The next Annual Conference of the AFFM will be held in Hobart at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 October 2008.

This year’s annual seminar and meeting will be held on Thursday 30^th and Friday 31^st October in Hobart and is to be hosted by our AFFM Tasmanian Vice President David Coleman. Please make a note in your diaries and also let your members know that they are very welcome to attend.
The program starts on Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm with a think tank reflecting the theme from the World Federation of Friends of Museums Congress ‘The Relationships between Museums, Friends and Volunteers’.  That evening there will be a Reception at Government House hosted by His Excellency the Honourable Peter Underwood AO and Mrs. Underwood.

Friday’s conference will be held in the Royal Society Room of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. One of the highlights of the day’s proceedings will be a presentation on how to engage a younger audience.  At the conclusion of proceedings on Friday an evening function is being arranged. If you can stay longer, the weekend program will include a trip to Launceston and visits other island treasures.  

For a full schedule click here

  Please RSVP to david Coleman dpcolent@gmail.com

Click here for the minutes of the 2007 AGM
held in Melbourne

WFFM INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS (XIII)  
Jerusalem - September 21-26, 2008
“Relationship between Museums, Friends and Volunteers”
Hosted by the International Council of the Israel Museum and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (PDF)

Australian Members of AFFM are encouraged to participate in this Congress. For more information contact AFFM President Carolyn Forster carolynjforster@bigpond.com

For more details on the Jerusalem Congress visit the WFFM website www.museumsfriends.com/
or the Israel Museum website by clicking here
 

World Federation of Friends of Museums Council Meeting and General Assembly
held in Singapore in April 2007

Hosted by Friends of the Museums (Singapore) with the patronage of the National Heritage Board, Singapore, this Assembly was attended by Max Dingle, Vice President World Federation, Carol Serventy, former WFFM Vice-President and Carolyn Forster OAM, AFFM President.

To read the report on the Singapore Assembly by Max Dingle click here (PDF 226 KB)
 

Promoting Museums
Friends across Africa-Asia-Pacific Conference
held 7 September - 10 September 2006, Sydney Australia

Read transcripts of talks and lectures given at this successful conference can be found below:

Among many highlights of the conference, Edmund Capon’s speech was unforgettable. Urbane and witty, the well-chosen words of the director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales charted the changes in curators’ attitudes to Friends and the public. Here is text of his warmly encouraging address. (PDF 57 KB)

A major conference theme was exploring the ‘big impact of small museums’, which included the exchange of ideas and strategies for organisations working with limited budgets. Maisy Stapleton, CEO, Museums and Galleries NSW, explored the idea of small museums as advocates and innovators and shared some case histories, discussing introducing the concept of the curatorium and showing how small museums use flexible management to create new paradigms of museum and gallery development. (PDF 47 KB)

Julia Oh, former WFFM Secretary General and past president of the Friends of the Museums Singapore, reported to the conference on actions recently taken by the World Federation of Friends of Museums on this important issue. She explains how WFFM became involved and what future steps are proposed. (PDF 118 KB)