A University Art Museums Australia Exhibition Project showcasing the research-intensive and collection-based programs of eight of Australia's leading university art museums.

Australian university art museums (UAMs) contribute significantly to the cultural and intellectual life of the community. As university-based museums, they offer distinctive experiences to visitors by actively engaging in research and teaching and advancing community engagement. Their programs showcase world-class exhibitions and encourage critical discourse and debate.

UAMs develop and maintain significant art collections that contribute to the national distributed collection held in museums Australia wide. These art collections play a vital role in enriching the cultural milieu of universities and the nation.

Skin: the Max Hart Collection is one of several exhibitions presented jointly by eight leading university art museums to highlight the major contribution universities make to the visual arts in Australia. This initiative coincides with Universities Australia Common Week from 28 September to 2 October. The art museums participating in the project include: Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, University of South Australia; Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne; Ivan Dougherty Gallery, University of New South Wales; John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University of Technology; Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia; Monash University Museum of Art; QUT Art Museum; and University of Queensland Art Museum.

Image: Wandjuk Marika, Clan design, c. 1970, natural ochres on bark, 128 x 53 cm irreg., Max Hart Collection, University of South Australia, © estate of the artist, licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency 2009

Past exhibitions

Skin: UniSA Max Hart Collection of Aboriginal bark paintings
11 September – 30 October 2009
Curator: Susan Jenkins

The University has a rich resource in the collection of 1970s bark paintings gifted by former lecturer Max Hart.

Curated by Susan Jenkins, this focus exhibition studies a range of key works from across Arnhem Land, the Tiwi Islands, Groote Island and Mornington Island towards an understanding of subjects, ancestral narratives, social relationships and the bark painting movement's contemporary relevance.

Short biography on Max Hart by Rev. Dr W H (Bill) Edwards (PDF file, 55kb)

Max Hart collection extended texts (PDF file, 579kb)

Exhibition catalogue (PDF file, 1mb)