Nathan Pharaoh is all in when it comes to his vision for the Braidwoood Museum and Heritage Centre. Photo: Braidwood Museum.
There may not be a busier man in the region than Nathan Pharaoh, the curator and program manager at the Braidwood Museum and Heritage Centre.
Since stepping into the role in January, and following a month of what he describes as ‘big sky thinking’, Nathan has begun rolling out a wide range of programs and initiatives centred on the museum’s nationally significant collection. On 2 May, he’s inviting the public to see it all in action at an open day.
The event is being pitched as a community-focused celebration, where visitors can explore the collection while also getting hands-on with workshops, enjoying live music from a line-up of local performers, eating from food trucks, browsing market stalls and watching heritage demonstrations.
It’s a day that neatly brings together Nathan’s broader vision for the museum — transforming it into a cultural and educational campus that draws on the region’s deeply talented artistic community.
Currently on leave from the National Museum of Australia, and working at the Braidwood Museum on a six-month, grant-funded contract, Nathan hasn’t wasted time putting his ideas into motion.
Nathan brings his skills from the National Museum of Australia to Braidwood. Photo: Tenele Conway.
One of his first major initiatives was launching the museum’s first GoFundMe campaign to digitise a recently donated collection of photographic slides that he says are at risk of deterioration. Among them are images he considers nationally significant, including rare photographs of Afghan cameleers, First Nations art and scenes from Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 visit to Australia.
The campaign has already reached 84 per cent of its $3000 target, with $2505 raised so far. Those funds have enabled the museum to begin the digitisation process, with the slides now in the hands of Datacom IT for scanning.
Momentum is also building around Nathan’s idea of establishing the museum as a heritage skills campus, with the first public programs now locked in. On 16 May, participants can take part in The Art and Science of Seasonal Change, a workshop exploring nature printmaking techniques alongside their historical context.
If all goes to plan, it will be the first of many workshops spanning heritage trades such as dressmaking, blacksmithing and pottery.
These programs form just one part of a broader strategy to secure the museum’s long-term financial sustainability. A new gift shop, located in the grant-funded rear extension, is another key piece of the puzzle. Nathan has been carefully curating its offering, stocking books, merchandise and locally designed products that tap into Braidwood’s rich and often colourful past.
Alongside an extensive book selection, museum mugs and locally designed clothing, the latest addition is a line of tea towels honouring the life of Mei Quong Tart. The choice is a fitting one. Quong Tart, a prominent Chinese-Australian businessman with ties to the Braidwood region, was best known for his network of tearooms across Sydney’s central arcades, including the much-loved Queen Victoria Building on George Street.
For more information on the museum, the open day and upcoming workshops head to the Braidwood Museum Facebook page.
