As the custodian of almost 200 years of Queensland’s State Government records, Queensland State Archives (QSA) has an important role to play in supporting the Queensland Government’s Path to Treaty commitments, in particular to increase the understanding of the need for truth-telling and importance of historical acceptance. This talk will present two successful case studies - the ‘skeletons’ exhibition, which featured artworks by renowned Waanyi artist Judy Watson, and was curated by Kalkadoon/Wakka Wakka woman, Amanda Hayman of Blaklash Creative; and QSA’s Outdoor Design Project. Starting as an initiative to embed a First Nations voice in QSA, the ‘skeletons’ exhibition and subsequent public programs became a mechanism for raising awareness about Queensland’s shared history in a safe and accessible setting. Using QSA records as a catalyst for creating and selecting works, ‘skeletons’ transformed government records into remnants of ancestral connection and humanised the process of truth-telling through oral histories embedded within artworks. The exhibition gained international recognition and inspired cultural awareness visitation to QSA from departmental teams across Queensland Government. QSA’s Outdoor Design Project is a series of artworks and design features in response to a cultural audit of public spaces. Led by Blaklash Creative, design cues and artworks by First Nations artists were developed for the exterior and entranceway to the archives, transforming the journey into a culturally safe and welcoming environment. This presentation will provide insights into the methodology for employing artworks and exhibitions as accessible tools for community engagement and supporting First Nations artists as agents of truth-telling and cultural accessibility in the archives.

How do archives support Indigenous self-determination and data sovereignty? The simple answer is allowing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to choose for themselves how their stories are recorded and how they are represented. The reality is that representation is a complex issue to understand. In this presentation, I deliver my doctoral research findings which break down the layers of Indigenous representation in archives. The research explores issues of symbolic annihilation of Indigenous peoples in archives and provides a framework for assessing Indigenous representation in archives based on the records continuum model.