Professor Robyn Sloggett awarded ARC Laureate Fellowship

Professor Robyn Sloggett from the Faculty of Arts has been awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Industry Laureate for the five-year program ‘Safe Keeping: Effecting solutions for risk to remote Indigenous heritage’.

The ARC Laureate fellowship program aims to bring about significant change in Australian society by supporting world-class researchers to conduct innovative research.

Professor Sloggett's fellowship will focus on Indigenous cultural heritage and on research outcomes that reduce the risk of further losses of remotely located Indigenous collections.

“It’s exciting to be supported by the ARC, the University of Melbourne, and to work with Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists (ANKA) and International Art Services (IAS), to begin this critical work." Professor Sloggett said.

“Indigenous cultural material is the backbone of our knowledge about our nation, but it remains a resource in jeopardy. ANKA Art and Culture Centres do a phenomenal job in looking after these materials despite limited resources and difficult conditions”.

As the peak body for almost 50 Aboriginal community-controlled Art and Culture Centres and more than 6,000 artists spread across the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, the Tiwi Islands and Darwin/Katherine, ANKA members have unsurpassed knowledge of the issues and potential solutions faced by the sector.

“As the largest art logistics company in Australia, and an Indigenous-owned organisation, IAS will help us understand the best storage solution models for remote communities”, Professor Sloggett said.

“The main challenge will be to shift Australia’s understanding of the value of this heritage and ensure that communities are provided with the resources to properly look after it”.