Friends members are invited to attend this exhibition preview event for Hopes & Fears: Australian Migration Stories. Join us for a panel discussion featuring the Library's curatorial team before touring the exhibition and enjoying refreshments in the Library's foyer.

About the exhibition

Stories of migration are a significant part of the Australian experience. We might ourselves be a migrant or a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent might have journeyed to Australia from elsewhere. What were the hopes and fears that motivated them to leave their homeland and make their way to Australia? What impact did they and their descendants have in their new home? This new exhibition explores a history of migration to Australia through the eyes of government, society and individuals and includes posters, photographs, newspapers, oral histories, diaries and mementoes drawn from the collections of the National Library of Australia.

About the curators

Dr Guy Hansen is Director of Exhibitions at the National Library of Australia. Guy has curated over twenty exhibitions on a wide range of topics including political history, sport, cartooning and national symbols.

Dr Karen Schamberger is a curator in the Exhibitions team at the National Library of Australia. She has a particular interest in migration, Chinese Australian history and cross-cultural relations, and has previously worked at the National Museum of Australia and Immigration Museum. She is of Chinese Malaysian and Austrian heritage.

Allister Mills has worked as a curator at the National Library since 2022, following five years working at the Australian War Memorial where he was the Curator of Private Records. He holds a Masters of Museum and Heritage Studies from the Australian National University, and has a special interest in researching both fine art and documentary photography.