A behind-the-scenes look at our collection
How do you tell the epic story of Australians in Antarctica? Curators Dr Laura Cook and Dr Jono Lineen reveal how they chose the objects on show, from a collection that’s the result of almost two decades of working with the Australian Antarctic Division, and a history more than a century in the making.
Consider the logistics of documenting and transporting thousands of objects and the difficult choices selecting objects that help tell the stories that spoke most to our curators' hearts.
Hear about the inspiring and sometimes surprising personal stories in the exhibition, revealed by objects from small polar medals awarded to the last sled dogs on the continent to a camera used by Frank Hurley to capture stunning footage that showed Australians the beauty of Antarctica.
Facilitated by curator Dr Lily Withycombe, in our Gandel Atrium as part of Antarctica opening weekend activities.
Date
Saturday 4 July
Time
10 to 11am
Cost
Free, bookings encouraged
Live captioned plus hearing loop available
Meet our expert speakers
Dr Laura Cook was born and raised in the shadow of the mighty Dundee polar icebreaker Discovery, which took Scott, Shackleton and Mawson to the Antarctic. Laura is a curator who joined the National Museum of Australia in 2008. She has been delighted to work on the acquisition of the National Antarctic Heritage collection and the development of the Antarctica exhibition.
Dr Jono Lineen's father was a captain on ships, and he grew up with tales of the wild Southern Ocean. Jono is a curator at the National Museum of Australia where he has helped create exhibitions including Great Southern Land, Defining Moments in Australian History and now Antarctica. Jono is also the author of books including Into the Heart of the Himalayas, Perfect Motion: How Walking Makes Us Wiser and River Trilogy.
Banner image: Bird band components used in ANARE and CSIRO biological science programs, 1950s–1960s. National Antarctic Heritage Collection, National Museum of Australia