Prof Sally May
Professor
School of Humanities
College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Associate Professor Sally K. May is an ARC Future Fellow with the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide. She is also Associate Head of Research for the School of Humanities and a convener of the Graduate Program in Curatorial and Museum Studies. During 2024-5 Sally was pleased to co-lead (with Professor Craig Batty, University of South Australia) the development of the Creative and Cultural Signature Research Theme for Adelaide University (https://adelaideuni.edu.au/research/).
Sally's research explores the intersections of art, history, and heritage in northern Australia, with a particular focus on Arnhem Land. Over the past two decades, she has worked in long-term collaboration with Aboriginal communities to understand how visual traditions, collecting practices, and cross-cultural encounters shape both local histories and broader narratives of Australia’s past. At the heart of her work is a commitment to emphasising the central role of Aboriginal artists and knowledge holders in recording, interpreting and transforming history. Whether through studies of contact period rock art, bark painting collections, or oral histories of mission life, she foregrounds Indigenous agency and creativity in the face of profound social and political change. This biographical and community-centred approach highlights how art and heritage are not static artefacts, but dynamic forms of cultural expression that negotiate memory, identity, and resilience.
Sally's research also situates Arnhem Land within global networks of exchange and knowledge production. She examines Aboriginal engagement with 'Macassan' trepangers, the impact of scientific expeditions and missionary enterprises, and the circulation of artworks into museums and international markets. By interrogating these transcultural and institutional histories, she seeks to reframe Australia’s place within Indian Ocean and world histories, while also addressing the legacies of colonial science and collecting.
Applied dimensions of Sally's work focus on heritage management and art centres as vital contemporary institutions. Through collaborative exhibitions, community-led archives, and policy engagement, she aims to ensure that research supports cultural renewal, strengthens heritage connections, and contributes to ethical and sustainable futures for Aboriginal communities.
Key research themes:
Contact rock art and artist biography
I examine how Aboriginal artists responded to colonial, missionary, and other external forces through visual means. My ARC Future Fellowship Painting Country focuses on the life histories and legacies of known rock art painters in western Arnhem Land. Recent publications explore topics such as the introduction of new pigments in rock art, biographical perspectives on contact art, and rapid loss of contact-period rock art. This strand foregrounds the agency of artists as historical actors, and sees rock art as more than 'artefacts' — they are expressive media through which individuals negotiated change, memory, and identity. Our recent book on this topic is Aboriginal Rock Art and the Telling of History (Cambridge, 2024), co-authored with Laura Rademaker, Nawakadj Maralngurra and Joakim Goldhahn.
Historical encounters, missions, and community memory
I investigate the social and historical dynamics of missions, colonial encounters, and archival memory, especially in Arnhem Land. My co-authored book The Bible in Buffalo Country: Oenpelli Mission 1925–1931 (ANU Press, 2020) combines archival, photographic, and oral history sources to reveal how Aboriginal communities engaged with missionary presence. This work highlights the entanglement of mission history with Aboriginal resilience, memory, and cultural continuity.
Ethnographic museum collections
A key strand of my research examines the histories, legacies, and contemporary relevance of ethnographic museum collections, particularly those from western and northwestern Arnhem Land. I have worked extensively with major collections of bark paintings, focusing on their biographies as objects: how they were created, collected, and circulated, and how they continue to carry cultural meaning within both community and museum contexts. I am committed to working with Aboriginal communities and art centres to ensure that collections are not static remnants of the past, but living cultural resources. Through collaborative exhibitions, community-led research, and repatriation-related projects, I explore how bark paintings and other ethnographic objects can support cultural renewal, strengthen heritage connections, and reframe museum narratives. Recent publications on this topic include Paddy Compass Namadbara and Baldwin Spencer (Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2022).
Macassan contact, maritime worlds, and transcultural histories
My research also addresses the long history of Aboriginal–Macassan interaction in northern Australia, situating Arnhem Land within wider Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian networks of mobility, trade, and cultural exchange. Through archaeology, rock art, and oral traditions, I examine how Aboriginal communities engaged with Macassan trepangers incorporating foreign technologies, motifs, and materials into local cultural practices. This work interrogates the entanglement of maritime economies, visual traditions, and Indigenous agency, showing how Macassan contact prefigured later colonial encounters and continues to resonate in community memory. By foregrounding Indigenous perspectives, I reposition Macassan–Aboriginal relations not as a peripheral episode, but as part of a deep and enduring history of transcultural engagement that connects northern Australia to global maritime worlds. Publications include: Macassan History and Heritage (ANU Press, 2013) and The Missing Macassans (Australian Archaeology, 2021).
History of science and the legacy of research encounters
I also examine the history of anthropology, archaeology, and collecting in northern Australia, focusing on how expeditions and scientific research shaped knowledge production. My work on the 1948 American–Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land interrogates how collecting, documentation, and representation occurred within this colonial scientific framework. My book Collecting Cultures: Myth, Politics, and Collaboration in the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition (2009) explores one such research encounter and was fundamental in helping to secure the return of Ancestral remains from the Smithsonian Institution. By re-examining archival records, collections, and oral histories, I highlight Aboriginal contributions to scientific knowledge while critiquing the legacies of expeditionary research and its ongoing influence on museums and scholarship. This research continues with a new focus on Ronald and Catherine Berndt and their fieldwork in Arnhem Land.
