre at Pipemakers Park. The museum is now working to make its collection digital. This means putting the archives online for everyone to see.
With a new and active team, the Living Museum continues to grow. It plans new exhibitions and events. These take place in the historic buildings along the Maribyrnong River.
See also
- Ecomuseum
- Industrial archaeology
