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Past events

Showing 1 - 12 of 240 results
A short haired woman with black rimmed glasses in a checkered, button down shirt, smiling at the camera

2025 Creative Arts Fellow Julie Gough

Enaction Plan: Reassembling the past with Julie Gough
26 Feb 2026 | 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Julie Gough discussed her recent Fellowship research focusing on colonial collections and their role in shaping Tasmanian Aboriginal histories.

Online
Theatre
First Australians
Past event
Talks and ideas
Fellowship talk
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Etching of mythical sea creatures and a figure preparing to jump into the sea

Britomartis jumps into the sea, image courtesy Lorna Hutson

England's 'island nationhood?' with Professor Lorna Hutson
19 Feb 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Professor Lorna Hutson examined early modern legal and poetic texts to explore the concept of England's 'island nationhood'.

Online
Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Various blue collage images of Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud with their show's branding, which incudes red and blue lines.
Live in interesting places with Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud - 16 February, 7pm
16 Feb 2026 | 7:00pm - 8:00pm

We joined Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud for an in-conversation about architecture and design.

Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Various blue collage images of Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud with their show's branding, which incudes red and blue lines.
Live in interesting places with Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud - 15 February, 6pm
15 Feb 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm

We joined Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud for an in-conversation about architecture and design.

Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Various blue collage images of Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud with their show's branding, which incudes red and blue lines.
Live in interesting places with Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud - 15 February, 2pm
15 Feb 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm

We joined Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud for an in-conversation about architecture and design.

Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
An old, yellow handwritten document

The 1297 inspeximus issue of the Magna Carta owned by the Australian nation. Courtesy of the Australian Department of Parliamentary Services.

Conservation of the Australian copy of the Magna Carta
10 Feb 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:45pm

ArtsNational Canberra and Libby Melzer presented a lecture examining the 1297 inspeximus issue of the Magna Carta in the collection of the Parliament of Australia.

Foyer
Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
A colourful illustration of an open book with rainbow edged pages

Aaron Miller, Jodah's Codex, 2022

Wizardly tomes, mysterious manuscripts and cursed volumes
09 Feb 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm

We explored 'Pop Bibliography', the representation of rare and historic books across popular culture with special collections curator Allie Alvis.

Online
Theatre
Past event
Talks and ideas
A black and white portrait in profile of Charles Dickens, alongside a blue book cover featuring two illustrated cats

G.W. Wilson & Co, Portrait of Charles Dickens, c.1870, nla.obj-142385853; and book cover, Great Writers & The Cats Who Owned Them, by Susannah Fullerton

Author talk: Great Writers & the Cats Who Owned Them
05 Feb 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Susannah Fullerton discussed her newest book Great Writers & the Cats Who Owned Them.

Foyer
Online
Theatre
Books and authors
Author talk
Past event
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Exhibitions team member Nicole Schwirtlich in the galleries
Learn with the curators of the Treasures Gallery
04 Feb 2026 | 12:30pm - 1:00pm

We held a live webinar to go behind the scenes of our refreshed Treasures Gallery.

Online
Education/learning
Past event
Workshops and seminars
Children seated at a table doing craft activities
School holiday activity: Our Treasures, your treasures - 28 January, 2:00pm
28 Jan 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm

This holidays, we stepped into the magic of our refreshed Treasures Gallery and created our own keepsake box to store our personal treasures.

Ferguson Room
Education/learning
For kids and families
School holiday event
Past event
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Children seated at a table doing craft activities
School holiday activity: Our Treasures, your treasures - 28 January, 10:30am
28 Jan 2026 | 10:30am - 11:30am

This holidays, we stepped into the magic of our refreshed Treasures Gallery and created our own keepsake box to store our personal treasures.

Ferguson Room
Education/learning
For kids and families
School holiday event
Past event
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Detail of book covers by Sue Williams and Alison Goodman featuring illustrations of women in historical dress
The craft of historical fiction
27 Nov 2025 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

The Friends of the Library delved into the craft of historical fiction writing with authors Alison Goodman and Sue Williams.

Foyer
Online
Theatre
Books and authors
Friends of the Library event
Past event
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon
Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible

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