Aboriginal art centres, cultural economies, and contemporary practice
A further strand of my research examines the role of Aboriginal art centres as hubs of cultural production, economic development, and community identity. Working in partnership with centres such as Injalak Arts (Gunbalanya), I explore how art centres support intergenerational knowledge transfer, foster innovation, and mediate relationships between local artists, national markets, and global audiences. My research highlights the biographical, historical, and institutional dimensions of these centres: how they document and sustain artistic legacies, navigate the politics of heritage and copyright, and act as critical sites of community resilience. I continue to work closely with art centres today, co-developing heritage-related projects such as community exhibitions, oral history archives, and collaborative documentation initiatives that return knowledge to Country and strengthen cultural futures. My publications on this theme include the book Karrikadjurren: Aboriginal art, community and identity in western Arnhem Land (Routledge, 2022). By connecting art centre practice to broader histories of collecting, missionisation, and cross-cultural exchange, I position these institutions not only as contemporary workplaces, but also as dynamic cultural archives that reshape how Aboriginal art is understood within Australia and internationally.
Heritage management
I am actively engaged in cultural heritage management across northern Australia, working in close partnership with Aboriginal Traditional Owners, community organisations, and government. Through consultancy, advisory roles, and academic collaborations, I aim to bridge the gap between research and policy, ensuring heritage practice is both rigorous and community-led. Central to this work is supporting Aboriginal authority and agency, safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage, and developing practical tools to address the challenges of conservation, interpretation, tourism, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Co-lead, Creative and Cultural Research Thematic (Adelaide University) | Adelaide University |
| 2023 - ongoing | Associate Head of Research | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - ongoing | Associate Professor | University of Adelaide |
| 2017 - 2022 | Senior Research Fellow | Griffith University |
| 2009 - 2017 | Senior Lecturer | Australian National University |
| 2008 - 2009 | ARC Postdoctoral Fellow | Griffith University |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Award | Finalist, Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award 2025 | Northern Territory Government | Australia | - |
| 2024 | Scholarship | Fred Johns Scholarship for Biography | University of Adelaide | Australia | $13,837.27 |
| 2021 | Award | Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award 2021 | Northern Territory Government | Australia | - |
| 2011 | Teaching Award | ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Education (Programs that Enhance Learning) | Australian National University | Australia | - |
| 2010 | Teaching Award | ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching and Learning Award | Australian National University | Australia | - |
| 2008 | Fellowship | ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship | Griffith University | Australia | - |
| 2001 | Scholarship | Australian Postgraduate Award (Scholarship) | Australian National University | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 - 2006 | Australian National University | Australia | PhD |
| 2000 - 2000 | Flinders University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) |
| 1997 - 1999 | Flinders University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Arts (Archaeology and History) |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | May, S. K., Troncoso, A., Harper, S., & Goldhahn, J. (2025). Christianity in the Rock Art of Australia and Chile. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 35(4), 1-14. |
| 2025 | May, S., Lee, J., & Goldhahn, J. (2025). Contact Rock Art: A Biographical Perspective from Western Arnhem Land, Australia. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 1-25. |
| 2024 | Goldhahn, J., May, S. K., & Lee, J. (2024). The audience and the message: Nayombolmi's bark paintings from western Arnhem Land, Australia. Aboriginal History Journal, 47, 3-36. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2024 | May, S. K., Brady, L. M., Taçon, P. S. C., Miller, E., Jalandoni, A., Taylor, L., . . . Goldhahn, J. (2024). Brilliant blue: The blue rock art of Awunbarna, Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Archaeology, 90(3), 263-279. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2023 | Tacon, P., Taylor, L., May, S., Goldhahn, J., Jalandoni, A., Ressel, A., & Mangiru, K. (2023). Majumbu ('Old Harry') and the Spencer-Cahill bark painting collection. Australian Archaeology, 89(1), 14-31. Scopus2 WoS2 |
