Reconstructing museum specimen data through the pathways of global commerce. This project aims to reconnect zoological specimens with vital collection data. From 1758-1900 millions of specimens were commercially traded to and between museums and collectors, frequently without retaining the data associated with the specimen. This project pioneers spectroscopic techniques to reconstruct data and enhance material conservation practice. The impact of the project will provide new pathways for recove ....Reconstructing museum specimen data through the pathways of global commerce. This project aims to reconnect zoological specimens with vital collection data. From 1758-1900 millions of specimens were commercially traded to and between museums and collectors, frequently without retaining the data associated with the specimen. This project pioneers spectroscopic techniques to reconstruct data and enhance material conservation practice. The impact of the project will provide new pathways for recovering lost ecological data, creating a resource to improve future biodiversity research.Read moreRead less
Cultural heritage and the mediation of identity, memory and historical narratives. Anxiety pervades many Western countries about the direction, nature and expression of social debate regarding community identities, and the social and cultural values underpinning them. In developing our understanding of heritage, and how it is used to construct and legitimatise certain social values and identities in certain national, cultural and social contexts, the research will inform the development of museu ....Cultural heritage and the mediation of identity, memory and historical narratives. Anxiety pervades many Western countries about the direction, nature and expression of social debate regarding community identities, and the social and cultural values underpinning them. In developing our understanding of heritage, and how it is used to construct and legitimatise certain social values and identities in certain national, cultural and social contexts, the research will inform the development of museum and heritage exhibition/interpretation policies. In examining the agency of heritage audiences, the research will inform and facilitate the abilities of museum and heritage professionals to effectively convey messages about contentious issues or make more informed interventions into social debates.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI100100200
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$177,000.00
Summary
Reversing the gaze: Indigenous perspectives on cultural representation in national museums. Through a focus on new media and digital engagements the project will identify the capacity for Indigenous communities to act as partners in their representation in the national museum space. By contributing an indigenous-centred review of best-practice moments at both a national and international level, the project will deliver modes of engagement that will benefit both Indigenous communities and museu ....Reversing the gaze: Indigenous perspectives on cultural representation in national museums. Through a focus on new media and digital engagements the project will identify the capacity for Indigenous communities to act as partners in their representation in the national museum space. By contributing an indigenous-centred review of best-practice moments at both a national and international level, the project will deliver modes of engagement that will benefit both Indigenous communities and museums engaged in Indigenous cultural representation.Read moreRead less
Increasing Visitor Frequency: approach to understanding and forecasting how cultural attraction visitors respond to various incentives to increase visitation rates. Museums have been steadily losing visitors over the past decade. While current research indicates that this may be attributed to greater leisure competition, little is understood about how people make choices to visit or not to visit cultural attractions. The aim of this project is to develop, demonstrate and test a Random Utility Th ....Increasing Visitor Frequency: approach to understanding and forecasting how cultural attraction visitors respond to various incentives to increase visitation rates. Museums have been steadily losing visitors over the past decade. While current research indicates that this may be attributed to greater leisure competition, little is understood about how people make choices to visit or not to visit cultural attractions. The aim of this project is to develop, demonstrate and test a Random Utility Theory (RUT)-based modelling approach allowing managers of cultural attractions to understand and predict the likely visitation consequences of potential initiatives. We wish to model visitor choices of museums versus other competing attractions to allow museums to identify specific strategic actions (or combinations) to achieve organisational goals.Read moreRead less
Engaging objects: Indigenous communities, museum collections and the representation of Indigenous histories. This project centres on the research process leading up to a major exhibition in Australia of the British Museum's Australian Indigenous collections. By exploring the historical and representational issues evoked in creating this exhibition, new understandings of these collections and their historical and contemporary significance will result.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,231,000.00
Summary
