Canberra has a special relationship with activism as it is not only the location of protest on local issues but is also a site of national and international protest as the national capital.

This exhibition is about activism in many forms that has taken place in Canberra over the last century. It includes the well-known stories of the fight for women’s rights, for marriage equality and the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, but also stories of quiet activism; the creation of services for marginalised groups, artist’s collectives and the protest of presence. No matter whether it’s big and dramatic, or quiet and slow, these are stories of people working for change in the Canberra community.

Image:
Students from Watson High School protest their school's pending closure, 14th October 1986.
Courtesy of the ACT Heritage Library, Canberra Times collection.