The Tweed Regional Museum's Museum on Wheels (MoW), a colourful vintage caravan with a twist, has won the major award for Community Engagement and Outreach from the Australian Museum and Gallery Association (AMaGA).
The award recognises organisations that have developed unique and engaging ways to interpret and communicate their collection and stories to the wider community.
The MoW is a renovated 1973 caravan – retrofitted to showcase images and video content from the Tweed Regional Museum collection – and is used to activate sites and communities across the Tweed and beyond. The MoW transports the Museum into the public realm, showcasing curated content, enhancing locations, exhibitions, festivals, schools, events and engaging with current and new audiences.
Museum Director Molly Green said she was proud of the Tweed's achievements, with the Museum recognised alongside other category winners such as major national institutions, the Australian Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Powerhouse Museum.
"While it's important to attract people to the wonderful space we have here at the Museum, it's incredible to be able to transport it into the public realm as well," Ms Green said.
"That way, we can connect to current and new audiences in new ways and unexpected places. The MoW has enabled us to open up thought-provoking, curated content for the whole community and beyond. It's been such a gift for the team to be able to bring it to life."
The MoW's vivid design was also awarded a Highly Commended in the Exhibition Branding category. Its design elements and branding were created by Whale Design Co, La Fin Design and Salty Dog Media.
A first of its kind, the MoW has been popping up at festivals, markets, events and unique locations across the Tweed and beyond. Recently, it featured at the opening celebrations of the Tweed leg of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail and also dropped in at the Flotsam Surf Film & Photography Festival at Coolangatta.
Next stop for the MoW is the Cooly Rocks On festival in Coolangatta from 7 - 11 June. Here, festival-goers will be able to explore a display from the collection of 1950s and 1960s cinema advertising from the Capitol Theatre Coolangatta and Empire Theatre in Tweed Heads. An era of advertising that was influenced by the emerging pop art movement and 'swing style' fashion. They will also have garments from the 1950s and 1960s to look, touch and feel, photo stand-in fun, and prizes to be won.
Following that, the MoW will head to popular music festival Splendour in the Grass at North Byron Parklands in July where punters will be enthralled by an interactive augmented reality experience.
