Tag Archives: australia

Anindilyakwa People Celebrate On-Country Return of Heritage Repatriated by Manchester Museum

Posted on: November 6, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

The Anindilyakwa People will hold an on-country return celebration on Groote Eylandt on 21 November 2023 for 174 cultural heritage items repatriated from Manchester Museum. The repatriated cultural heritage items include 70 culturally significant dadikwakwa-kwa (toy dolls used by Anindilyakwa girls, decorated with ochre designs and cloth), seven errumungkwa (arm bands), a turtle shell map, […]

Western Australia Scraps Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Laws Designed to Stop ‘Another Juukan Gorge’

Posted on: August 22, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

The State of Western Australia is repealing laws it introduced “to prevent another Juukan Gorge”, after its reforms were labelled too prescriptive, complicated and confusing. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (WA) (2021 Act) was enacted after 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal rock shelters were controversially destroyed by Rio Tinto during a mine expansion project in 2020. […]

Australia Investigates Allegations of Painting by Non-Indigenous Studio Staff

Posted on: May 19, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

Australia’s National Gallery and three governments have launched separate inquiries into allegations reported by a national newspaper that non-Indigenous studio staff painted on First Nations artists’ works, including art due to be exhibited in the country’s capital in June. The Australian published allegations on 7 April 2023 that non-Indigenous staff at Tjala Arts Centre, a […]

‘National Treasure’ comes home: Gweagal spears taken by Cook to return permanently to traditional owners

Posted on: March 19, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

The fate of four Aboriginal spears taken by the crew of the HM Bark Endeavour in 1770 now rests with the English Charity Commission, after Trinity College Cambridge decided to seek approval to permanently return the items from its Cook-Sandwich collection to Traditional Owners in Australia. The hunting spear and pronged fishing spears were amongst […]

Latest issue of Art Antiquity & Law available now

Posted on: September 8, 2020 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

We are pleased to announce that the latest issue (Vol XXV, 2) of our journal Art Antiquity & Law is available now, please see below for details on subscriptions and access.  Paul Kearns provides the readers with a comprehensive panorama of the international legal regulations on freedom of artistic expression, a fundamental but much overlooked and […]

‘Embarrassingly out of kilter’ law destroys 46,000-year-old Aboriginal sacred sites

Posted on: June 17, 2020 by Elizabeth Pearson

The destruction of 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal rock shelters in Western Australia has prompted a national inquiry and calls for urgent reform of Indigenous cultural heritage law. During a mine expansion project, Rio Tinto detonated explosives in the Juukan Gorge in May, destroying two deep cave sites of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura People (PKKP). […]

Update on restitution: recent returns

Posted on: November 22, 2019 by Alexander Herman

After my piece last week on restitution, there have been some interesting developments in the area. First of all, a major non-profit organisation, the Open Society Foundations, has pledged US$15 million to assist groups working to restitute African heritage. The money is pledged over a period of four years. As I said when commenting on […]

Just Released: Art Antiquity & Law July 2019 Issue

Posted on: July 23, 2019 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

Landing just in time to absorb you during the Summer holidays, the July 2019 issue of Art Antiquity & Law (Vol. XXIV, Issue 2) has been released in print and online. Subscriptions are available either as hardcopy only, digital only as well as digital + hardcopy packages and can be purchased directly through our website. […]

Meet our Alumni: Chris Sutherns, Sales Executive at Tate Images

Posted on: July 15, 2019 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

Chris Sutherns, Sales Executive at Tate Images participated in our Diploma in Intellectual Property and Collections. Read about his background working with the V&A, British Museum and Tate as well as how the IAL course helped open doors for his career.  Can you tell us a little bit about your career and background? I’m a […]

Two IAL Courses Running in Australia in July

Posted on: April 4, 2019 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

We are excited to announce that the Institute of Art and Law, in collaboration with the Australasian Registrars Committee, will be running two of its most popular courses in Australia this year in July. Diploma in Law and Collections Management The five-day Diploma in Law and Collections Management course will run in Melbourne from 8 […]