Voicing the Living Archive: Working with First Nations Collections in Higher Education

This symposium will present perspectives on, and experiences of, people working with First Nations arts and artefact collections in universities.

Increasingly universities in Australia are engaging and working with First Nations perspectives, knowledge and communities in teaching and research. University museums and collections are part of this, being custodians of First Nations material culture, archives, and art.

Speakers will include First Nations Australians and Non-Indigenous researchers doing collaborative work. The symposium will be of interest to curators, managers of collections, researchers, teachers and students.

Keynote speaker:  Professor Sandy O’Sullivan 

Sandy is a Wiradjuri transgender/non-binary person. Sandy recently completed an internationally-focused Australian Research Council program examining the representation and engagement of First Nations’ Peoples across 470 museums and Keeping Places, and they continue to engage with the Museum Queeries collective in Canada. They also recently completed an ARC Linkage project mapping creative practice across the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory (Creative Barkly). Sandy's work is often across both industry and the academy, and recently they completed a national review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance and theatre makers for the Australia Council for the Arts. They are currently a 2020-2024 ARC Future Fellow, with a project titled Saving Lives: Mapping the influence of Indigenous LGBTIQ+ creative artists.

Draft program

Thursday 18 July 2024
Building 1, Level A, Theatrette behind Mizzuna cafe, Room 1A21, University of Canberra

9.00  Coffee on arrival (available to be purchased from Mizzuna Cafe)
9.30  Welcome
9.45   Introduction. Wendy Somerville, University of Canberra
10.15    Anti-colonial public imaginaries and the university collection. Keynote Speaker Sandy O’Sullivan, Macquarie University.
11.00 Morning Tea
11.30    Two Horizons: Two-way museology, a multi-knowledge system exploration. Andrew Simpson, University Museums and Collections 
12.00    Honouring Indigenous knowledges rights in the academy. Rose Barrowcliff, Macquarie University
12.30    The Dunghutti Canoe – The power of cultural subjects. Brad Webb, Monash University
1.00 Lunch
1.30      Wander to Ngunnawal Garden
2.00   Scar tree: A living teaching tool. Ashley van den Heuvel & Delephene Fraser, University of Canberra
2.30   Enhancing access to Indigenous collections: From internship to research. Grace Zhang, University of Canberra
3.00 Afternoon tea
3.15       On the future of university collections. Panel Discussion
4.15       Conclusion 
4.30 Networking event
5.30 Associated CCCR event In conversation with Sandy O'Sullivan

Friday 19 July 2024
Building 7, Level C, Room 7C22

10.00     Our collection introduction. Hakim Abdul Rahim
10.30     Conservation lab viewing and talk.
11.00     Workshop – Teaching with the collection. Andi Stapp-Gaunt
1.00 Light lunch
1.30       Welcome ceremony for the collection.