Rebecca Conway
Rebecca studied Australian Aboriginal and Pacific archaeology at the University of Sydney. Her BA (Hons) thesis involved analysis of Aboriginal grindstones from New South Wales in the collections of the Australian Museum. Rebecca has some 20 years experience working with archaeological and ethnographic collections in museums. She has worked with a diversity of cultural materials in a variety of capacities: from Asia, Africa and the Americas, to Australia and the Pacific, from collection management to curatorial.
Rebecca's primary interest is the cultural heritage of Australian Aboriginal and Pacific Islander communities. Interactions of source communities with cultural heritage collections held in museums are a key interest. This work has included repatriation projects, working with Aboriginal cultural centres and keeping places on the storage and exhibition of their collections, and documenting objects and historic photographs with Aboriginal and Pacific community members.
- Material culture of Aboriginal Australian and Pacific nations
- History and context of museum ethnographic collections
- Interactions of source communities with cultural heritage collections held in museums
- Historic photographs relevant to Aboriginal and Pacific peoples and histories
Rebecca has supervised student internships and has worked as a casual/guest lecturer for the University of Sydney, Museum and Heritage Studies Program and tutored classes in Indigenous Australian studies.
2013
University of Sydney, Professional Staff Travelling Scholarship.
Funded visits to a selection of key European universities and museums to examine the Macleay Museum historic ethnographic photographs in an international context.
2011
The Kaoka Speakers Revisited: the Ian Hogbin Collection.
Linkage-partnership between Canberra University, University of Sydney and the Australian Museum to research and document the cultural context of collections for museums and the Longgu community, Solomon Islands.
2014
- Curator, Points of Focus: historic photographs from the Pacific, Macleay Museum, 1 March – 7 November 2014
2010
- Project co-ordinator, (Curator: Dr JN Gumbula) Makarr-garma: Aboriginal collections from a Yolŋu perspective, Macleay Museum, 29 November 2009 – 15 May 2010
2008
- Curator, People, Power, Politics: the first generation of anthropologists at the University of Sydney, Macleay Museum, 1 February – 20 July 2008
2014
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2014) Points of focus: historic photographs from the Pacific. Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney
2010
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2010) object caption contributions in, Stephen, A., D. Malouf, J. Philp, & M. Turner, Into the Light: 150 Years of Cultural Treasures at the University of Sydney. Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney
2009
- Conway, R. (2009) oral history recording, transcription and editing, Gumbula, J. Neparrnga (2010) Makarr-Garma: Aboriginal collections from a Yolngu perspective. Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney
2008
- Conway, R. & J. Philp (2008) People, Power, Politics: the first generation of anthropologists at the University of Sydney. Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney
2013
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2013) Pacific Solutions MUSE 6
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2013) Belated season’s greetings… MUSE 4
2012
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2012) Revisiting the past to shape the future. MUSE 2
2009
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2009) Karoro from Kiribati. SUM News 18
2007
- Conway, Rebecca J. (2007) Acquiring Relationships. SUM News 11