For writing significance statement
Object Statement
The Object Statement is a brief introduction to the object that tells us what it is, what it is made of, who made it, where it was made, when it was made. It should be as specific as possible with place name detail, such as town/city, state/province, country etc. We don’t use ‘natural language’ in the Object Statement – it should be constructed as per the following guideline and example.
Our format guideline for Object Statement
Object name (quantity numeric or textual eg. pair or left of pair), ‘title’, serial number, gender, descriptor, material / material, designer, maker, user, place of design, manufacture, use, date
Gender usage indication: these elements should be expressed as non-punctuated plurals, eg. womens, mens, childrens, babies, etc.
Descriptors: Must be brief. Only add descriptors if they are necessary. It is acceptable to use descriptors to distinguish many like objects within a collection.
Note that there is no full stop at the end of the Object Statement.
Examples
Lounge, ‘Fantasy’, fibreglass / plastic / metal, designed by Fred Bloggs, Sydney, Australia, 1949, made by Franzelli, Italy, about 1951
Dresses (2), ‘Federation’, womens, silk / cotton / paint, worn by Margaret (Mrs Harry) Chisholm to a Federation Ball in 1901, Australia, 1900
Toy echidna, screenprinted cotton, designed by Adrienne Higgs, made by Scribbly Graphics, Thirlmere, New South Wales, Australia, c. 2000
Posters (4), ‘Bring Utzon Back’, paper, designed and possibly printed by John Kinstler and Karen Herrle, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1967
Description
The object description should be approximately 400 words and should describe the form (shape, components, surfaces/decoration) and the function of the object (what it does, how it works). Please leave only a single space between sentences – double spaces are not required and will be removed.
Production
Production notes include information about the design, manufacture and marketing of an object. This field can provide further detail on production information which has not been included in the Significance Statement. It is intended to be read by the general public. Please leave only a single space between sentences – double spaces are not required and will be removed.
This field allows for up to 100 lines of text (blank paragraphs take up 1 line).
Research notes which are not suitable for the public can be entered on the general Notes tab.
History
History Notes include facts about what has happened to this specific object after it was made. This could include who owned it and how it was used (provenance). It may also describe any cultural meanings associated with the object. This field can provide further detail on information which has been included in the Significance Statement. Please leave only a single space between sentences – double spaces are not required and will be removed.
This field allows for up to 100 lines of text (blank paragraphs take up 1 line).
- Research notes which are not suitable for the public can be entered on the general Notes tab.
- Acquisition details do not form part of the History Notes.
Significance
Objective:
The Statement of Significance is the externally facing component of an acquisition proposal and is critical in determining whether objects are acquired into the collection. It should be between 150 and 300 words in length and provide a concise summary of the significance of the object based on the collecting criteria outlined in the Collection Development Policy (4.3).
It should consist of two or three paragraphs:
Paragraph 1 A brief description of the object or collection of objects (physical or digital), materials and information about the artist/maker/designer.
Paragraph 2 A summary of the cultural, social and historical context of this acquisition.
Paragraph 3 Any other information that may be of interest – connection to other parts of the collection or related objects, provenance, condition etc.