165 years on, SA Museum Director speaks on the shifting museum lens

ArtsHub speaks with South Australian Museum Director Brian Oldman on research, repatriation and retelling truths, on the Museum’s 165th anniversary.

The South Australian Museum (SAM) sits proudly on North Terrace, Adelaide’s ‘cultural boulevard’, adjoined by the State Library on one side and the Art Gallery of South Australia on the other. This month, SAM turns 165 making it one of the world’s oldest museums. The state of South Australia had only been founded 20 years earlier. It is amongst the most visited museums in the country and is home to many collections of national and international significance.

As SAM celebrates this milestone with the Wonders exhibition, featuring 165 fascinating objects – most of which are on display for the first time – ArtsHub asked Museum Director Brian Oldman to reflect on the past and anticipate the future.

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Dr Diana Carroll
About the Author
Dr Diana Carroll is a writer, speaker, and reviewer based in Adelaide. Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines including the SMH, the Oz, Woman's Day, and B&T. Writing about the arts is one of her great passions.