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Collecting for a Nation

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.

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A sum of many parts: the history of the National Historical Collection
Guy Hansen, National Museum of Australia

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(Duration 24:28, file size 11.7mb)

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Weird and wonderful: the first objects of the National Historical Collection
Dr Libby Robin, Australian National University

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(Duration 23:18, file size 11.2mb)

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Professionals and amateurs: different histories of collecting in the National Ethnographic collection
David Kaus, National Museum of Australia
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(Duration 24:15, file size 11.7mb)

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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
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(Duration 19:35, file size 9.5mb)

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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
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(Duration 35 min, file size 16.8mb)

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Singular or plural? Social history and national collections
Ian McShane, Swinburne University
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(Duration 21:10, file size 10.2mb)

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Collecting for the future: a collections development plan for the National Historical Collection
Mathew Trinca, National Museum of Australia
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(Duration 22:50, file size 11mb)

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Springfield transformed: family collection into national treasure
Carol Cooper, National Museum of Australia
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(Duration 30:43, file size 14.7mb)

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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
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(Duration 1:07:43, file size 31mb)

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