John Petersen: Museums and heritage consultant

Profile

My 25 year old career spans museum collections, built heritage, archives and Government and Not for Profit curatorial and leadership roles.

Much of my employment history is working with rural and regional communities and I work respectfully with volunteers and communities. I have led their projects to be recognised with over 30 AMAGA, IMAGinE (Museums and Galleries of NSW) and National Trust Heritage Awards.

Since leaving the Powerhouse Museum’s NSW Migration Heritage Centre, supporting Regional Services, my consulting practice has maintained an emphasis on ‘Significance 2.0’ and NSW’s culturally diverse communities, their collections and stories.

I am accredited as an historian through the Professional Historians Association and as an International Member of Australia ICOMOS. I have current Working with Children clearances.

Now living in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria, I do not charge my clients for my travel expenses and much of my consulting is happily in NSW with remarkable communities and their collections

Projects

Significance Assessments and Collection Plans

Significance Assessor, National Trust of Australia (NSW) James Fairfax Collection, Retford Park, Bowral – and collection conservation and interpretation planning – Stage One. Stage Two collections advice and input into a Conservation Management Plan

Significance Assessor, Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre Collection

Significance Assessor, Yarra Ranges Regional Museum Collection

Digitisation

Yanga Homestead, Balranald, Movable Heritage Collections Documentation, Archival Collection Cataloguing, eHive and Sheep Station Reinterpretation, NSW National Parks

Digital Access to Collections for Small Organisations National Strategy GLAM Peak www.digitalcollections.org.au

Museum Concept Plans

Wollongong Migration Museum Feasibility Study, Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra and Migration Heritage Project Inc.

Mentor and Sector Support

Master of Heritage and Museum Studies and Art Curatorship, Sydney University internship supervisor for Bell Shakespeare – oral history project, costume collection significance assessment, audio visual archive appraisal. Internship project management for Martin Sharp Trust at ‘Wirian’.

Casual Industry Representative Lecturer ‘Significance 2.0’ Master of Art Curatorship, Melbourne University (current)

Judge AMAGA (Victoria) Awards and Royal Historical Society of Australia (Victoria) Community Heritage Awards (current)

Community Consultation 

Finley Railway Precinct Community Consultation, Transport Heritage NSW

Museums Advisor, Wollongong City Council

Exhibition Development and Publication 

Review of ‘Objects in Their Place’ guidelines (incorporating the ‘Movable Heritage Principles’ policy) Heritage – Environment NSW

Curator and Facilitator ‘Power and the People’ travelling exhibition with the Yarra Ranges Heritage Network in collaboration with the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum. 2022 AMAGA Award Winner

Yanga Homestead, Balranald, Movable Heritage, Sheep Station Reinterpretation, NSW National Parks

Museum and Heritage Positions

Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Museums Victoria www.mmv.org.au (current) – working with the Directors of the Islamic Museum of Australia, Chinese Museum of Australian History, Hellenic Museum, Vietnamese Museum Australia, Jewish Museum of Australia and Co.As.It. Museo Italiano

Curator and Community Heritage Officer, Yarra Ranges Regional Museum (current)

Commonwealth World Heritage Manager, Australian Convict Site, Norfolk Island

Director, Duldig Studio Museum and Sculpture Garden www.duldig.org.au

Director, NSW Migration Heritage Centre, Powerhouse Museum www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au

Supervising Curator and Head of Property, Hyde Park Barracks Museum, now Museums of History NSW

Heritage Officer, Movable Heritage Project, now Heritage – Environment NSW and Create NSW

Senior Conservation Officer, Register of the National Estate, Australian Heritage Commission

CONTACT INFORMATION
John Petersen: Museums and heritage consultant

Phone: 0418975071

Email Us


OPERATION AND STAFFING
Year Commenced: 2013
Number of Staff: 1
Staff Basis: Sole Operator
AICCM member: N/A
GST Registered?: Yes
ABN: 69467549145