Home/Stories and news/Bridging Care and Connection - Engage with 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art
Bridging Care and Connection - Engage with 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art
The landmark exhibition 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, celebrating 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, will open at the Potter Museum of Art in Melbourne this May, revealing the brilliance of Indigenous art while calling for conversation and truth-telling about Australia's shared histories.
As educators prepare to engage with this extraordinary exhibition, Ngarrngga is proud to unveil the first booklet in a comprehensive three-part education resource series.
Within its pages, educators will find information to help them prepare to facilitate meaningful explorations of the rich tapestry of Indigenous art and knowledge systems on display.
Betty Muffler (Pitjantjatjara, born 1945) and Maringka Burton (Pitjantjatjara, born 1950), Ngangkari Ngura (Healing Country) 2022, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 300 × 500 cm. The University of Melbourne Art Collection.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art
This exhibition is a culmination of years of meticulous planning and careful curation by Associate Provost and Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AO, Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM, and Associate Curator Shanysa McConville.
Featuring over 400 artworks, including important public and private loans and new commissions, the exhibition spans a vast array of media, and cultural and artistic expressions from across the Australian continent and islands.
At its core, the exhibition serves as a powerful demonstration of truth-telling, confronting the brutal history of colonisation, dispossession, and oppression experienced by First Peoples in Australia.
It is also a testament to the incredible resilience and ingenuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past 65,000 years. The works of art and expressions of culture tell powerful stories of pain and injustice, but also of strength, hope, and healing.
Supporting your engagement with the exhibition
To support educators in navigating this rich tapestry of Indigenous art and knowledge, a comprehensive suite of education resources has been developed by Ngarrngga, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne’s Museums and Collections team and the exhibition curators.
Grounded in the principles of cultural safety, pedagogical responsiveness, and deep respect for Indigenous Knowledge systems, these resources offer a holistic approach to exploring the exhibition's themes and artworks.
One of the key components of the suite of resources is Booklet 1, a resource designed to help educators prepare to facilitate meaningful engagement with the exhibition.
This preparatory guide equips educators with the knowledge, strategies, and tools necessary to embark on a culturally safe and enriching learning journey with their students.
Importantly, this document emphasises the imperative of cultural safety, offering strategies for culturally responsive engagement and content considerations to ensure sensitive and appropriate exploration of the artworks and their stories.
Beyond the practical considerations, Booklet 1’s preparatory material also foregrounds the exhibition's themes, works of art and artist case studies featured in the resources, and learning storylines for Grades 3 - 12.
A curated selection of recommended readings provides a wealth of information to support educators in their professional learning and to ready them for classroom implementation.
Ginger Riley Munduwalawala (Marra, c. 1936–2002), The Limmen Bight River – My Mother Country 1993, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 190 × 191 cm. Private collection.
For further information about the design of the comprehensive three-part education resource, our two online Teacher Professional Development events unpack the resource design, and the recordings of these sessions are available for all to revisit:
Teacher Professional Development | 65,000 Years | Potter Museum of Art: PD 1 – Curatorial Focus
By exploring Booklet 1 ahead of the exhibition opening on 30th May, educators can ensure they are well-prepared to embark on this extraordinary journey of discovery with the exhibition, unlocking the rich learning opportunities awaiting them.
While Booklet 1 equips you to engage and learn with the exhibition onsite and online, it also lays the groundwork for working with Booklet 2 (case studies for Grades 3 through 12), and Booklet 3 (support materials for deep classroom inquiry), all of which will be released during the exhibition's opening week.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art offers a profound opportunity for us all to better understand, and appreciate the remarkable creative and cultural practices, perspectives and stories expressed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across Australia.
As the exhibition opens its doors in National Reconciliation Week, we invite educators to join us in this journey of learning, discovery and truth-telling.
