Tracy Puklowski
Senior Director National Aboriginal Art Gallery at Northern Territory
Government
Getty Leadership Institute
Getty Leadership Institute
About
Tracy has an exceptional record of strategic and executive leadership, specialising in museums, libraries and archives. She has been the Director of four museums, all of which she led through ambitious journeys of community-focused and culturally inclusive change. She has lengthy experience working in bicultural and inclusive environments and this is a significant aspect of her leadership approach.
Tracy’s is currently responsible for leading the development of a new National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Alice Springs, a groundbreaking project that stands to deliver significant social, economic and cultural outcomes for Central Australia and beyond.
Prior to relocating to Alice Springs, Tracy held the position of General Manager Creative Arts and Cultural Services for the City of Launceston. In this role she was the Director of Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (Australia’s largest regional cultural institution), and also led the development of the city’s inaugural cultural strategy.
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Positions in New Zealand include: Director of the National Army Museum of New Zealand; Associate Director Living Cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Associate Chief Librarian at the National Library of New Zealand; General Manager of Te Papa’s national partnerships programme National Services Te Paerangi; Director of Aratoi Museum of Art and History, and Director of Te Awamutu Museum.
Tracy has also held a range of governance roles in Regional Tourism, Conservation, Heritage, and Archives, and has participated in a number of academic review panels. She has been visiting Research Associate in Museum Studies at Taiwan National University since 2011.
Tracy is a graduate of the highly competitive Getty Museum Leadership Institute. She is passionate about using values based models to drive transformational change and the role of culture in thriving communities. With extensive experience in bicultural and multicultural environments, Tracy is committed to contemporary, inclusive practice.
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Tracy Puklowski to take up QVMAG Published on 16 August 2018
The City of Launceston is pleased to announce Tracy Puklowski as the new head of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. ...................... Ms Puklowski has most recently served as the Director of the National Army Museum of New Zealand, and will take up the new role as the City of Launceston's Director of Creative Arts and Cultural Services from October 1. ...................... City of Launceston General Manager Michael Stretton said Ms Puklowski had extensive experience in the cultural heritage sector and was responsible for some of New Zealand’s most significant cultural programmes and projects. ...................... "Tracy comes to the City of Launceston having demonstrated success in a region that has been at the forefront of innovation and contemporary cultural practices," Mr Stretton said. ...................... "She possesses a Bachelor Arts History-English, a Master of Art History (Hons), a Post-Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies and is a graduate of the Getty Museum Leadership programme. ...................... "Prior to her role at the National Army Museum, Tracy was the Associate Director of Living Cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Associate Chief Librarian, Research Collections at the National Library of New Zealand. ...................... "I believe her appointment is very exciting for Launceston and for the QVMAG, and I'm looking forward to her starting work later this year." ...................... Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten congratulated Ms Puklowski on her appointment. ...................... "The QVMAG is one of the city's most important institutions, and I have no doubt Tracy will bring new energy and a new perspective to her role at the City of Launceston," Mayor van Zetten said. ...................... "There are many exciting opportunities ahead for the City of Launceston and its cultural institutions, and we're thrilled to have Tracy aboard." ...................... Ms Puklowski said she believed Launceston was at a pivotal point in its development, which is why she applied for the position. ...................... "I was born in the UK, but my family and I lived in Melbourne when I was young," she said. ...................... "My earliest memories are actually of Australia, and for that reason, it feels a bit like coming home. ...................... "I have had a long-standing interest in QVMAG. It’s a well-respected organisation with a great history, and I love the sheer span of the collections — it creates so much opportunity. ...................... "I was fortunate to visit Launceston recently and I was really struck by the built heritage — it’s a great town to walk around. ...................... "I firmly believe that arts, culture and heritage has the power to transform communities, and deliver powerful social, economic, and cultural outcomes. This role is right in the middle of that conversation, and that’s incredibly exciting for me, both professionally and personally." ...................... Ms Puklowski said she was excited about the move from New Zealand to Tasmania. ...................... "There are certainly going to be many differences – we have completely different histories," she said. ...................... "However, I think there are also many similarities. Places that are more geographically isolated tend to be very outwardly focused, innovative, and resilient — and I think that applies equally to New Zealand and Tasmania. There’s been quite a lot of cross-pollination between New Zealand and Australian cultural institutions in the last decade or so and that’s a great thing for both parties. ...................... "New Zealand museums are recognised internationally for their approach to community and indigenous engagement, and that’s very much at the core of my values. ...................... "My husband and I are really looking forward to this new phase of our lives. ...................... "We both love the outdoors, getting out and about — and we are both foodies. I can’t wait to explore the Harvest Market and the Tamar Valley. I’ve been living far inland for the last three years and getting seafood back on my menu is a priority."
Alice Springs’ National Aboriginal Art Gallery Senior Director appointed
The announcement of the new senior director of the NAAG comes a week after the design consultancy tender was released.
JASMINE BURKE, centralianadvocate.com.au 2 min read April 15, 2021 - 10:24AM Centralian Advocate. LINK TO SOURCE
THE National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Alice Springs is another step closer to fruition after the Territory Government appointed Tracy Puklowski as the senior director to lead the delivery of the
The former Director of the Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery in Tasmania will take up the role on May 24.
the “world-class” facility.
..
The announcement comes a week after the design consultancy tender was released.
the “world-class” facility.
Ms Puklowski will be responsible for leading a project team of five officers with various skills across curatorial, engagement and project management.
the “world-class” facility.
