Museums of History NSW

Museums of History NSW (MHNSW) is a new cultural institution comprising the former Sydney Living Museums, NSW State Archives, and the Government Records Repository, and is the state’s first ever cultural institution dedicated to the knowledge and appreciation of history. However, merging three distinct entities into one institution brought with it inherent challenges. From reinterpreting responsibilities to redefining the role of the museum in the modern world, MHNSW needed to solve historic issues and unite the existing organisations, each with their own individual and indoctrinated identities, under the one masterbrand, and make history relevant and exciting to modern audiences.

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The Western take on history is retrospective and fixed in time. To other cultures, including Australia’s First Nations people, history is fluid and deeply intertwined within culture and identity. As the custodians of NSW’s history, it’s MHNSW’s role to break outdated preconceptions and show history as a vibrant, living organism. The brand idea, ‘The Future of History’, brings new insights and voices to people, places, and artefacts by reinterpreting their/these stories from a modern perspective — showing history isn’t just a thing that happened in the past, but a shaper of our present and future.

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Created at For The People with, Mel Baillache, Jason Little, Jo Roca, Floriane Jambu, Atsaya Gabiryalpillai, Emma Turney, Dash O’Brien-Georgeson, Georgia Urie, Joseph Dennis, Tom Clayton, Damian Borchok, James Cooper, Claudia Henderson, Mat Groom, Daniel St Vincent, Amy Scott, Alice Marrows, Monique Tadrous, Mac Archibald

More in depth case study can be viewed here https://www.behance.net/gallery/162879697/Museums-of-History-NSW