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Collecting for a Nation: The History of the National Historical Collection and its Collectors

Shoes from the Springfield collection
Springfield collection shoes.
Photo: George Serras.

The National Museum of Australia's collection consists of more than 200,000 objects, compiled over many years by many different people.

Collecting for a Nation marked the 25th anniversary of the Act which brought about the National Museum of Australia and its National Historical Collection.

This symposium on 21 March 2006 explored the history and evolution of the National Historical Collection long before the formal establishment of the National Museum and over the past 25 years.

Join expert speakers as they share the sometimes idiosyncratic, but always interesting, history of collectors and collecting.

A sum of many parts: the history of the National Historical Collection

Guy Hansen, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'a sum of many parts' audio (MP3 12mb) duration 24:30
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Weird and wonderful: the first objects of the National Historical Collection

Dr Libby Robin, Australian National University

> Download 'weird and wonderful' audio (MP3 11mb) duration 23:30
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Professionals and amateurs: different histories of collecting in the National Ethnographic collection

David Kaus, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'professionals and amateurs' audio (MP3 12mb) duration 24:15
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Australia's Official Papuan collection: Sir Hubert Murray and the how and why of a colonial collection

Sylvia Schaffarczyk, Australian National University

> Download 'Australia's Official Papuan collection' audio (MP3 9.5mb) duration 19:35
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Life and art? Relocating Aboriginal art and culture in the museum

Angela Philp, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies/Australian National University

> Download 'life and art' audio (MP3 17mb) duration 35:00
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Singular or plural? Social history and national collections

Ian McShane, Swinburne University

> Download 'singular or plural' audio (MP3 10mb) duration 21:10
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Collecting for the future: a collections development plan for the National Historical Collection

Mathew Trinca, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'collecting for the future' audio (MP3 11mb) duration 22:50
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Springfield transformed: family collection into national treasure

Carol Cooper, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'Springfield transformed' audio (MP3 15mb) duration 30:45
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Reflections on the history of the National Historical Collection

Panel discussion with Professor John Mulvaney, Peter Pigott, Dr Don McMichael, Andrew Reeves, Dr Luke Taylor and Dr Richard Baker

> Download 'panel discussion' audio (MP3 31mb) duration 1:07:45
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http://www.nma.gov.au/audio/podcast/nma_audio.xml

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