| 2023 | Tsang, R., Katuk, S., May, S., Taçon, P., Ricaut, F. -X., & Leavesley, M. (2023). Hand stencils and communal history: A case study from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Archaeology in Oceania, 58(1), 115-130. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2022 | Goldhahn, J., May, S., & Tacon, P. (2022). Picturing Nayombolmi: The most prolific known rock art artist in the world. Rock Art Research, 39(2), 155-167. WoS6 |
| 2022 | Miller, E., May, S. K., Goldhahn, J., Taçon, P. S. C., & Cooper, V. (2022). Kaparlgoo Blue: On the Adoption of Laundry Blue Pigment into the Visual Culture of Western Arnhem Land, Australia. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 26(2), 316-337. Scopus6 WoS5 |
| 2022 | Brady, L. M., Taylor, L., May, S. K., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2022). Meaningful choices and relational networks: Analysing western Arnhem Land’s Painted Hand rock art style using chaîne opératoire. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 65, 1-16. Scopus5 WoS1 |
| 2022 | Taçon, P. S. C., May, S. K., Goldhahn, J., Taylor, L., Brady, L. M., Ressel, A., . . . Maralngurra, G. (2022). Extraordinary Back-to-Back Human and Animal Figures in the Art of Western Arnhem Land, Australia: One of the World's Largest Assemblages. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 32(4), 707-720. Scopus3 WoS1 |
| 2022 | Goldhahn, J., Taylor, L., Tacon, P. S. C., May, S., & Maralngurra, G. (2022). Paddy Compass Namadbara and Baldwin Spencer: an artist's recollection of the first commissioned Aboriginal bark paintings in Oenpelli, 1912. Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2021(2), 46-65. |
| 2022 | Tsang, R., Katuk, S., May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., Ricaut, F. -X., & Leavesley, M. G. (2022). Rock Art and (Re)Production of Narratives: A Cassowary Bone Dagger Stencil Perspective from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 32(4), 547-565. Scopus4 WoS3 |
| 2021 | Hayward, J. A., May, S. K., Goldhahn, J., Jalandoni, A., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2021). An Analysis of Motif Clusters at the Nanguluwurr Rock Art Site, Kakadu National Park, N. T. Australia. Journal of Field Archaeology, 46(6), 414-428. Scopus3 WoS6 |
| 2021 | Taçon, P. S. C., May, S. K., Wesley, D., Jalandoni, A., Tsang, R., & Mangiru, K. (2021). History Disappearing: The Rapid Loss of Australian Contact Period Rock Art. Journal of Field Archaeology, 46(2), 119-131. Scopus9 WoS6 |
| 2021 | May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., Jalandoni, A., Goldhahn, J., Wesley, D., Tsang, R., & Mangiru, K. (2021). The re-emergence of nganaparru (water buffalo) into the culture, landscape and rock art of western Arnhem Land. Antiquity, 95(383), 1298-1314. Scopus4 WoS5 |
| 2021 | May, S. K., Rademaker, L., Goldhahn, J., Taçon, P. S. C., & Narndal Gumurdul, J. (2021). Narlim’s Fingerprints: Aboriginal Histories and Rock Art. Journal of Australian Studies, 45(3), 292-316. Scopus6 WoS6 |
| 2021 | Goldhahn, J., May, S. K., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2021). Revisiting Francis Birtles’ painted car: exploring a cross-cultural encounter with Aboriginal artist Nayombolmi at Imarlkba Gold Mine, 1929–1930. History Australia, 18(3), 469-492. Scopus2 |
| 2021 | Taçon, P. S. C., Wesley, D., & May, S. K. (2021). R. Lamilami, 1957–2021: Negotiating two worlds for cultural heritage. Australian Archaeology, 87(2), 220-225. WoS1 |
| 2021 | May, S. K., Wesley, D., Goldhahn, J., Lamilami, R., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2021). The missing Macassans: Indigenous sovereignty, rock art and the archaeology of absence. Australian Archaeology, 87(2), 127-143. Scopus10 WoS9 |
| 2021 | May, S., Goldhahn, J., Rademaker, L., Badari, G., & Taçon, P. (2021). Quilp's Horse: Rock art and artist life-biography in western Arnhem Land, Australia. Rock Art Research, 38(2), 211-221. Scopus6 WoS6 |
| 2021 | Goldhahn, J., Biyalwanga, L., May, S. K., Blawgur, J., Taçon, P. S. C., Sullivan, J., . . . Lee, J. (2021). "Our dad's painting is hiding, in secret place": reverberations of a rock painting episode in Kakadu National Park, Australia. Rock Art Research, 38(1), 59-69. Scopus3 WoS8 |
| 2021 | May, S., Domingo Sanz, I., Goldhahn, J., Wright, D., & Maralngurra, G. (2021). Broadening out understanding beyond the 'Buffaroo'. Rock Art Research, 38(2), 222-223. |
| 2021 | Smith, C., May, S. K., & Domingo, I. (2021). Special collection of selected papers presented at the 2018 IFRAO Congress in Valcamonica, Italy, ROCK ART AND ETHNOGRAPHY. ROCK ART RESEARCH, 38(2), 137. |
| 2021 | May, S. K., Sanz, I. D., Goldhahn, J., Wright, D., & Maralngurra, G. (2021). Broadening our understanding beyond the 'Buffaroo'. ROCK ART RESEARCH, 38(2), 224-226. |
| 2021 | Smith, C., May, S. K., & Domingo, I. (2021). Special collection of selected papers presented at the 2018 IFRAO Congress in Valcamonica, Italy ROCK ART AND ETHNOGRAPHY. ROCK ART RESEARCH, 38(1), 31. WoS1 |
