Questacon has been touring interactive exhibitions since 1989 when the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibition travelled to Brisbane and Melbourne, marking the start of an auspicious national touring exhibition program.
The Newcastle Regional Museum was the first regional venue to host a Questacon exhibition - the maths-based Mathematica arrived there in June 1990, and 33 years and a string of exhibitions later, the same venue is hosting Questacon’s latest travelling exhibition Australia in Space.
Over the course of more than 30 years, Questacon Travelling exhibitions have reached over 16 million visitors in regional and metropolitan areas of Australia and internationally. Importantly, the program has brought exhibitions to more than 100 regional venues in Australia.
Travelling Exhibitions Manager, Tim Crowther, says the bespoke approach to delivering an exhibition at home or abroad is key to the program’s success. "High-intensity interactivity mixed with high-quality educational experiences are why the Travelling Exhibitions program has been operating so successfully for over 30 years. We consider the diverse needs of the regions we will visit and the venues they have. Each hire begins with a conversation to ensure our exhibitions best fit the locations we travel to."
This commitment to customisation is exemplified in the forthcoming exhibition Questacon Presents, due mid-2024, which will deliver unique hands-on science experiences for remote and regional communities through modular experiences providing great access to venues of differing sizes.
Questacon Presents draws on 30 years of creative communication expertise across Questacon to deliver this series of exciting mini-exhibitions, packaged with flexible activities and programming tailored to the needs of remote and regional communities. This exhibition will deliver the purest of Questacon ideals: thrilling and intoxicating exhibits mixed with activities to inspire the next generation to engage with STEM.
For those small venues, the Questacon Regional Tub series focuses on singular interactive experiences easily installed by venue staff within a matter of hours taking up a smaller footprint of just 50-150m2. "These 'ultra-portable' exhibits are easily transported, in sets of four tubs, and flexible enough to meet most venue footprints, providing opportunities for venues to experience a taste of what Questacon has to offer in our larger 200-600m2 exhibitions." said Tim.
Another unique approach Questacon has developed to increase accessibility to its exhibitions, is by making them downloadable, as with the Mars and Fungi exhibitions. As Tim explains, the Albury Library Museum is great example which picked up and staged this exhibition during the heavily impacted COVID-19 time when interstate travel was heavily restricted. "Questacon provided the exhibition digitally, allowing flexibility for their professional curator team to produce artworks customised to their library museum environment as well as supporting local businesses producing the images."
Partnering with institutions like the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston, Tasmania, Questacon leverages STEAM-based learning, which uses science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics to guide student inquiry.
Questacon’s BHP WildScience was the first exhibition to go to QVMAG, back in 1998. Since then, a further 6 Questacon exhibitions have featured in this famous Launceston venue.
QVMAG Director, Shane Fitzgerald, underlined the importance of Questacon’s travelling exhibitions to the Launceston institution. "Our strong relationship with Questacon has enabled us to welcome popular touring exhibitions like Australia in Space, engaging audiences of all ages.
"We integrated this exhibition into the Launceston Planetarium because it was such a natural fit and schools cross northern Tasmania brought their students who engaged in a unique STEAM learning experience. This collaborative effort peaked during National Science Week in August, when over 1,100 visitors flocked to the exhibition in a single day.”
The Australia in Space exhibition reached 55,300 visitors in the 4 months it was on display at QVMAG Launceston.
If you are interested in hiring a Questacon exhibition, visit: https://www.questacon.edu.au/join-support/hire-an-exhibition
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