Networked knowledge for repatriation communities. This project aims to build a digital facility that supports the repatriation of Indigenous human remains. Repatriation contributes to reconciliation and Indigenous healing and wellbeing, and has been the most important agent of change in the relationship between Indigenous peoples, museums and the academy over the past 40 years. Successful repatriation requires and produces research materials diverse in type, geography and accessibility. Within a ....Networked knowledge for repatriation communities. This project aims to build a digital facility that supports the repatriation of Indigenous human remains. Repatriation contributes to reconciliation and Indigenous healing and wellbeing, and has been the most important agent of change in the relationship between Indigenous peoples, museums and the academy over the past 40 years. Successful repatriation requires and produces research materials diverse in type, geography and accessibility. Within an Indigenous data-governance framework, this project will gather, preserve and make accessible a critical and extensive record of repatriation information worldwide. The project is expected to support repatriation practice and scholarship and improve the opportunities of repatriation for social good.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0566962
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$81,105.00
Summary
Developing a prototype multi-institutional search engine for Australian Indigenous collections. We will investigate technical and cultural issues, and identify an optimal model for developing a multi-institutional search engine for Australian Indigenous collections. This will be achieved through the development of a prototype search engine linking two Australian museum collections. Current digital models for managing and accessing materials in multiple formats (audio, film, photographic and prin ....Developing a prototype multi-institutional search engine for Australian Indigenous collections. We will investigate technical and cultural issues, and identify an optimal model for developing a multi-institutional search engine for Australian Indigenous collections. This will be achieved through the development of a prototype search engine linking two Australian museum collections. Current digital models for managing and accessing materials in multiple formats (audio, film, photographic and print materials) will be investigated, and a set of cultural protocols developed for a subset of materials from one geographical area. Such an online research tool has the potential to facilitate research across disciplines, encourage collaborations between cultural institutions, and re-connect Indigenous communities with collections.Read moreRead less
Global Citizenship and the Agency of the Museum Sector in Climate Change Interventions. Australia plays an important role in the global response to climate change. This project will benefit Australian communities by building capacity to more effectively respond to and make informed decisions about climate change by looking to the museum sector as change-agents, well-equipped to operate as a global network. It will develop institutional capacity to communicate high-level state of the art knowledg ....Global Citizenship and the Agency of the Museum Sector in Climate Change Interventions. Australia plays an important role in the global response to climate change. This project will benefit Australian communities by building capacity to more effectively respond to and make informed decisions about climate change by looking to the museum sector as change-agents, well-equipped to operate as a global network. It will develop institutional capacity to communicate high-level state of the art knowledge about climate change to produce better informed citizens; provide forums where diverse interests can meet; and produce new avenues for Australian communities to interact and contribute to local and global debates and decision-making on climate change.Read moreRead less
Investigating the educational impact of wildlife-based leisure experiences in supporting visitors? adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. National environmental policy makers acknowledge the central role education plays in addressing the many serious environmental problems facing the country and encouraging Australians to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. This project will inform the design of free-choice, wildlife-based learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful a ....Investigating the educational impact of wildlife-based leisure experiences in supporting visitors? adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. National environmental policy makers acknowledge the central role education plays in addressing the many serious environmental problems facing the country and encouraging Australians to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. This project will inform the design of free-choice, wildlife-based learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful and accessible to the majority of society. Wildlife-based learning experiences offer a way to secure sustainable economic benefits while supporting both wildlife conservation and local communities. By developing new tools to assess and enhance the educational impact of such experiences this project will contribute to building the capacity of visitors to adopt environmentally sustainable practices.Read moreRead less
Assessing collaborative, community-based museum practice and changing cultures of citizenship at the National Museum of the American Indian. Focusing on the role and influence of indigenous citizenship within the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, this project will contextualise and contribute to developing new understandings of reconciliation for the Australian nation. The knowledge acquired by this project will also be of significant benefit to the National Museum of Aust ....Assessing collaborative, community-based museum practice and changing cultures of citizenship at the National Museum of the American Indian. Focusing on the role and influence of indigenous citizenship within the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, this project will contextualise and contribute to developing new understandings of reconciliation for the Australian nation. The knowledge acquired by this project will also be of significant benefit to the National Museum of Australia, which shares the National Museum of the American Indian’s interest in developing partnerships with community-based museums that improve the understanding, experience and representation of an expanded concept of citizenship in a multicultural and postcolonial world.Read moreRead less