Shaking up the past: Katherine McMahon tells how

Katherine McMahon is shapeshifting how we engage with museums - from under six-year-olds to now tapping international engagement.
Women with blonde hair and white shirt standing in museum exhibition. Katherine McMahon.

On the day that Artshub visits the National Museum of Australia (NMA), which is idyllically located on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, there is a buzzy energy. The current blockbuster exhibition, Discovering Ancient Egypt, has drawn crowds of all ages, and the Museum’s café has a usual flurry of diners.

Director Katherine McMahon tells ArtsHub of a recent comment by a visitor: ‘She said “I cannot believe my great grandfather’s object is in the same building as mummies from ancient Egypt.” I love this – because we do have the capacity to hold it all here.’

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina