Reflections on past and present exhibitions and collaborations at the Anthropology Museum

Abstract

Mandana Mapar and Michael Aird will discuss the current Shields: Design and Functionality exhibition on display at the Anthropology Museum, as well recent collaborative research projects presented as exhibitions and public programs - Kirrenderri, Heart of the Channel Country and Anthropocene: Linking past and present to shape a better future. Each exhibition has been an opportunity to focus research on the museum collections, in an attempt to attach provenance history and Indigenous community connections.

These exhibitions have received funding and recognition for their capacity to bring together scholarly research from across the disciplines towards teaching and learning. The recent examples of this model of interdisciplinary collaboration –presented in-depth archaeological studies interwoven with social history, contemporary art, and oral histories. The exhibitions championed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional knowledge systems and contemporary Indigenous approaches to topics as varied as regenerative water and fire management practices, cultural heritage research and languages revitalisation.