The Papua New Guinea Special Interest Group (PNG SIG) supports the development of conservation practice in Papua New Guinea and strengthens regional partnerships between Australian and PNG cultural heritage professionals.
Papua New Guinea has extraordinary cultural richness, with over 700 languages and more than 1,000 tribes. The PNG SIG brings together conservators and cultural heritage workers who share a common interest in caring for and preserving PNG’s diverse cultural materials through respectful, reciprocal collaboration.
Who Should Join
PNG-based professionals:
- Museum and gallery staff
- Archivists and librarians
- University students and faculty in anthropology, heritage, and cultural studies
- Cultural office workers
- Provincial museum and cultural centre staff
- Anyone working to preserve PNG cultural heritage
Australian-based professionals:
- Conservators working with PNG collections
- Objects, textiles, paper, and photograph conservators
- Preventive conservators
- Collections managers and curators
- Researchers with PNG connections
- Anyone interested in regional conservation and culturally appropriate practice
Aims
- Support the development of conservation and preservation practices in PNG
- Encourage twoway knowledge sharing between PNG and Australian professionals
- Promote communityinformed conservation of PNG collections held in Australia
- Build capacity in PNG’s cultural heritage sector through mentoring and training
- Foster collaboration on conservation projects involving PNG materials
- Help create pathways towards an independent PNG conservation organisation
Interested in joining or learning more? We’d love to hear from you.
Convenors
Evare Elvis Gari
Detlev Lueth
Events
- Quarterly virtual meetings and networking events
- Workshops on preventive conservation, documentation, and materials care
- Mentorship partnerships between PNG and Australian members
- Webinars on conservation in tropical climates and resource-constrained settings
- Collaborative projects and grant applications
- Knowledge sharing through presentations and case studies
- Professional development tailored to PNG contexts
Contact
If you have any questions, please email the convenors here
“A nation that cannot conserve its cultural and historical heritage is a nation that will lose its history.” — Evare Gari, Senior Technical Officer, PNG National Museum and Art Gallery