| 2020 | May, S. K., Wright, D., Sanz, I. D., Goldhahn, J., & Maralngurra, G. (2020). The buffaroo: A ‘first-sight’ depiction of introduced buffalo in the rock art of western Arnhem Land, Australia. Rock Art Research, 37(2), 204-216. Scopus7 WoS8 |
| 2020 | Brady, L. M., May, S. K., Goldhahn, J., Taçon, P. S. C., & Lamilami, P. (2020). What painting? Encountering and interpreting the archaeological record in western Arnhem Land, northern Australia. Archaeology in Oceania, 55(2), 106-117. Scopus8 WoS8 |
| 2020 | Jalandoni, A., & May, S. K. (2020). How 3D models (photogrammetry) of rock art can improve recording veracity: a case study from Kakadu National Park, Australia. Australian Archaeology, 86(2), 137-146. Scopus24 WoS20 |
| 2020 | Taçon, P. S. C., May, S. K., Lamilami, R., McKeague, F., Johnston, I. G., Jalandoni, A., . . . Goldhahn, J. (2020). Maliwawa figures—a previously undescribed Arnhem Land rock art style. Australian Archaeology, 86(3), 208-225. Scopus26 WoS25 |
| 2020 | Jones, T., Wesley, D., May, S. K., Johnston, I. G., McFadden, C., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2020). Rethinking the age and unity of large naturalistic animal forms in early Western Arnhem Land Rock Art, Australia. Australian Archaeology, 86(3), 238-252. Scopus9 WoS7 |
| 2020 | Frieman, C., & May, S. K. (2020). Navigating Contact: Tradition and Innovation in Australian Contact Rock Art. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 24(2), 342-366. Scopus20 WoS21 |
| 2020 | Goldhahn, J., May, S. K., Maralngurra, J. G., & Lee, J. (2020). Children and Rock Art: A Case Study from Western Arnhem Land, Australia. Norwegian Archaeological Review, 53(1), 59-82. Scopus15 WoS16 |
| 2020 | May, S. K., Taylor, L., Frieman, C., Taçon, P. S. C., Wesley, D., Jones, T., . . . Mungulda, C. (2020). Survival, Social Cohesion and Rock Art: The Painted Hands of Western Arnhem Land, Australia. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 30(3), 491-510. Scopus17 WoS20 |
| 2020 | May, S. K., Huntley, J., Marshall, M., Miller, E., Hayward, J. A., Jalandoni, A., . . . Taçon, P. S. C. (2020). New Insights into the Rock Art of Anbangbang Gallery, Kakadu National Park. Journal of Field Archaeology, 45(2), 120-134. Scopus24 WoS22 |
| 2019 | May, S. K., Maralngurra, J. G., Johnston, I. G., Goldhahn, J., Lee, J., O'Loughlin, G., . . . Tacon, P. S. C. (2019). 'This is my father's painting': a first hand account of the creation of the most iconic rock art in Kakadu National Park. Rock Art Research, 36(2), 199-213. WoS28 |
| 2018 | Goldhahn, J., & May, S. K. (2018). Beyond the colonial encounter: global approaches to contact rock art studies. Australian Archaeology, 84(3), 210-218. Scopus9 WoS11 |
| 2018 | Hayward, J. A., Johnston, I. G., May, S. K., & Taçon, P. S. C. (2018). Memorialization and the Stencilled Rock Art of Mirarr Country, Northern Australia. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 28(3), 361-378. Scopus9 WoS10 |
| 2018 | May, S. K., Johnston, I. G., Taçon, P. S. C., Domingo Sanz, I., & Goldhahn, J. (2018). Early Australian Anthropomorphs: Jabiluka's Dynamic Figure Rock Paintings. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 28(1), 67-83. Scopus23 WoS14 |
| 2018 | Wesley, D., Litster, M., O’Connor, S., Grono, E., Theys, J., Higgins, A., . . . Taçon, P. (2018). The archaeology of Maliwawa: 25,000 years of occupation in the Wellington Range, Arnhem Land. Australian Archaeology, 84(2), 108-128. Scopus10 WoS11 |
| 2017 | May, S. K., Wesley, D., Goldhahn, J., Litster, M., & Manera, B. (2017). Symbols of Power: The Firearm Paintings of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II). International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 21(3), 690-707. Scopus23 WoS22 |
| 2017 | Domingo, I., Smith, C., & May, S. K. (2017). Etnoarqueología y arte rupestre: potencial, perspectivas y ética. Complutum, 28(2), 285-305. Scopus5 WoS3 |
| 2017 | May, S. K., Marshall, M., Domingo Sanz, I., & Smith, C. (2017). Reflections on the Pedagogy of Archaeological Field Schools within Indigenous Community Archaeology Programmes in Australia. Public Archaeology, 16(3-4), 172-190. Scopus10 WoS6 |
| 2016 | Wright, D., Langley, M. C., May, S. K., Johnston, I. G., & Allen, L. (2016). Painted shark vertebrae beads from the Djawumbu-Madjawarrnja complex,western Arnhem Land. Australian Archaeology, 82(2), 43-54. Scopus14 WoS13 |
| 2015 | May, S., & Jones, T. (2015). Current themes in the study of material culture in the rock art of northern Australia. The Artefact, 38, 3-7. |
| 2015 | Jones, T., & May, S. (2015). Rock Art and Ritual Function: the Northern Running Figures of western Arnhem Land. The Artefact, 38, 53-66. |
| 2014 | Wright, D., May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., & Stephenson, B. (2014). A SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF A NEW CUPULE SITE IN JABILUKA, WESTERN ARNHEM LAND. Rock Art Research, 31(1), 92-100. Scopus17 WoS9 |
| 2013 | Clark, M., & May K., S. (2013). Macassan History and Heritage: Journeys, Encounters and Influences. |
