Indigenous Australian Art Exhibit Opens in Harvard Art Museums

The Harvard Art Museums’ special exhibition on Indigenous Art from Australia opens on Friday, with an opening celebration on Thursday night.

Entitled “Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia,” the exhibition includes works by contemporary Indigenous Australian artists. It also features historical pieces on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology that serve as examples of functional art.

By Anneli L. Tostar

The planning for this exhibit began five years ago with an initiative from the Committee on Australian Studies. Indigenous Australian Stephen Gilchrist was hired as the Australian Studies visiting curator at the Art Museums to help make their vision a reality.

Gilchrist gathered works of art that would challenge viewers to think about art and art history differently.

“Stop thinking that they belong in the past,” Gilchrist said about the Indigenous artwork. “They carry into the present and into the future.”

Gilchrist also hailed the exhibition as an opportunity for viewers to appreciate art unfamiliar to most.

“They said yes to a new way of thinking about art history,” he said. “That was important for me.”

There are more than 70 pieces of artwork in display that are linked by the four themes of the exhibit: “seasonality, transformation, performance, and remembrance.”

Jessica L. Martinez, director of academic and public programs at the Museum, said she views the special exhibition as a resource for students.

“It’s for multiple audiences, but we always keep Harvard students first in mind,” she said. “All the [artworks’] labels are aimed at Harvard freshmen.”

Martinez said she expects that many student groups and classes will come to the exhibit because it appeals to a wide range of interests.

“We want to create a ground for new things to happen,”she said. “I think there will be a lot of research papers happening here.”

Martinez also predicts that the show will interest a wider audience.

“We expect people to be traveling from all over the state,” she said. “I think it’s a global show.”

The opening celebration will feature a lecture by Gilchrist and artist Vernon Ah Kee. There will also be a reception with Australian food following the lecture. Martinez encouraged students to take a break from studying and come to the exhibition.

“If you’re busy doing a p-set, come in from 9 to 10,” she said.

—Staff writer Maria H. Park can be reached at maria.park@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @Chirpark