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exhibitions

Cartoons

The National Museum's interest in cartoons celebrates an important part of Australia's newspaper culture. Cartoons provide a robust commentary of the Australian political system and are a testament to the health of the nation's democracy.

The Museum collects cartoons to develop a visual archive of Australia's political history that will become an important resource for the Museum and the nation in years to come.

Online exhibitions

Bookcover - Behind the Lines 2007: The Year's Best Cartoons. Cover illustration of John Howard by Mark Knight

For over 10 years, the Museum has presented annual travelling exhibitions exploring Australia's political history through the best cartoons and illustrations from artists around Australia. Recent exhibitions are also available online.

> Behind the Lines 2007: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2006: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2004: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2003: The Year's Best Cartoons

Classroom resources and interactive activities

Reading between the lines

The National Museum of Australia has developed a range of primary and secondary curriculum-based classroom resources linked to its annual political cartoons exhibition and political cartooning competition.

Each of the units of work can be used as a stand-alone resource in the classroom. Some have complementary interactive website activities.

Teachers resources

> Reading between the lines: developing skills to analyse political cartoons, 2007

> A licence to mock: political cartoons - do they help or harm democracy? 2006

> Political cartoons: interactive activities, 2004
Includes Australia Day 2004 cartoon perspectives and an interview with Canberra Times cartoonist, Geoff Pryor.

> Behind the Lines: exploring political cartoons, 2003

> Laughing with Knives: exploring political cartoons, 2002

Drawing the Lines: political cartooning competition for students

Lemming 07 cartoon

To complement the annual Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons exhibition, the National Museum of Australia invites upper primary and secondary school students to enter a political cartooning competition entitled 'Drawing the Lines'.

A selection of the best entries are displayed on the Museum's website.


Call for entries - 2008

> Drawing the Lines 2008: call for entries

View the winning entries 2004-2007

> Drawing the Lines 2007: winning entries

> Drawing the Lines 2006: winning entries

> Drawing the Lines 2005: winning entries

> Drawing the Lines 2004: winning entries

Animations and videos

Bed Bugs cartoon animation screen capture

> Peter Nicholson, The Australian, 2007
Animations displayed in conjunction with Behind the Lines 2007.

> Geoff Pryor, cartoonist, 2004
Video highlights from the Geoff Pryor Talkback Classroom forum featuring student panellists Verity Doyle, Chris Moore and Celia Tier.

> Talking pictures, 2006
Mike Bowers and Warren Brown from the ABC Insiders 'Talking Pictures' segment visit Behind the Lines 2006.

Exhibition catalogues

Behind the Lines

The National Museum of Australia Press publishes exhibition catalogues to complement the Museum's annual exhibition of political cartoons.

The catalogues are available for purchase at the National Museum of Australia Shop. The Museum also accepts orders for Australia wide or international delivery.

> Behind the Lines 2007: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2006: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2004: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Behind the Lines 2003: The Year's Best Cartoons

> Cartoons 2002: Life, Love and Politics

> Bringing the House Down: 12 Months of Australian Political Cartoons, 2001


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Drawing the Lines 2008. National Political cartooning competition for schools

The National Museum of Australia's travelling exhibitions