| 2013 | May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., Paterson, A., & Travers, M. (2013). The world from Malarrak: Depictions of South-East Asian and European subjects in rock art from the Wellington Range, Australia. Australian Aboriginal Studies, (1), 45-56. Scopus25 WoS21 |
| 2013 | May, S., Tacon, P. S. C., Wesley, D., & Pearson, M. (2013). Painted Ships on a Painted Arnhem Land Landscape. The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History, 35(2), 83-102. |
| 2013 | Tacon, P. S. C., & May, S. (2013). Ship Shape: An exploration of Maritime-Related Depictions in Indigenous Rock Art and Material Culture. The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History, 35(2), 7-15. |
| 2012 | Taçon, P. S. C., Aubert, M., Gang, L., Decong, Y., Hong, L., May, S. K., . . . Herries, A. I. R. (2012). Uranium-series age estimates for rock art in southwest China. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39(2), 492-499. Scopus44 WoS41 |
| 2011 | Tacon, P. S. C., Langley, M., May, S., Lamilami, R., Brennan, W., & Wesley, D. (2011). A bird in the hand: response to Franklin and Szabo. Antiquity: a quarterly review of archaeology, 85, 327. |
| 2010 | Taçon, P. S. C., Gang, L., Decong, Y., May, S. K., Hong, L., Aubert, M., . . . Herries, A. I. R. (2010). Naturalism, nature and questions of style in Jinsha River Rock Art, Northwest Yunnan, China. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 20(1), 67-86. Scopus27 WoS23 |
| 2010 | May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., Wesley, D., & Travers, M. (2010). Painting history: Indigenous observations and depictions of the 'other' in northwestern Arnhem Land, Australia. Australian Archaeology, 71(71), 57-65. Scopus57 WoS52 |
| 2010 | Tacon, P. S. C., May, S. K., Fallon, S. J., Travers, M., Wesley, D., & Lamilami, R. (2010). A MINIMUM AGE FOR EARLY DEPICTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN PRAUS. AUSTRALIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, (71), 1-10. WoS60 |
| 2010 | Taçon, P. S. C., Langley, M., May, S. K., Lamilami, R., Brennan, W., & Guse, D. (2010). Ancient bird stencils discovered in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Antiquity, 84(324), 416-427. Scopus24 WoS27 |
| 2010 | Taçon, P. S. C., May, S. K., Fallon, S. J., Travers, M., Wesley, D., & Lamilami, R. (2010). A minimum age for early depictions of Southeast Asian Praus in the Rock Art of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Australian Archaeology, 71(1), 1-10. Scopus84 |
| 2010 | May, S. K., & Sanz, I. D. (2010). Making sense of scenes. Rock Art Research, 27(1), 35-42. Scopus33 WoS19 |
| 2009 | May, S. K., Mckinnon, J. F., & Raupp, J. T. (2009). Boats on bark: An analysis of groote eylandt aboriginal bark-paintings featuring macassan prau s from the 1948 arnhem land expedition, Northern Territory, Australia. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 38(2), 369-385. Scopus10 WoS7 |
| 2003 | May, S. (2003). Colonial collections of portable art and intercultural encounters in Aboriginal Australia. Before Farming, 2003(1), 1-21. |
| 2003 | Richards, N., & May, S. (2003). South Australia’s ‘Floating Coffin’: the diseased, the destitute, and the derelict Fitzjames (1852-c.1900). The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History, 25(1), 20-39. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Rademaker, L., May, S., Goldhahn, J., & Maralngurra, G. (2025). History on the rocks. In A. McGrath, & J. Huggins (Eds.), Deep History: Country and Sovereignty (1 ed., pp. 151-165). Sydney: UNSW Press. |
| 2025 | Smith, C., Pollard, K., Kanungo, A. K., May, S., López Varela, S., & Watkins, J. (2025). Global Perspectives on Indigenous Archaeologies. In C. Smith, K. Pollard, A. K. Kanungo, S. May, S. López Varela, & J. Watkins (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2025 | Smith, C., Pollard, K., Kanungo, A. K., May, S., López Varela, S., & Watkins, J. (2025). Global Perspectives on Indigenous Archaeologies. In C. Smith, K. Pollard, A. K. Kanungo, S. May, S. López Varela, & J. Watkins (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2025 | May, S., & Smith, C. (2025). Section VI: Cultural Survival and Sustainable Futures. In C. Smith, K. Pollard, A. K. Kanungo, S. May, S. L. López Varela, & J. Watkins (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies (1 ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2025 | May, S., Narndal Gumurdul, J., & Goldhahn, J. (2025). Nipper Marakarra Gumurdul (c. 1882–1964). In M. Nolan (Ed.), Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography. online: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. |
| 2024 | May, S., Goldhahn, J., & Lee, J. (2024). Oral Histories and Indigenous Rock Art: Capturing Lives, Moments, Memories and Emotions. In C. Smith, K. Pollard, A. Kanungo, S. May, S. Lopez Varela, & J. Watkins (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies (pp. 19 pages). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2024 | May, S., Goldhahn, J., & Lee, J. (2024). Oral Histories and Indigenous Rock Art: Capturing Lives, Moments, Memories and Emotions. In C. Smith, K. Pollard, A. Kanungo, S. May, S. Lopez Varela, & J. Watkins (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies (pp. 19 pages). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2022 | Gumbuwa Maralngurra, J., May, S., & Goldhahn, J. (2022). Djimongurr (c. 1910-1969). In M. Nolan (Ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. |
