DrChiara O'Reilly

I investigate the evolving role of museums and galleries in contemporary society. My research explores collections, exhibitions and audience experience. 

My current collaborative research is looking at how museums can and are responding to climate change – with a particular focus on regional cultural institutions and communities.

My work has been published in the Journal of the History of Collections, and Museum Management and Curatorship and Museums. I co-authored a monograph The Rise of the Must-See Exhibition. Blockbusters in Australian Museums and Galleries (Routledge, 2019) with Dr Anna Lawrenson. Recent chapters have looked at the House museums in Australia and teaching practice. 

I am currently the Director of the Postgraduate Museum and Heritage Studies Program at the University of Sydney and Associate Editor Exhibitions for Curator: The Museum Journal.