Introduction: Museums and engagement in Queensland: Critical contributions to the field

Abstract

Public and community engagement is a key aim for museum practitioners. Alex Marsden, National Director of Museums Galleries Australia, stated in the Museums Galleries Australia 2017 Annual Report that ‘museums and galleries are hugely trusted sources of information, learning and engagement for people of all ages’ (our emphasis) and that cultural institutions should act as ‘civic forums for exploring what is known about the natural world, art and human history, as well as sharing our social experience, values and identity’.1 A broad statement, Marsden’s suggestion of the trust placed in the role of museums and galleries is supported by ‘extensive Australia Council’ research.2 So what does this really mean for museums, galleries and, by extension, heritage sites? Even more importantly, what does this question mean within the context of the unique Queensland heritage landscape?