| 2022 | Tacon, P. S. C., May, S., Frederick, U. K., McDonald, J., & Blyth, M. (2022). Introduction. In P. S. C. Tacon, S. May, U. K. Frederick, & J. McDonald (Eds.), Histories of Australian Rock Art Research (pp. 1-8). Canberra: ANU Press. DOI |
| 2022 | Tacon, P. S. C., May, S., Frederick, U. K., McDonald, J., & Blyth, M. (2022). Introduction. In P. S. C. Tacon, S. May, U. K. Frederick, & J. McDonald (Eds.), Histories of Australian Rock Art Research (pp. 1-8). Canberra: ANU Press. DOI |
| 2022 | Clarke, A., May, S., Frederick, U. K., & Johnston, I. G. (2022). Style and substance: McCarthy versus Mountford and the emergence of an archaeology of rock art 1948–1960. In P. S. C. Tacon, S. May, U. K. Frederick, & J. McDonald (Eds.), Histories of Australian Rock Art Research (pp. 11-25). Canberra: ANU Press. DOI |
| 2022 | Clarke, A., May, S., Frederick, U. K., & Johnston, I. G. (2022). Style and substance: McCarthy versus Mountford and the emergence of an archaeology of rock art 1948–1960. In P. S. C. Tacon, S. May, U. K. Frederick, & J. McDonald (Eds.), Histories of Australian Rock Art Research (pp. 11-25). Canberra: ANU Press. DOI |
| 2022 | Lee, J., Goldhahn, J., & May, S. (2022). Nayombolmi (c. 1895–1967). In M. Nolan (Ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. |
| 2022 | Goldhahn, J., & May, S. (2022). Nayombolmi and Djimongurr: Two prolific artists from western Arnhem Land. In M. Appel (Ed.), Inspired by Country: Bark Paintings from Arnhem Land, Northern Australia, The Gerd and Helga Plewig Collection. Münich: Museum Fünf Kontinente. |
| 2020 | May, S., & Goldhahn, J. (2020). Rock Art and Children: Towards an Inter-Generational Perspective on Past and Present Visual Cultures. In C. Smith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (2nd ed., pp. 1-13). Cham: Springer Nature. DOI |
| 2018 | Domingo Sanz, I., May, S., & Smith, C. (2018). Etnoarqueología y arte rupestre en el siglo XXI: de la analogía directa a la redefinición del método arqueológico. In D. Garate (Ed.), Redescubriendo el arte parietal paleolítico. Últimas novedades sobre los métodos y las técnicas de investigación (Vol. 16, pp. 163-180). Spain: Kobie (anejos). |
| 2018 | Wright, D., Langley, M. C., Litster, M., & May, S. K. (2018). In search of the archaeology of portable art from Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Australia. In M. C. Langley, M. Litster, D. Wright, & S. K. May (Eds.), The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives (pp. 1-10). London, United Kingdom: Routledge. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2017 | Johnston, I. G., Goldhahn, J., & May, S. (2017). Dynamic Figures of Jabiluka: Chaloupka’s 4-phase theory and the question of variability within a rock art ‘style’. In B. David, P. S. C. Tacon, J. -M. Geneste, & J. -J. Delannoy (Eds.), The Archaeology of Rock Art in Western Arnhem Land (Vol. 47, pp. 109-127). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press. |
| 2017 | May, S., Shine, D., Wright, D., Denham, T., Tacon, P. S. C., Marshall, M., . . . Stephens, S. P. (2017). The Rock Art of Ingaanjalwurr, western Arnhem Land, Australia. In B. David, P. S. C. Tacon, J. -M. Geneste, & J. -J. Delannoy (Eds.), The Archaeology of Rock Art in Arnhem Land (pp. 51-68). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press. |
| 2017 | May, S. K., Taçon, P. S. C., Wright, D., Marshall, M., Goldhahn, J., & Sanz, I. D. (2017). The rock art of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II). In B. David, P. Taçon, J. -J. Delanno, & J. -M. Geneste (Eds.), The Archaeology of Rock Art in Western Arnhem Land, Australia (pp. 51-68). ACT, Australia: ANU Press. DOI |
| 2016 | Inès, D., May, S., & Claire, S. (2016). Communicating through rock art: an ethnoarchaeological perspective. In O. Buchsenschutz, C. Jeunesse, C. Mordant, & D. Vialou (Eds.), Signes et communication dans les civilisations de la parole (pp. 9-26). Paris, France: Open Edition Books. DOI |
| 2016 | May, S., Domingo Sanz, I., & Tacon, P. S. C. (2016). Arte rupestre de contacto: la versión Indígena de los encuentros interculturales en el noroeste de la Tierra de Arnhem (Australia). In F. Berrojalbiz (Ed.), La vitalidad de las voces indígenas: arte rupestre del contacto y en sociedades coloniales (pp. 83-106). Mexico City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. |
| 2016 | May, S. (2016). Learning art, learning culture: Art, education, and the formation of new artistic identities in Arnhem Land, Australia. In S. K. May, I. D. Sanz, & D. Fiore (Eds.), Archaeologies of Art: Time, Place, and Identity (pp. 171-194). New York, USA: Routledge. DOI Scopus21 |
