Five Objects: An Encounter with the Collections of the University of Melbourne

Name: Five Objects: An Encounter with the Collections of the University of Melbourne
Start: 2026-09-05T13:30:00+1000
End: 2026-09-05T16:30:00+1000
Location: Potter Museum of Art

Sat, 5 Sep, 1:30pm - 4:30pm AEST

Potter Museum of Art

Parkville VIC, Australia

Potter Museum of Art

867 followers · Contact host

An Encounter with the Collections of the University of Melbourne

Join leading academics and curators for an afternoon of close looking and conversation, exploring five remarkable objects from the University of Melbourne’s cultural collections.

Presented by the Australian Institute of Art History and the Potter Museum of Art, Five Objects invites five curators and academics from different disciplines to select an artwork, artefact or archival item from the University’s extensive collections, encompassing more than 15 museums and galleries and over 30 cultural collections. These objects act as a starting point for research, interpretation, and creative inquiry.

This study day shares the insights, questions and discoveries that emerged, with each object on special display for the event.

Free entry. Capacity is limited and bookings are essential.

Location: Primrose Potter Studio, Level 1, Potter Museum of Art

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Presented in partnership with the Australian Institute of Art History.

Image credit: Phoenician ivory of bull with lowered head, 9th—8th century BCE. Classics and Archaeology Collection, the University of Melbourne Art Collection. Photography by Lee McRae.

Schedule of speakers and objects

1:30 pm

Introduction by Alison Inglis
1:40 pm

Richard Gillespie | Senior Curator, FEIT Infrastructure, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology

Sean Fox and University of Melbourne Engineering Workshop, Satellite replica – Australis OSCAR 5, 2026. Engineering and Information Technology Collection
2:00 pm

Heather Dalton | Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, Faculty of Arts

Tumbler extensively acid-etched with panel depicting a Chinese merchant selling a lantern to a Mandarin in his shop, scene enclosed within baroque frame of cherubs and scrolling foliage, c. 1850. The University of Melbourne Art Collection. Gift of Mr Paul Hackforth-Jones, 1993
2:20 pm

Sophie Gerhard | Guest Curator, Ngarn Wa'ngal: Art of the gum tree, Potter Museum of Art

Vanessa Inkamala, Our Way, 2024. The University of Melbourne Art Collection. Purchased 2024
2:40 pm

Break

Please note food and drinks are not permitted in the event space. Residence at the Potter will be open from 8am - 3pm for breakfast, lunch and coffee. You are encouraged to make a booking in advance.
3:10 pm

Solange Glasser | Senior Lecturer in Music (Music Psychology), Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

Rosalie Gascoigne, The players, 1981. The University of Melbourne Art Collection. Purchased, 1982
3:30 pm

Andrew Jamieson | Professor, Near Eastern Archaeology, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies

Three Nimrud Ivories, c. 9th to 8th centuries BCE. The University of Melbourne Art Collection, Classics and Archaeology Collection
3:50 pm

Group Discussion and Q&A
4:20 pm

Closing Remarks

Event info and access

Bookings are required, with capacity limits applying to the event.
This event will take place in the Primrose Potter Studio on Level 1 of the Potter Museum of Art.
This event is fully seated with infrared hearing assistance available in this space.
Auslan interpretation can be booked on request. Please contact mc-publicprograms@unimelb.edu.au.
Please visit our accessibility page for additional information about the Potter Museum of Art.
For further access requests or queries regarding this event contact mc-publicprograms@unimelb.edu.au.

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

Host information

Potter Museum of Art

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Since its founding in 1972, the Potter Museum of Art has been located across a number of sites on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. The current Swanston Street building was designed by Katsalidis Architects and first opened to the public in 1998. After a period of closure between 2018–2024, the Potter reopens in 2025 with an extension designed by Wood Marsh Architects featuring state of the art teaching and learning studios and upgraded social, events and associated amenities—all of which are accessible through a new, distinctive arched entry on campus.

The Potter has supported generations of artists, curators, writers and academics for over fifty years, making a significant contribution to the cultural and social life of the University and its wider community. Looking forward, the Potter’s exhibitions and public programs, fellowships and residencies, research and publishing activities will be thematically focused and interdisciplinary in approach, continuing to centre the voices of artists and art on the key issues and debates of our time.

The Potter is one of the homes of the University of Melbourne Art Collection, with work spanning antiquity to contemporary practice. While the principal focus of the Collection is Australian art, a range of international works include gifts from distinguished alumni and teaching collections that demonstrate the strong connections between the University’s cultural collections and its academic programs. Notable for its breadth, the Collection – now numbering some 18,000 works – is uniquely connected to the University’s history while also responding to our evolving cultural landscape.