More than 400 works of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art will headline a landmark exhibition to celebrate the reopening of the Potter Museum of Art (The Potter) next year. Titled ‘65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art’, the exhibition is part of a year-long program to mark the reopening of the University of Melbourne’s flagship art museum.

Led by Wood Marsh Architects, the extensive redevelopment of The Potter will feature an impressive new entrance on the University’s campus, along with new and improved spaces for the Museum’s leading collection-based learning programs generously supported by The Ian Potter Foundation and Lady Primrose Potter AC.

Curated by Professor Marcia Langton, Associate Provost, Judith Ryan and Shanysa McConville in consultation with Indigenous custodians, the exhibition examines the rise to prominence of Indigenous art in Australia and the importance of Indigenous cultural and design traditions, knowledge and agency. Seven major new artistic commissions by leading contemporary First Nations artists will also be unveiled as part of the exhibition.

“The ironic title of this exhibition refers to the belated and reluctant acceptance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art into the fine art canon by Australian curators, collectors, art critics and historians in the last quarter of the 20th Century,” explained Professor Langton.

“65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art celebrates Indigenous art as it is increasingly recognised in galleries and collections around the world – as the greatest single revolution in Australian art.”

Professor Duncan Maskell, vice-chancellor at the University of Melbourne said: “Alongside the recently released Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne, this program is an important exercise in truth-telling for the University, including histories of scientific racism, and the collecting of ancestral remains.”

“It will provide a vital platform for Indigenous storytelling and encourage dialogue about the importance of Indigenous culture, history and art.”

Director of Art Museums Charlotte Day said: “Since 1853, the University has collected works of art, cultural objects and records that form a profoundly important archive, and for the first time these Indigenous collections will be exhibited together and interpreted by authoritative Indigenous scholars and other leading experts.”

The Museum will also introduce a significant new educational initiative that will create resources for primary and tertiary students and teachers to build a deeper understanding of Indigenous art, history and culture. The initiative is developed in partnership with the University of Melbourne’s signature Ngarrngga Project, which builds innovative curriculum resources in collaboration with Indigenous Knowledge Experts.

Thames & Hudson will release a comprehensive publication titled ‘65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art’ on 24 September 2024, featuring new writing by 25 leading thinkers across generations and disciplines.

Image: Architectural render of the Potter Museum of Art (The Potter), redeveloped by Wood Marsh Architects (Supplied)

Branko Miletic

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