Nuclear Nation: a contemporary archaeology of Australia's atomic heritage. The history of nuclear science in Australia is of growing interest to scholars, however the physical remains of this controversial legacy are yet to be investigated. This interdisciplinary project would bring together leading academics, curators, scientists and First Nations researchers, using innovative contemporary archaeology approaches, to generate new understandings of the significance of Australia’s atomic heritage ....Nuclear Nation: a contemporary archaeology of Australia's atomic heritage. The history of nuclear science in Australia is of growing interest to scholars, however the physical remains of this controversial legacy are yet to be investigated. This interdisciplinary project would bring together leading academics, curators, scientists and First Nations researchers, using innovative contemporary archaeology approaches, to generate new understandings of the significance of Australia’s atomic heritage in global context. Expected outcomes include improved capacity for heritage management, and new resources and methods for understanding and interpreting Australia’s role in the Nuclear Age. This should generate substantial benefits for the Partner Organisations, and for Australia's tourism and cultural sectors more broadly.Read moreRead less
Studies of the degradation of dyes and pigments in inks on paper, in photographic media, and on painted surfaces. The National collecting institutions (the National Archives of Australia, the National Museum of Australia,Screen Sound Australia, the National Library of Australia, and the Australian War Memorial) have collections important to our national heritage on paper, photographic film and other media which they are required by law to preserve for future generations of Australians. Surveys ....Studies of the degradation of dyes and pigments in inks on paper, in photographic media, and on painted surfaces. The National collecting institutions (the National Archives of Australia, the National Museum of Australia,Screen Sound Australia, the National Library of Australia, and the Australian War Memorial) have collections important to our national heritage on paper, photographic film and other media which they are required by law to preserve for future generations of Australians. Surveys of their collections have shown that a significant proportion of their most important collections is in need of conservation. This project aims at determining ways of conserving these valuable artefacts, and developing strategies for their display and storage.Read moreRead less
Learning from the Past? Evaluating the impact of Holocaust museum education. This project will determine and assess the long term educational impact of Holocaust education programs. Developed in partnership with Australia’s three Holocaust museums, our innovative methodology will enable a comprehensive understanding of these programs' potential to shape ethical thinking and engender behavioural change. The outcomes will generate more targeted and effective programs that engage students on cognit ....Learning from the Past? Evaluating the impact of Holocaust museum education. This project will determine and assess the long term educational impact of Holocaust education programs. Developed in partnership with Australia’s three Holocaust museums, our innovative methodology will enable a comprehensive understanding of these programs' potential to shape ethical thinking and engender behavioural change. The outcomes will generate more targeted and effective programs that engage students on cognitive and affective levels. With the rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia and political extremism in Australia and abroad prompting policy initiatives in which cultural institutions are characterised as agents of social change, maximising the long-term educational benefits of these programs is imperative.Read moreRead less
Family and Working Life in the North Eastern Goldfields: A Social History of Gwalia and Leonora (WA), 1890-1990. This project aims to supplement and use the results of a recent collection of oral history recordings along with rich documentary evidence and photographs to produce the first academic histories of the multi-cultural mining settlements of Gwalia and Leonora in the north-eastern goldfields of WA.These historical studies will focus on land use and the environment in the area, particular ....Family and Working Life in the North Eastern Goldfields: A Social History of Gwalia and Leonora (WA), 1890-1990. This project aims to supplement and use the results of a recent collection of oral history recordings along with rich documentary evidence and photographs to produce the first academic histories of the multi-cultural mining settlements of Gwalia and Leonora in the north-eastern goldfields of WA.These historical studies will focus on land use and the environment in the area, particularly the pastoral industry. The results will complement and build upon the significant community effort to preserve the heritage of Gwalia; will provide local resources to enhance the tourism potential of this remote area; and develop links with the main migrant-sending area in Bergamo, Italy.Read moreRead less