| 2016 | Sanz, I. D., Fiore, D., & May, S. K. (2016). Archaeologies of art: Time, place, and identity in rock art, portable art, and body art. In I. Domingo Sanz, D. Fiore, & S. May (Eds.), Archaeologies of Art: Time, Place, and Identity (pp. 15-28). USA: Routledge. DOI Scopus20 |
| 2015 | May, S., Tacon, P. S. C., Wright, D., & Marshall, M. (2015). The Rock Art of Kakadu: past, present and future research, conservation and management. In S. Winderlich (Ed.), Kakadu National Park Symposia Series (pp. 36-44). Darwin: Parks Australia. |
| 2014 | May, S. K. (2014). Maritime Contact Rock Art. In Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (pp. 4642-4645). Springer New York. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2014 | May, S., & Tacon, P. S. C. (2014). Kakadu National Park rock art. In C. Smith (Ed.), Global Encyclopedia of Archaeology (pp. 3235-3240). New York: Springer. |
| 2014 | May, S. K., & Tacon, P. S. C. (2014). Kakadu National Park: Rock Art. In Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (pp. 4235-4240). Springer New York. DOI Scopus8 |
| 2013 | Clark, M., & May, S. (2013). Understanding Macassans: a regional approach. In M. Clark, & S. K. May (Eds.), Macassan history and heritage: journeys, encounters and influences (pp. 1-18). Canberra: ANU Press. |
| 2013 | Clark, M., & May, S. (2013). Understanding Macassans: a regional approach. In M. Clark, & S. K. May (Eds.), Macassan history and heritage: journeys, encounters and influences (pp. 1-18). Canberra: ANU Press. |
| 2013 | Taçon, P. S. C., & May, S. K. (2013). Rock art evidence for Macassan–Aboriginal contact in northwestern Arnhem Land. In Macassan History and Heritage: Journeys, Encounters and Influences. ANU Press. DOI |
| 2012 | Taçon, P. S. C., Ross, J., Paterson, A., & May, S. (2012). Picturing Change and Changing Pictures: Contact Period Rock Art of Australia. In A Companion to Rock Art (pp. 420-436). Wiley. DOI Scopus44 |
| 2011 | May, S. (2011). Piecing the History Together: An overview of the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition. In M. Thomas, & M. Neale (Eds.), Exploring the Legacy of the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition (pp. 171-188). Canberra: ANU Press. |
| 2010 | May, S. (2010). Art in Gunbalanya Today. In P. Carroll (Ed.), Bark Art from Western Arnhem Land (pp. 20). Darwin: Northern Territory Anglican Foundation for the Promotion of Aboriginal Art and Literature, Ltd. |
| 2008 | Domingo Sanz, I., & May, S. (2008). La pintura y su simbología en las comunidades de cazadores-recolectores de la Tierra de Arnhem (Territorio del Norte, Australia). In J. Salazar, I. Domingo Sanz, J. Azkárraga, & H. Bonet (Eds.), Mundos tribales: una visión etnoarqueológica (pp. 78-91). Valencia: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Diputación de Valencia. |
| 2008 | May, S. (2008). The Art of Collecting: Charles Pearcy Mountford. In N. Peterson, L. Allen, & L. Hamby (Eds.), The Makers and Making of Indigenous Australian Museum Collections (pp. 446-471). Melbourne: Museum Victoria. |
| 2005 | May, S., Murphy, A., Garde, M., Yulidjirri, T., Nabegeyo, B., Nabegeyo, G., & Nganjmirra, J. (2005). Some Baskets are Special Ones. In L. Hamby, & J. Nganjmirra (Eds.), Twined Together (pp. 45-51). Melbourne: Museum Victoria. |
| 2005 | May, S. (2005). Collecting the ‘Last Frontier’. In L. Hamby, & J. Nganjmirra (Eds.), Twined Together (pp. 77-81). Melbourne: Museum Victoria. |
| 2005 | May, S. (2005). Injalak Arts and Crafts: A Brief History. In L. Hamby, & J. Nganjmirra (Eds.), Twined Together (pp. 187-195). Melbourne: Museum Victoria. |
| 2005 | May, S. K., Gumurdul, D., Manakgu, J., Maralngurra, G., & Nawirridj, W. (2005). 'You write it down and bring it back...that's what we want'-revisiting the 1948 removal of human remains from Kunbarlanja (Oenpelli), Australia. In C. Smith, & H. M. Wobst (Eds.), Indigenous Archaeologies Decolonizing Theory and Practice (pp. 102-121). Routledge. DOI Scopus13 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | May, S., Blair, S., O'Loughlin, G., & Goldhahn, J. (2024). Anlarrh Bininj Bush Camps. |
| 2024 | May, S., Goldhahn, J., & Tacon, P. S. C. (2024). Pathways: People, Landscape and Rock Art in Djok Country. Adelaide. |
| 2023 | May, S., Blair, S., & O'Loughlin, G. (2023). An-garregen Cultural Heritage Strategy Review Report. |
| 2011 | May, S., Blair, S., Hall, N., & Sullivan, S. (2011). An-garregen: A strategy for cultural heritage management in Kakadu National Park. Jabiru: Parks Australia. |
Key research grants:
| Years | Program | Title | Chief Investigators | Amount |
| 2022 – 2026 (awarded 2021) | ARC Future Fellowship | Painting Country: The life and legacy of western Arnhem Land rock painters | Sally K. May | $961,139 |
| 2021 – 2024 (awarded 2020) | ARC Special Research Initiative Scheme | Art at a Crossroads: Aboriginal responses to contact in northern Australia | Sally K. May, Paul S.C. Taçon, Liam Brady, Daryl Wesley, Laura Rademaker, Andrea Jalandoni, Joakim Goldhahn, and Luke Taylor | $273,828 |
