First Knowledges Country

Margo Neale

Professor Margo Neale currently holds the position of Head at the new Centre for Indigenous Knowledges, serving as the Senior Indigenous Curator and Principal Advisor to the Director at the National Museum of Australia.

In her earlier roles, she served as the inaugural Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program and the Gallery of First Australians at the Museum. Prior to this, she contributed significantly to institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where she played a key role in co-establishing and curating the first Indigenous gallery, Yiribana. Notably, at the Queensland Art Gallery, Margo served as the inaugural curator, establishing the first Indigenous Art Department, and played a vital role in guiding the Australian and Pacific components of the Asia-Pacific Triennials in the 1990s.

Margo is a co-recipient of seven Australian Research Council grants in collaboration with the ANU, Monash, Yale, and the University of Victoria. Her extensive contributions span a wide array of disciplines, including social history, art, and culture in the Asia–Pacific region and Aboriginal Australia.

As an author, co-author, or editor of 12 books, including the Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture and the recent Thames & Hudson book on Songlines, Margo's influence extends beyond curatorial efforts. She curated groundbreaking exhibitions, such as Australia's largest international solo exhibition for an Australian artist, Emily Kame Kngwarreye (2008), which marked the first national touring exhibition for an Aboriginal artist in 1998. Other notable exhibitions include the first major national touring exhibition for urban-based artist Lin Onus and the curation of the Vatican’s collection of Aboriginal art and artifacts for the canonization of Saint Mary McKillop (2010). Her award-winning Songlines exhibition is set to travel to major venues in Europe, the UK, the USA, and Asia. Recognizing her expertise, successive governments have appointed her to advisory roles.

Margo Neale's heritage is rooted in Aboriginal and Irish descent, with connections to the Kulin nation and Gumbayngirr clan.