Nights at the (Otago) Museum
Gin, Love Island, Yoga. The story of how Otago Museum became cool
Otago Museum, one of the oldest museums in the country, has more than 1.5 million items among its collections.
That includes everyone’s favourite exhibit from Animal Attic: the Rat King.
I mean, just look at it!
If you are interested in reading more about rat kings, I recommend this piece.
As an aside, I note that the discovery of Dunedin’s famed Rat King (I’ve decided to capitalise it due to the regal title, and is so named because the various rat tails become entwined from such as items as hair) is almost 100 years old.
I found this in Papers Past, courtesy of the Ashburton Guardian on April 22, 1927, and quite possibly the greatest opening sentence of a single New Zealand news’ story.
With their tails hopelessly knotted together, a bunch, of nine rats fell from the rafters to the floor of F shed on the Birch Street waterfront yesterday.
I love it.
Until you read that a delivery clerk beat the eight rats to death, and could only watch as the ninth rat *shudder* broke free. That black rat ‘‘measured about 10 inches along the body’’.
That 25cm-long rat must truly be the real rat king, and I bet he started his own principality on the wharf.
And the story goes on:
The knot of tails showed signs of a sticky substance, and it is possible that when foraging the rats got treacle or syrup on their tails before returning to the nest, and that when the tails were enmeshed the substance prevented them being easily freed
Quite.
Is there anything stranger than the Rat King at Otago Museum?
Well, I may have something.
Do you know some of the hottest tickets in town are being sold to events at the museum. And these are not your average events.
Check out ticketing numbers to free and paid events at Otago Museum, which is now called Tūhura Otago Museum.
2019 – 2020 11, 527
2020 – 2021 20,349
2021 – 2022 26,638
That is an extraordinary increase in a time of Covid, what in the Rat King is going on.
Enter Charlie Buchan.
Charlie started at the museum as marketing co-ordinator almost three years’ ago, and is now assistant marketing manager: ‘‘it is the same thing’’, he says of both roles.
It was also largely the same for the museum, which for many people hadn’t changed much from when they were kids, he said.
While the permanent exhibitions, such as Animal Attic, remained popular (shout-out to my boy the Rat King . . . ), more could be done to get people through the door, particularly with Covid impacting visitor numbers.
Buchan said he wanted to help small businesses hurting during Covid, but partnering with them and using the museum as a hub.
The museum had to get creative to make-up funding shortfalls, ‘‘we have to do things differently’’.
So that led the museum to try a range of different ‘After Hours’ events, including Gin and Collections, Wine and Design, Cocktails and Chemistry, Planet and Pints, and Love Island.
‘‘We had to pivot because we need repeat visitation, we couldn’t rely on people bringing their kids in because it is a rainy day.’’
And it worked.
Event tickets sold at 90%, with most of the above selling-out. It also led to more diverse range of visitors going to the museum, and more partnerships with local brands.
‘‘We click the ticket a little bit . . . we aren’t doing it to be profit driven but the Government and council aren’t funding us to our capabilities at the moment’’.
One of those events, Planet and Pints was the idea of events manager Rachel MacJeff, and involved people at the museum’s planetarium while having a beer, brewed especially for the museum from students at Otago Polytechnic.
And the name of that pale ale? The world’s best museum (beer).
Gin and Collections took people to show some of the collections before gin tasting featuring local distilleries.
Buchan said the Love Island night resulted in people flying in as far away as Auckland to attend.
It featured people dressing-up, entertainment, music, a confessional, challenges similar to the popular TV show, and free condoms.
Another memorable event was themed around Friday the 13th, and featured a devil opening his jacket to each guest offering a choice of poison, a working tattooist and a fake priest.
‘‘We do crazy things.’’
Other museums were interested in Otago’s approach, particularly how it approached its social media. Here is a recent example promoting a Valentine’s Day screening of The Notebook and a tour of the stars in the Planetarium. And a drink. Of course.
The museum also continued to run events for other age groups, and a quick look at its what’s on reveals the following: Children’s Day, Yoga with the Butterflies, and Medieval Family Fun Day (featuring a screening of the Princess Bride).
Later this monthe the museum would host another After Dark event: Pride Party, which featured a cocktail bar, karaoke lip-sync, and drag queen bingo.
Buchan said his aim was to attract more people to the museum, particularly on quiet nights: ‘‘I wanted to bring a bit of that New York, that London, back to town . . . but at the museum’’.
And he had more big plans, and not just for after dark. One idea is to do more early morning events, such as a silent disco before people started work.
That wouldn’t feature alcohol but instead healthy smoothies, and pitched at corporates aiming to build culture.
And building culture and identity was important for an institution still wanting to be relevant 155 years after it opened its doors/
Last week he was at the Otago University Students’ Association’s tent city (important to note it is on Otago Museum reserve directly infront of the museum), and which included offering free planetarium tickets.
But that offer would often be countered by a second-year students asking ‘‘where is the museum’’.
That was the challenge, he said.
But it was changing.
‘‘As much as we are advocates for the city, we love that the city are now advocates for us.’’
I wrote this story last month before thousands of students returned to the city, which urged students to buy alcohol in cans, not bottles.
It appears to have worked. I know there has been some online gripes about the state of the student quarter, but in 15 years of covering student matters I’ve never seen it look better.
Sergeant Steve Jones said he wanted to give ‘‘credit where credit is due’’.
That is because Flo Week (the flatting Orientation Week), and then Orientation Week, police noticed a marked improvement in student behaviour.
That included less glass on the street, one solitary couch fire, and only a handful of arrests.
Issues in the student area were largely attributed to non-students from outside the city.
And just quickly I’d like to say a quick tribute to Jared Mason, who died on Saturday.
Some of you would know Jared as a cameraman for TVNZ’s Dunedin office.
We would see each other at various things over the years, not always pleasant jobs, but I always appreciated his candid humour and ability behind the lens.
Condolences to his family, and particularly his young daughter who he loved more than anything.
He will be missed.
Continuing last week’s new series, can anyone tell me where this Dunedin place is?
Please put the comments below.
As easy predictions go, it doesn’t come easier than those in the Zoo singing the Waisake Naholo song (with apologies to the White Stripes).
While it was great to see the Zoo quite packed, it is concerning how the numbers are dropping off in the main stand. Rugby needs to do more, and fast.
For Tweet of the Week I recommend this from Asia Martusia King, a former reporter with Critic. Best piece of personal writing you will read this year:
And I salute all those going to Six60 this Saturday, including my teenage son. Expect to see a huge replica set of their 660 Castle St flat in Dunedin where some of the founding members lived during their university years.
These guys have been great ambassadors to the city, and I wrote an apology letters (of sorts) to them in one of my first newsletters. You can read that here.
ICYMI, quite possibly my favourite story of the week involved a hedgehog which wandered on the runway of Dunedin Airport holding-up a flight.
And there will be newsletter next Wednesday, I’ll be in Auckland catching a Pavement concert so a good reminder to subscribe and get that Friday night newsletter goodness.
Here is Stephen Malkmus, of Pavement, covering The Verlaines’ classic: Death and the Maiden.
Great story on the fantastic work the Otago Museum are doing.
That pic is from Signal Hill isn’t it? Fascinating story of how the sculptures got to Dunedin.
Signal Hill, and partly because of those statues, is where I always take or send out of town visitors. E.g. Tanya Ashken, the 2nd Frances Hodgkins Fellow. Her early work in London was cast by the same foundry that cast the 2 Signal Hill people.