Course overview
Culture and creativity are built through collecting and connecting ideas, objects, people and experiences across time and space. Throughout human history we have collected – from family heirlooms, to works of art, to scientific specimens. This course explores the complex history of collecting using case studies from South Australia and around the globe. This course will explore how, what and why humans collect. How have the collections of key cultural institutions come into being and what biases were at play in their development? Using “The Art of Collecting” as a broad conceptual lens to think through the way cultural institutions such as museums, galleries, libraries and archives students will examine how meaning is derived from the ways that different objects are brought together, combined, or excluded. The Art of Collecting questions how we can use collections today to tell stories of the past, to create meaning, and to inspire new narratives and cultural works.
- A History of Collecting
- Collecting in Australia
- The Future of Collecting
Course learning outcomes
- Critically evaluate the history, and politics of collecting and the ongoing impact of these legacies for cultural institutions and communities.
- Show an understanding of how objects move into, through and out of cultural institutions.
- Think critically about the ways in which the GLAM sector uses collections to tell stories about the past, present and future.
- Show an understanding of the legacy of collecting including the contemporary ethical, practical and environmental considerations.