Museums in Australia

Museums in Australia

Museums hold our collective memory. They help us understand the world around us and nourish our sense of creative possibility. Australia has many fine museums which provide exciting experiences both online and face to face. There are more than 2,000 museums, galleries, sites and holdings in Australia. Museums in Australia

Australian museums are engaged in a prolific era of change and development. Museums now increasingly present a variety of narratives or stories, reflecting on themselves as part of the colonial framework and reviewing their collection practices. Museums in Australia

They are now seen less as buildings and more as multi-faceted arrays of activities. Museums actively communicate with their audience across wider geographic areas, making their collections available in new ways. New collaborative relationships have been developed with the Indigenous communities from whom came many of the original artefacts. Museums in Australia

Globalisation itself has affected museum practice, with curators and exhibitions more frequently travelling internationally. Museums have increasingly entered into significant partnerships with corporate sponsors. Key new museums have recently emerged, including the National Museum of Australia - external site in Canberra, the Gallery of Modern Art - external site in Brisbane, the MCA - external site in Sydney and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) - external site in Hobart, and the regional art galleries sector has developed markedly. Museums in Australia

The Museum of Australian Democracy Eureka (MADE) - external site is a new museum in Ballarat, Victoria, near the site of the Eureka Stockade and its battle in 1854, during the gold rushes, seen as the birthplace of Australian democracy. The Museum like many other museums, MADE deals with a highly contested historical event or events that have provoked debate and discussion for more than 150 years. Like the Eureka Stockade, museums have grown to symbolise not only history and cultural heritage but also change. The Museum represents these ideas in a range of new technologies and interactive forms of engagement. Museums in Australia

However, the presentation of the iconic Eureka flag, on loan from the Art Gallery of Ballarat - external site, represents not only the creativity and ingenuity of its attributed design by miner 'Captain' Ross and the skill of the miners' wives in sewing its form but also the dedication of private family collectors, historians, collection managers, conservators and restorers. It is this continuous link of care and ascribed value that has allowed future generations to explore and understand for themselves the historical events that have shaped their lives. Museums in Australia

This is true for the material collections of many smaller museums which require the support of an army of dedicated volunteers, as well as seeking the support desired from professional experts, if they are to continue the preservation and presentation of Australia's material culture. Museums in Australia

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