As part of their coursework program at the University of Melbourne, PhD students undertake core and elective subjects in their first year of candidature. From 2021 Melbourne History Workshop has offered students a practicum as an elective subject in this program (ARTS90030). Projects may be cognate with their PhD topics, or something completely different!
2022
Emily Tour explored some of the Chinese-Australian heritage that was uncovered at the Bennetts Lane archaeological excavation, including the possessions of a Chinese cabinetmaker who operated at the site, which led to further insights into the highly successful Chinese-operated sector of Melbourne’s cabinetmaking industry. To one family in particular, this article touched on a more personal history – the descendants of Allan Lim Joon, who had operated a successful cabinetmaking factory from Bennetts Lane during the early decades of the twentieth century. His youngest and only living child, Ian Lim Joon, was able to visit the excavation site with family members during its closing weeks, receiving a glimpse of the Melbourne in which Allan spent so much of his livelihood.
Chinese-style hand planes for woodworking, engraved with the name “Lim Toon”. Sourced from the Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia Inc.
Arthur Knight, inspired by artefacts excavated by Extent Heritage at the 17-23 Bennetts Lane archaeological site, explored the origins and cultural meanings of the Squatter’s clay pipe, and found that it represented a set of pro-pastoralist attitudes among colonisers during a period of political dis-alignment between official British policy towards the treatment of Aboriginal people and the violent expansion of white colonisers into protectorate lands.
Ines Jahudka researched and wrote a didactic panel for a display case featured in a new exhibition at the Grainger Museum. The case contains Grainger’s ‘ethnographic’ collection of American First Nation and Pacific Region objects, with a particular emphasis on beadwork. This display is complicated by the range of objects: some are original pieces created by indigenous artists; some were created by Indigenous artists for the tourist market; and several pieces were made by Grainger and his mother. The project made reference to Grainger’s engagement with Indigenous and personal artistic traditions, as well as placing his collection practices within broader colonial ethnography.
Siobhan Byford traced the fascinating story of the famous portrait artist Max Meldrum (1875-1955) who in the 1920s was given the strangest commission of his career; he was asked to sculpt and paint portrait masks for facially disfigured patients. With Meldrum’s interest in science and his skills in portrait painting, sculpture, and observation, he was an ideal choice as the creator of prosthetic masks for the disfigured patients at the Caulfield Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne. Yet, given his pacifism he was also a surprising choice for a commission to work with war veterans. This prosthetic work, which is unique in Australian history, was forgotten for almost a century.
2021
Thea Gardiner, a PhD student in History exploring ‘The Paradoxical Life of Portia Geach (1873–1959)’, conducted research for the Bridget McDonnell Gallery in Carlton North, home to a large collection of original Australian artworks. Each artwork purchased by the Gallery is thoroughly documented prior to being place in a catalogue or exhibited. One such work – Charles Conder’s watercolour The Pond c.1893, purchased by the Gallery in 2020—was the subject of this project. The aim was to complete an ‘object biography’ of The Pond to assist the Gallery in properly cataloguing the work. This included establishing when the work was exhibited and sold, whether reviews appeared for the exhibition or work, the original title, and where and when it was painted.
Hohi Ikeda (Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation) investigated historical and scientific aspects of Keith Haring’s Collingwood mural (1984), exploring how the mural, which was exhibiting obvious signs of deterioration in the mid 90s, was re-evaluated and re-investigated by conservators, curators and other stakeholders. The mural is listed in the Victorian Heritage Register.
