Entertainment
13 December, 2021
The trouble with parting
The new temporary exhibition at Cairns Museum features collectable items the public and the museum find hard to part with.
“The trouble with parting – objects we find hard to discard” asks why certain objects are harder to part with than others?
Not surprisingly the exhibition features bottles, cameras, hats, badges, sewing machines and smoking paraphernalia.
Curator, Suzanne Gibson, said the value in the items was in the personal relationships people often developed with them. Gibson said the exhibition offered an opportunity for parents and grandparents to share their memories of these objects with younger generations.
“It is a great opportunity for remembering when milk bottles By Maria Larkins were a thing and cameras used film!” she said.
There are more than 150 pieces in the exhibit offering visitors the opportunity to also reflect and consider the historical significance of the items.
Gibson said it was also important to evaluate why museums hold these collections. Why does the Museum have multiples of the same object?
“The trouble with parting” opens tomorrow, Saturday December 11 and runs right through the holiday period.
The Cairns Museum is located in the School of Arts Building, Corner of Lake & Shields Streets. It is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday. Entry is $15 adults, $12 concession, $6 children under 14, and $30 families (2 adults and 2 children).
