Director’s Award for Excellence 2022

Vicki Northey has made an outstanding contribution to the Museum and the wider cultural sector.

In a career spanning more than 36 years, Vicki has served in a variety of roles at the Powerhouse Museum/Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Parliament House, the Western Australian Museum and the National Museum of Australia.

Vicki started her career in 1986 as part of the team that brought to life the new Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Opening in 1988, the Powerhouse was the most important cultural development at the time and inspired a raft of new developments at museums and galleries across Australia. Vicki went on to leadership roles in many of those developments, drawing upon the experience and expertise she gained through the Powerhouse project.

At the Australian War Memorial, Vicki led the first and second major gallery redevelopment projects that saw the creation of new galleries and the building of the award-winning Anzac Hall – work that was later recognised by the award of a Public Service Medal for ‘outstanding service in the successful delivery of major development projects’. She went on to contribute to key projects at the Australian National Maritime Museum and at the Western Australian Museum, with the opening of the new Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip in 2020. At the National Museum, where she has worked since 2017, Vicki is known for her loyalty, professionalism, strength of character and resilience.

In recent years, as head of the Exhibitions team, she has navigated challenging financial and environmental issues with ease, calm and good humour. Vicki has led the temporary exhibition program in a golden period that has seen the successful delivery of several blockbusters including A History of the World in 100 Objects; Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters; Rome: City and Empire; Endeavour Voyage: The Untold Stories of Cook and the First Australians; and Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes.

Vicki Northey is highly regarded by her colleagues and peers for her diverse experience and deep expertise, and she has made a strong contribution to the broader museum community over many years. She has been the President of Museums Australia NSW and is currently an Ordinary Member of the ACT Branch of the Australian Museums and Galleries Association.

The Museum commends Vicki Northey for her outstanding contribution to this organisation and the wider museum world over many years.