She will also provide input into the design of the art gallery; develop content and programming; and engage with stakeholders in Alice Springs, and nationally, to ensure the ongoing success of the gallery.
the “world-class” facility.
Ms Puklowski has extensive knowledge about the arts, museum and culture sectors, demonstrated throughout her career which includes senior roles at museums, libraries and archives across New Zealand and in Australia.
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Most recently, Ms Puklowski served as the General Manager of Creative Arts and Cultural Services at the City of Launceston, a major portfolio which included directing the Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery and developing a groundbreaking cultural strategy for the City of Launceston.
the “world-class” facility.
Ms Puklowksi holds a Master of Arts with Honours in Art History, which included studies in Australian Art, and postgraduate qualifications in Museum Studies.
the “world-class” facility.
In 2009, she was accepted into the highly competitive Museum Leadership Institute program run by the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles.
Alice Springs’ National Aboriginal Art Gallery Senior Director appointed The announcement of the new senior director of the NAAG comes a week after the design consultancy tender was released. .
Ms Puklowski said she commended the government “for having a vision that puts Indigenous art and knowledge at the heart of Mparntwe, and indeed the country”. ............................. “The events of 2020 reminded us all of the power of art to bring communities together and provide space for healing,” she said.
“The role of arts and culture in promoting better social, cultural, economic and community outcomes, and as a force for truth telling and healing, is something very close to my heart.
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Chansey Paech said the gallery will be “a world-class facility that will showcase and celebrate Aboriginal art and culture”.
“It will attract national and international visitors to Central Australia, create local jobs, boost economic growth and deliver wide-ranging social benefits to the region.
“Ms Puklowski has an incredible wealth of knowledge, experience and personal passion for the arts which will ensure the successful delivery of the NAAG.”
Meet Tracy Puklowski, our
new driver of culture and
creativity
Tracy Puklowski’s new job - City of Launceston's director of creative arts and cultural services including Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery - has put her in a pretty different setting to her old job.
She was formerly the director of the National Army Museum of New Zealand, where she was a civilian defence force employee living on an army base. There, her daily life included hearing gunshots go off, her neighbours wandering about dressed in uniform, and the Singaporean Army performing training exercises outside her living room window.
Then, she was head-hunted by council and asked to take on the responsibility of the city’s cultural life. The Examiner sat down to find out what she’s got in store for Launceston.
Tasmania’s “cultural flowering”
Ms Puklowski said that despite her focus on New Zealand – before the National Army Museum she was was the associate director of living cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa – she had taken notice of the cultural awakening taking place on mainland Australia’s other island neighbour.
“[Tasmania] is clearly on this incredibly positive trajectory,” she said.
“It’s always been this very creative place, but there is this sense at the moment that we’re on the cusp of something really exciting.
“People are ready, I think, to really position Tasmania - and Launceston - as a place of really unique experiences, and arts and culture as part of that.
“What is unusual - and fantastic - about my role is that it ensures culture and creativity has a place around the executive table of council. That is a rare thing, and I think it’s something that sets Launceston apart. It’s a bold and really positive move.”
Launceston’s cultural identity
“In terms of Launceston and what it offers, I’ve got this thing that keeps going round in my head which is that we’re a real city of stories,” she said.
“There’s this amazing natural environment with Cataract Gorge and all the stories around that. There’s this incredible, beautiful, built heritage here, which we are incredibly lucky has been preserved to that degree, and the amazing stories behind all of that. There’s the amazing innovation and all the stories of the ‘firsts’ that happened here.
“I also think Launceston is a real city of ‘did-you-knows’. Did you know that the first person to do XYZ was here, did you know that the biggest whatever was here?
“And then you’ve got some really cool characters, like James Boag. So really, to me, it is very much about stories here.”
Approach to First Nations culture
Ms Puklowski is renowned for her interest in, and work around, First Nations culture, which was the primary focus of her role at the Museum of New Zealand. But she said that despite her expertise, her strategy in fostering Tasmanian First Nation people’s culture and stories is first and foremost “to listen.”
“They’re not my stories to tell,” she said.
“It’s all about relationships, it’s about how you work together, and it’s about listening.
“When I was at the National Museum, that was created as a bi-cultural museum, and so that meant that the Indigenous worldview was woven into every aspect of what we did.
“That’s what could be achieved here. But I don’t want to be the ‘colonialist’ coming in and saying ‘yes, I can make this happen’. It’s very much not up to me. I can provide the conditions, but it’s up to who wants to work with us and who wants to share their stories - and we’re very blessed to have a very supportive and knowledgeable Aboriginal Reference Group at the museum.”
“The museum leaders that I most admire are the ones who have done been bold and forged a new path,” she said. “Museums affect change; I think museums can be transformational.”
“But Launceston is about so much more than the museum and the art gallery. I think they are definitely a key pivot point for the cultural strategy, but one of the things I want the museum to achieve is to see how it can have a role way beyond its walls - so you get that sense of culture being spread right throughout this place.
“[At council] we’ve spent a lot of time talking about how we can create something that’s actually going to embed culture throughout our community.
“It’s a way of thinking, it really is. So when you’re working on a project - say it’s a new park development - can we ensure that there’s a creative, cultural aspect to that development? That’s the kind of thinking that I mean. It’s about the DNA of place.
“I think there’s an exciting conversation around how culture and creative experiences can be scattered throughout the city. So I think the whole idea of having pop-up exhibitions in disused shop spaces; how we can have a more strategic view of public art - it’s that kind of thing.”
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