| 2016 – 2019 | ARC Discovery Project | History Places: Wellington Range rock art in a global context | Paul S.C. Taçon, Sally K. May, Liam Brady, Duncan Wright, Joakim Goldhahn, and Ines Domingo Sanz | $490,100 |
| 2008 – 2012 | ARC Discovery Project | Picturing Change: 21st Century perspectives on recent Australian rock art | Paul S.C. Taçon, June Ross, Alistair Paterson and Sally K. May | $565,000 |
Sally is a co-convenor of the Graduate Program in Curatorial and Museum Studies and the new Bachelor of Arts major in Archaeology and Classical Studies at Adelaide University.
Sally was previously convenor of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage graduate program at the Australian National University for 8 years and a lecturer within the School of Archaeology at Flinders University and the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University.
Teaching awards:
- ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Education (Programs that Enhance Learning) 2011
- ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching and Learning Award 2010
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | T. Harvey Johnston, zoologist, the prickly pear and biological control | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Bridget Jolly |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | T. Harvey Johnston, zoologist, the prickly pear and biological control | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Bridget Jolly |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Weaving Stories | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Alison Margaret Giles |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Weaving Stories | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Alison Margaret Giles |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Remembering the Makassar in western and northwestern Arnhem Land, Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Oscar Chadwick-Pask |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Reconceptualising the History of Human-Saltwater Crocodile relations in Arnhem Land | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Kerri Elisabeth Meehan |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Reconceptualising the History of Human-Saltwater Crocodile relations in Arnhem Land | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Kerri Elisabeth Meehan |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Remembering the Makassar in western and northwestern Arnhem Land, Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Oscar Chadwick-Pask |
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Board Member | Current Anthropology Editiorial Board | University of Chicago Press | United States |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Advisory Board Member | Kakadu Research and Management Advisory Committee | Parks Australia | Australia |
| Date | Title | Engagement Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | The Conversation: Returning a name to an artist: the work of Majumbu, a previously unknown Australian painter | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | - |
| 2022 - ongoing | The Conversation: Paddy Compass Namadbara: for the first time, we can name an artist who created bark paintings in Arnhem Land in the 1910s | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2022 - ongoing | The Conversation (Friday Essay): ‘this is our library’ – how to read the amazing archive of First Nations stories written on rock | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | The Conversation: Aboriginal art on a car? How an Indigenous artist and an adventurer met in the 1930 wet season in Kakadu | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | The Conversation: Threat or trading partner? Sailing vessels in northwestern Arnhem Land rock art reveal different attitudes to visitors | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | The Conversation: How historically accurate is the film High Ground? The violence it depicts is uncomfortably close to the truth | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2020 - ongoing | The Conversation: Introducing the Maliwawa Figures: A previously undescribed rock art style found in Western Arnhem Land | Public Community Engagement | The Conversation | Australia |
| 2020 - 2020 | Guest for the podcast: Foreign Countries: conversations in archaeology with Ash Lenton. Topic: Innovative Research in Australia | Public Community Engagement | Foreign Countries: conversations in archaeology with Ash Lenton | Australia |
| Date | Title | Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Guest Editor, Rock Art Research, v. 38/2 | Editorial | Rock Art Research | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Guest Editor, Rock Art Research, v.38/1 | Editorial | Rock Art Research | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Guest Editor, Australian Archaeology, v.84/3 | Editorial | Australian Archaeology | Australia |
| 2017 - ongoing | Guest Editor, The Artefact, v.38 | Editorial | The Artefact | Australia |
