Event Details
aucklandartgallery.comOne topic that has sparked much debate in the art and museum world in the last decade is that of provenance and the ownership of Indigenous artworks and objects from local, national and international communities. Many museum professionals are now concerned with learning about the history and significance of works in their collections, and ethical considerations regarding ‘ownership’, which can lead to the repatriation of taonga to the correct descendants.
At this event, three museum professionals from Aotearoa and Australia explore provenance and repatriation best practices regarding Indigenous objects and articulate how, if done well, a returning process can be enriching for all people and institutions involved.
This Member event is part of AAG's programme in response to the exhibition Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia and presented in collaboration with Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
PROGRAMME
Talk One: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Provenance Project
By Jacob O’Keefe, National Gallery of Australia
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Provenance Project, founded in 2020, assesses and documents the provenance of the First Nations art collection of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Through a selection of case studies, Jacob O’Keefe will give insight into the NGA’s research methods and efforts to discover the history of ownership of this collection and identify counterfeit, inauthentic, culturally inappropriate, or restricted works of art, or works acquired by ‘carpetbagging’. He will also discuss ethical considerations regarding collecting Indigenous artworks and how cultural institutions can best address those.
Talk Two: Object Absence and Presence – Reimagining Space in the Museum
By Chantal Knowles, Head of Human History, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum
Drawing on her experience of considering repatriation and returns from museums across the globe, Chantal Knowles considers the impact of returning objects from museum collections and the opportunity to rethink the spaces left behind. This talk reflects on the nature of collecting and the benefits of return, considering how relationships between objects, people and place can be reformed and renewed when items move between spaces.
Talk Three: Breathing and Reflecting on Indigenous-to-Indigenous-led Practice
By Juliana Satchell-Deo, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum
In November 2022, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum returned four cultural objects to Warumungu Senior men through the AIATSIS Return of Cultural Heritage Programme. This was the first overseas return from the museum and is the first return through the programme. Reflecting on the process of reviewing collections, documenting histories and working with the community, Juliana shares her experience of supporting the transfer of cultural material from whenua to Country.
Q&A: Hear Chantal Knowles, Jacob O’Keefe and Juliana Satchell-Deo discuss provenance and repatriation best practices in the museum sector with Auckland Art Gallery’s Senior Curator, Māori Art, Nathan Pohio, and the public.
Members Only Event
- Free for AAGTOT and AWWM Members
Price
- Members Only
Date
- Sat 28 Oct
Time
- 2:00 pm — 3:15 pm
Address
- Wellesley Street East
- Auckland CBD
- Auckland 1010
One topic that has sparked much debate in the art and museum world in the last decade is that of provenance and the ownership of Indigenous artworks and objects from local, national and international communities. Many museum professionals are now concerned with learning about the history and significance of works in their collections, and ethical considerations regarding ‘ownership’, which can lead to the repatriation of taonga to the correct descendants.
At this event, three museum professionals from Aotearoa and Australia explore provenance and repatriation best practices regarding Indigenous objects and articulate how, if done well, a returning process can be enriching for all people and institutions involved.
This Member event is part of AAG's programme in response to the exhibition Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia and presented in collaboration with Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
PROGRAMME
Talk One: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Provenance Project
By Jacob O’Keefe, National Gallery of Australia
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Provenance Project, founded in 2020, assesses and documents the provenance of the First Nations art collection of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Through a selection of case studies, Jacob O’Keefe will give insight into the NGA’s research methods and efforts to discover the history of ownership of this collection and identify counterfeit, inauthentic, culturally inappropriate, or restricted works of art, or works acquired by ‘carpetbagging’. He will also discuss ethical considerations regarding collecting Indigenous artworks and how cultural institutions can best address those.
Talk Two: Object Absence and Presence – Reimagining Space in the Museum
By Chantal Knowles, Head of Human History, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum
Drawing on her experience of considering repatriation and returns from museums across the globe, Chantal Knowles considers the impact of returning objects from museum collections and the opportunity to rethink the spaces left behind. This talk reflects on the nature of collecting and the benefits of return, considering how relationships between objects, people and place can be reformed and renewed when items move between spaces.
Talk Three: Breathing and Reflecting on Indigenous-to-Indigenous-led Practice
By Juliana Satchell-Deo, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum
In November 2022, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum returned four cultural objects to Warumungu Senior men through the AIATSIS Return of Cultural Heritage Programme. This was the first overseas return from the museum and is the first return through the programme. Reflecting on the process of reviewing collections, documenting histories and working with the community, Juliana shares her experience of supporting the transfer of cultural material from whenua to Country.
Q&A: Hear Chantal Knowles, Jacob O’Keefe and Juliana Satchell-Deo discuss provenance and repatriation best practices in the museum sector with Auckland Art Gallery’s Senior Curator, Māori Art, Nathan Pohio, and the public.