The Collaborative Museum: Embedding Cultural Infrastructure in the City. In partnership with the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences, this project analyses the developing, complex processes of collaboration needed to embed the new Powerhouse Museum within the key Western Sydney city of Parramatta. The project’s significance lies in exploring the concept of the ‘collaborative museum’ as a synergising agent, proposing an invaluable, ground-breaking framework for establishing community-embedded cul ....The Collaborative Museum: Embedding Cultural Infrastructure in the City. In partnership with the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences, this project analyses the developing, complex processes of collaboration needed to embed the new Powerhouse Museum within the key Western Sydney city of Parramatta. The project’s significance lies in exploring the concept of the ‘collaborative museum’ as a synergising agent, proposing an invaluable, ground-breaking framework for establishing community-embedded cultural infrastructure. Its outcomes will be beneficial across the entire cultural sector in shaping dynamic programs and encounters that resonate both locally and globally in underpinning an exciting model for conducting innovative, engaged research in large, diverse and culturally under-resourced metropolitan regions. Read moreRead less
Reading the Objects: Developing Online Personal Stories from Australia's 'Museums of Madness', 1870-1980. Museum Victoria's Psychiatric Services Collection contains over 1,600 objects from mental hospitals that operated in the state between 1870 and 1980. It is one of the largest collections of its type in the world. As the relative merits of psychiatric institutionalization and community care remain controversial, making digitized images of all these objects available online, accompanied by exp ....Reading the Objects: Developing Online Personal Stories from Australia's 'Museums of Madness', 1870-1980. Museum Victoria's Psychiatric Services Collection contains over 1,600 objects from mental hospitals that operated in the state between 1870 and 1980. It is one of the largest collections of its type in the world. As the relative merits of psychiatric institutionalization and community care remain controversial, making digitized images of all these objects available online, accompanied by expert historical commentaries, will not only throw light on the daily lives of patients and staff and the care offered in institutions now largely vanished, but it will also help promote a better informed public debate about this vital area of mental health policy.Read moreRead less
Childhood, Tradition and Change: a national study of the historical and contemporary practices and significance of Australian children's playlore. Through extending knowledge of children's playlore in the daily lives and social frameworks of Australians from the 1950s to the present, this project will contribute to broader public and policy discussions concerning educational, recreational and public health outcomes for children. It will enhance understanding of past and contemporary children's p ....Childhood, Tradition and Change: a national study of the historical and contemporary practices and significance of Australian children's playlore. Through extending knowledge of children's playlore in the daily lives and social frameworks of Australians from the 1950s to the present, this project will contribute to broader public and policy discussions concerning educational, recreational and public health outcomes for children. It will enhance understanding of past and contemporary children's play practices and the external influences shaping these, and assist UNESCO and the Australian government in defining intangible cultural heritage. Through partnerships with the National Library of Australia and Museum Victoria, the project will disseminate its findings to the community through publications, conferences and public exhibitions.Read moreRead less
Engaging with Social Media in Museums. This project will prototype the use of social media in museums to produce a new source of high-quality cultural information, and link regional, rural and international users with city-based institutions. It implements National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries: promoting an innovation culture and economy and smart information use.
The Australian museum sector is undergoing a period of substantial c ....Engaging with Social Media in Museums. This project will prototype the use of social media in museums to produce a new source of high-quality cultural information, and link regional, rural and international users with city-based institutions. It implements National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries: promoting an innovation culture and economy and smart information use.
The Australian museum sector is undergoing a period of substantial change in response to policy and technology initiatives, yet little formal collaboration exists between museums and researchers. This project brings some of the country's major museums together with the Smithsonian Institution, one of the world's foremost cultural institutions.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
Migration memories: an analysis of representations of Australian migration histories. This project is an innovative analysis of the representation of Australian migration heritage through community and archival research and imaginative forms of representation. The research focuses on underexplored regional locations and involves developing a pilot museum exhibition. The research for the exhibition will use the material of personal memory to create a dynamic connection between individual stories ....Migration memories: an analysis of representations of Australian migration histories. This project is an innovative analysis of the representation of Australian migration heritage through community and archival research and imaginative forms of representation. The research focuses on underexplored regional locations and involves developing a pilot museum exhibition. The research for the exhibition will use the material of personal memory to create a dynamic connection between individual stories, historical narratives and places. Community engagement with the exhibition will be investigated as part of the research process. This research will bridge the gap that exists in Australia between theoretical work on history and memory, migration and diaspora, and interpretive and museological practice.Read moreRead less