AMplify - Conversations at the Australian Museum

Australian Museum CEO and Executive Director Kim McKay in conversation with Steven Alderton, Director of Programs, Exhibitions & Cultural Collections at the Australian Museum.

Steven has a background in growing audiences and producing innovative exhibitions, public programs and events supported by extensive community engagement.

"The first thing it takes [to make an exhibition] is a great idea, and I always say a great idea is free...it always comes back to audience for me and a great idea." Steven Alderton

Listen to a live talk by NSW chief scientist Professor Mary O'Kane, presented by the Australian Museum Research Institute at the Australian Museum.

Listen to the live recording of the 2016 AMRI Address and Lecture delivered by Professor Mark O'Kane, NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer.

"People need STEM in daily life to manage the incredibly rapid growth of knowledge…the emphasis we really to put is on getting teachers really confident so they inspire students - when they’re not being inspired by the Museum of course!"

Professor O'Kane chose to speak on the evolution of scientific knowledge and the skill of posing 'the right question'.

"There are things that Australians are naturally good at in science, but don’t think about it.. I asked someone ‘is it raining?’ - what do they do? They do what lots of Australians do and pull out their phone, look at the Bureau of Meteorology website, but they don’t go look at the forecast, they look at the radar. Australians do that – whether predicting the surf or whatever – Australians are natural meteorologists, they are really good at!" Mary

Ellie Downing of the Australian Museum’s Science Engagement and Events team speaks to Lola about the upcoming Australian Museum Science Festival (AMSF), the role of museums in education and some of the current trends in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM).

Recorded live on Thursday 29th July, 11am for Koori Radio -http://www.kooriradio.com/

Listen as Kim McKay speaks with AM artist-in-residence Janet Laurence after the opening of .

Australian Museum CEO and Executive Director Kim McKay in conversation with celebrated Australian artist Janet Laurence, artist-in-resident at the Australian Museum.

"There has always been a museumification in my work, I'm always thinking of creating my own little museums... I've made many many models of little museums I'd love to make."

Janet has created the installation "Deep Breathing', made from glass and coral, to emulate a life-saving resuscitation unit and draw attention to the impacts of global warming on one of the world’s great natural wonders - the Great Barrier Reef.

"Often my work is celebrating the beauty and extraordinary aspects of nature, but I feel compelled to reveal - in a state of emergency - what's happening."

Janet’s work was inspired during a residency at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) situated on the Reef. It is a powerful work that addresses the threat of climate change and human interference to our precious marine environment.

Gaby Kennard recorded live at the Australian Museum as part of the Trailblazers Talks series presented by Australian Geographic.

Inspired by her childhood hero Amelia Earhart, Gaby Kennard became the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world. In doing so, she proved that it’s possible for an ‘ordinary’ single mother of two to fulfil her dream.

"If I could make this dream a reality, which seemed very difficult considering I had no aeroplane, no money, a single mother with two children.. If I could actually make this happen, other people would say 'if she can do that, I can do what I want’, and that was a very strong thing in me, I felt very strongly about it" Gaby Kennard

On 3 August 1989, Kennard climbed into her single-engined Piper Saratoga, specially equipped with long-range fuel tanks, a life raft and emergency rations. A twin-engined plane would have been safer, but this model was all she could afford.

Over the next 99 days of her record flight, she faced equipment malfunctions, terrible loneliness and crippling bureaucracy. But inspired by Amelia Earhart and an extraordinary group of female pilots worldwide, she completed the 54,000-kilometre flight.

This week, another LIVE Trailblazers Talk, with Gaby Kennard the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world.

Australian Museum CEO and Executive Director Kim McKay in conversation with Phil Gordon, the AM's Aboriginal Heritage Project Officer.

Phil coordinates the AM's Repatriation policy to support return of aboriginal remains held in museum collections around the world, and is also investigating potential digital repatriation of secret men’s material.

“As part of Aboriginal culture there are materials and knowledge and ceremonies that are controlled by both men and women, that other people can’t participate in. “

“This is what we know as secret women’s business or secret men’s business”

“Exactly, and as part of that objects are produced, sometimes those objects were destroyed straight away, but other objects were not and they were continually used. As part of the colonisation process a lot of those objects were taken away or given for safe keeping to missionaries and those sorts of things. And these objects still have power, both of a cultural and political too… As a way of acknowledging that power and sensitivity we actually have separate storage areas for these sorts of objects, and we have been involved over the past 30 years in trying to return some of those objects to communities.”

This week Kim McKay talks with Phil Gordon about the museums important Aboriginal collection and repatriation work.