Issue Details: First known date: 1998... 1998 Alana Harris Interviewed by Peter Read and Jackie Huggins in 1998
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Harris, a photographer, speaks of her family background and growing up in Cowra, NSW; her Indigenous Australian mother, who is of the Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal people, and non-Indigenous father who is from Penrith, NSW; her schooling and move to Canberra on completing her Higher School Certificate in 1984; her love of photography; her traineeship in photography at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in Canberra; her enrolment in a photography course at Canberra Institute of Technology; her experience in a photographic project at Leeton; the 'After 200 years' project in 1987; her appointment as Senior Photographer at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS); her belief in the importance of technical training in photography; her stylistic preferences; attitude to digital photography; her approach to undertaking photography in indigenous communities; issues of copyright, permission and contextualization; the 'Black Women's Calendar' of 1993; her work for the Queensland Art Gallery in 1989.

'Harris discusses her loyalty to AIATSIS and reasons for leaving it; her work at the Australian Heritage Commission (AHC); her professional development grant from the Australia Council in 1995; her solo show at the High Court in Canberra in 1990; AIATSIS policy on public access to photographs of indigenous subject matter; her role on the AHC's photographic database; the concept of heritage sites; Canberra as a city and its indigenous community; Murris and Kooris in Canberra; her photo of Black Mountain titled "Bush Renewal" which earned her an award in 1993. She also speculates, at the invitation of the interviewers, on what she hopes to achieve in seven years' time, and discusses the future of pictorial archiving and photography in the digital era.' (Interview summary)

Notes

  • Recorded on Sept. 20, 1998 at Turner, A.C.T.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,: National Library of Australia , 1998 .
      Extent: 119 minp.
      Note/s:
      • Timed summary and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 76 leaves)

      Series: Seven Years On : Continuing Life Histories of Aboriginal Leaders Oral History Project National Library of Australia (publisher), 1995 series - publisher interview 'A set of interviews with established or emerging leaders in the Australian Aboriginal community to initially discuss their background, current work, personal views on how and why Aboriginal affairs have changed in their lifetime, and future changes needed or expected. A series of follow-up interviews will be held at intervals of seven years to discuss changes in Aboriginal affairs in the intervening period, the impact of these changes personally and professsionally, how their views may have changed, and their expectations for the future.' Source: Libraries Australia (Sighted 13/12/2007).
Last amended 13 Sep 2018 08:52:17
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