Collections Symposium 2008

On 30 May 2008 the National Museum of Australia held its annual Collections Symposium which, this year, was devoted to exploring the ways we might use museum objects as sources.

Museums are full of objects with stories to tell. Often the object illustrates a story gleaned from other sources such as books, documents, memories and photographs. But can the objects themselves be regarded as evidence of the past and, if so, how might we use them to create new interpretations of Australia's past? How can 'material history' inform our understanding of the past? What challenges might it pose? What benefits might it bring?

Speakers (left to right): Dr Peter Stanley, Dr Mike Smith, Professor Fred Myers and Ms Margaret Anderson. Photo: George Serras, National Museum of Australia.

Short keynote papers reflecting on the way four different disciplines have approached physical evidence.

• 'An archaeologist's view' - Dr Mike Smith (National Museum of Australia)
• 'A curator's view' - Mr Guy Hansen (National Museum of Australia)
• 'An historian's view' - Ms Margaret Anderson (History Trust of South Australia)
• 'An anthropologist's view' - Professor Fred Myers (New York University)

Chaired by Dr Peter Stanley, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'viewpoints on material culture' audio (MP3 47mb) duration 1:43:00
> Read transcript

• 'Heirlooms speaking for themselves' - Susannah Helman, National Museum of Australia
• 'Snowy Scheme objects' - Matthew Higgins, National Museum of Australia
• 'Two way flow: the Koperilya Springs pipeline boomerang' - Christine Hansen, National Museum of Australia
• 'Digging up history using Hmong agricultural tools' - Alison Mercieca, National Museum of Australia

Chaired by Guy Hansen, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'showcases I' audio (MP3 35mb) duration 1:16:40
> Read transcript

• 'Re-presenting Little Red Riding Hood' - Karen Schamberger (National Museum of Australia)
• 'Samuel McCaughey was wrong. The truth is in the wool' - Erika Dicker (Powerhouse Museum)
• 'Percy Faithfull's quiet red coat' - Craig Wilcox (independent scholar)
• 'Models for learning: practical observations on Victorian gold mining from a Swedish artisan' - Matthew Churchward (Melbourne Museum)
• 'Displaying the remote in the metropolis: the 1928 Australian Inland Mission frontier fete and exhibition' - Ian Coates (National Museum of Australia)

Chaired by Martha Sear, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'showcases II' audio (MP3 42mb) duration 1:33:00
> Read transcript

The day concluded with a panel discussion at which the panellists reflected on the ways in which collections can be used to interpret the past, and the issues and problems faced in doing so.

• Graeme Davison, Monash University
• Paula Hamilton, University of Technology, Sydney
• Philip Jones, South Australian Museum
• Maria Nugent, National Museum of Australia

Chaired by Ian Coates, National Museum of Australia

> Download 'panel discussion' audio (MP3 23mb) duration 49:20
> Read transcript

> Further reading - books, articles, journals and exhibitions mentioned during the Symposium.

The Collections Symposium 2008 was organised jointly by Mr Guy Hansen, Senior Curator, Collections Development and Dr Peter Stanley, Director, Centre for Historical Research, at the National Museum of Australia.

> Technical help