First Nations Speaker Series
Understand Sydney: A City on Country
Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country. Photo © James Horan for Museums of History NSW
Join artist and designer Alison Page and historian Dr Paul Irish for a thought-provoking in-conversation with Museums of History NSW curator, Dr Penny Stannard.
In the next edition of the First Nations Speaker Series, Alison Page and Dr Paul Irish will explore the key themes and ideas of the exhibition Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country, currently on display at the Museum of Sydney, and examine the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Sydney. Through the lens of their contemporary practices, Alison and Paul will discuss how they are challenging the dominant traditional colonial narratives and reflect on how our understanding of land and Country has shifted over time.
This in-conversation will offer fresh insights into the exhibition, Sydney’s layered past and the important role connection to Country plays in shaping the future of Sydney. The exhibition will be open for viewing before the talk commences.
When: Thursday 12 June, 7pm–8pm
Where: Museum of Sydney, Corner Phillip and Bridge Streets, Sydney
Free, click here to register.
The First Nations Speaker Series is co-presented by GML Heritage, Museums of History NSW and The University of Sydney.
About the speakers
Alison Page
Alison Page is a descendant of the Dharawal and Yuin people and is an award-winning creative at the forefront of the contemporary Aboriginal cultural movement. She is a leading force in the Australian design scene and her extensive career spans public art, exhibitions and urban design. She is the founder of the National Aboriginal Design Agency and Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance. In 2015, she was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame and in 2022, won the Interior Design Excellence Awards Gold Medal. Alison was a panellist for eight years on the ABC television program The new inventors, which showcased Australian innovation. She is currently Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at the University of Technology Sydney Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, and a member of several cultural boards, including the National Australia Day Council, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, and the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Dr Paul Irish
Paul has worked for the past 25 years with Aboriginal heritage and history. He has been collaboratively researching Sydney’s Aboriginal history for many years with members of the La Perouse Aboriginal community and is the author of the 2017 book Hidden In Plain View. The Aboriginal People of Coastal Sydney (winner of the 2018 NSW Premiers History Award for Community and Regional History). Paul is also an experienced archaeologist who worked for many years in all aspects of Aboriginal cultural heritage management.
