NGALAMBAY
Gallery
Ngalambay is a place for Aboriginal history told by Aboriginal people. We welcome your stories. We can display something you have already created or help you develop a display from scratch. We can also assist with funding. You can download our Contributor’s Guide [link] for all the information or read on to find out how your stories can reach an audience at Ngalambay.
WHO CAN CREATE A DISPLAY?
Displays can be created by individuals, families, groups or communities.
Our focus is on New South Wales, but we would happily host displays from around the country.
We welcome collaborations between Aboriginal communities, historians, archaeologists and others who work with Australia's past - as long as the display is presented from an Aboriginal perspective.
We are also happy to help promote larger exhibitions at other institutions by hosting a sample or digital preview of that exhibition.
Talk to us today
WHAT FACILITIES DO WE HAVE?
A large screen (81.5 inch) that can play image and text slides or high definition video and is connected to surround-sound speakers.
Six smaller screens (31.5 inch) that can play slides or video (without sound). Two of them are touch screens that can also be used for interactive content, and these can be placed in any of the six screen positions around the gallery.
A lit display cabinet that can be used to display objects (or photos or documents). The cabinet is lockable and is 300mm high, 1500mm wide and 600mm deep.
A small magazine stand for flyers, guides or other promotional materials.
WHAT CAN I DISPLAY?
The gallery is focused on Aboriginal history - that can be told through images, family stories, historical documents or objects. Some examples are:
A history of particular ancestors or families.
The history of a particular place.
A collection of family photos or documents and what it means to you.
Objects that are important to your family or community.
Research that you have done on your family or community.
The results of an Aboriginal archaeological dig that you have been involved with, told through your words.
We are open to all ideas and are excited to hear yours. The displays can include text and image slides, audio, captioned video or video and sound on the large screen. The display cabinet can host a small number of objects if you wish to use them. Your display can be as little or large as you like. You can use all of the gallery screens and display cabinet, several screens or just a single screen. We will work with you to find the best way to present your story. Due to the small size of the gallery, we suggest that each screen contains just one or two rotating slides or videos, so this is not the place for a large and detailed exhibition.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
You can get started by giving us a call, sending us an email or dropping in to see us. We are interested to hear from you whether you have an idea you want to discuss or already have some content ready to go. We’d also be happy to meet with you in person. If you’d like to visit us, our office is next to the gallery. Please contact us beforehand so we can make sure the person you want to see will be there.
WHO ARE ‘WE’?
Paul Irish is a historian who has worked for many years investigating the Aboriginal history of Sydney with researchers from the La Perouse Aboriginal community. This has included a collaborative exhibition called This is Where They Travelled: Historical Aboriginal Lives in Sydney.
Michael Bennett is a historian who has worked extensively over many years with Aboriginal communities around New South Wales as a Native Title historian. He has also researched the history of Aboriginal police trackers in New South Wales and developed a website and book.
WE CAN WORK WITH YOU TO TURN YOUR IDEA OR CONTENT INTO A DISPLAY BY:
Helping turn your existing digital content into the right format and size to display in the gallery.
Helping turn an existing printed project into digital form
Developing ideas for displays and working with you to produce content from images, documents or audio or video recordings.
We can assist with our time, and we also have some financial assistance available to help with the costs of developing content and for exhibition launches at the gallery. We are also happy to help you find other sources of funding (such as grants) to develop your display if you would like.
Download contributor's Guide