The University of Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art has been recognised at the 2026 Victorian Museums and Galleries Awards, receiving Large Project of the Year for 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art.
Announced at a ceremony at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, the Awards celebrate outstanding work across Victoria’s museum and gallery sector. This year, the program received more than 70 nominations from organisations across the state.
Judges praised the exhibition’s ambition and impact, noting that it “unites an extraordinary range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks, highlighting the enduring depth, creativity and resilience of First Peoples’ cultural expression”.
Curated by Associate Provost and Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AO, Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM and Associate Curator Shanysa McConville—in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and custodians of art traditions—the exhibition examined the long-overdue recognition of Indigenous art and its rise to global prominence.
Professor Marcia Langton AO Associate Provost said: “Our dream team of curators — Judith Ryan, Shanysa McConville and myself — worked in the extraordinary environment created by the leaders in Museums & Collections and especially at the Potter Museum led by Charlotte Day. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and corporations who lent us precious works and gave permission to show works never seen by the public before, generous donors, sponsors and supporters, the University art and cultural heritage collections, the staff, designers, external providers of services, and collectors and institutions who lent works, all contributed to our grand vision - to exhibit the art traditions of the first peoples of Australia, reveal their meaning and restore their status as art, the unique art of Australia. We are so proud and grateful to have worked with great colleagues and receive so much support.”
Charlotte Day, Director, Art Museums said: “The award is a meaningful recognition of the Museum and Collections team, the reopening of the Potter, and ongoing work with academic colleagues and communities. We were delighted that the Potter Museum of Art re-opened with such a significant exhibition and associated publication and educational program and resources. Most importantly, its impact is ongoing.”
The award is also a reflection of the generosity of many supporters and partners who made the project possible. Principal Supporters Peter McMullin AM and Ruth McMullin, Lead Supporters Peter Jopling AM KC, the Erica Foundation, Creative Australia and Creative Victoria, Foundation Supporters Andy and Rainie Zhang and the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Supporters Judith and Leon Gorr, Rebecca Hossack, John and Susan Wardle, Her Honour Irene Lawson and Brendan Kissane KC and Publication Partner the Gordon Darling Foundation.
