John Carty

John Carty

School of Humanities

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


John Carty is a Professor of Museum and Curatorial Studies at the University of Adelaide, and Head of Humanities at the South Australian Museum. His position between the two institutions focusses on connecting the collections and contemporary politics of Museums with innovative research.

He is also the Humanities and Social Sciences Commissioner for the Australian National Commission to UNESCO.

He has worked extensively with Aboriginal artists and custodians throughout Australia on books, exhibitions and community development programs. His core research has involved working with Aboriginal artists to bridge the divide between anthropology and art history. In recent years, John’s work – through research with the British Museum, National Museum of Australia, and now the South Australian Museum – has grown to focus on the cultural and cross-cultural histories encompassed by objects in museum collections. His projects explore new methodologies and models for bringing Aboriginal voices and values further into mainstream narratives of Australian history, Australian research, and contemporary Australian culture.

  • Board Memberships

    Date Role Board name Institution name Country
    2021 - 2024 Board Member Council for Museum Anthropology American Anthropological Association United States
    2021 - ongoing Board Member Council of Museum Anthropology American Anthropological Association Australia
    2017 - 2022 Board Member Australian National Commission for UNESCO UNESCO Australia

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