On Tuesday, 23 July 2024 in Los Angeles, in memory of Richard Kelton, the Administrative Trust Under the Richard Kelton Living Trust, unconditionally returned 116 cultural heritage items to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
This is the largest return of cultural heritage material from a private collection under the AIATSIS-led Return of Cultural Heritage program. The AIATSIS Return of Cultural Heritage team has been working with Mark Kelton, Richard Kelton’s son and Miriam Grundy, the Kelton Collection Manager for several years. The collection was the property of the late Mr Richard Kelton who with genuine passion and enthusiasm collected Aboriginal art from the late 1970s onwards. Mr Kelton passed away in 2019.
L to R: Cliff Plummer Jabarula, Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, Christina Snider-Ashtari, Mark Kelton, and William (Bill) Ah Kit Jakamarra. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Cliff Plummer Jabarula, Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, Christina Snider-Ashtari, Mark Kelton, and William (Bill) Ah Kit Jakamarra. Photo: JKreative.
The 116 items include 42 highly significant cultural heritage artefacts as well as 74 rare glass-plate (lantern) slides.
The provenance of the material is currently unknown and as such, the material will initially be housed at AIATSIS in Canberra while provenance research is undertaken. This will allow the artefacts to be returned to their community of origin and to the descendants of those who crafted them.
The return of cultural heritage material is a key aspiration of First Nations people and supports the maintenance, revitalisation, and re-imagining of cultural practices, all of which have a direct impact on the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Quotes Attributable
The Honourable Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians
“Bringing these items back to Australia is an important step towards their return to their Traditional Owners.
When we bring history back home, we help build a greater understanding of our shared history so that generations to come can join the journey towards reconciliation.
Thank you to AIATSIS and the Kelton family for working together to ensure these items get one step closer to returning home.”
Tanya Bennett, Australian Consul-General, Los Angeles
“This historic return of cultural heritage is welcomed by the Australian Government and demonstrates a strong commitment to working in partnership with First Nations Peoples. Australia and the United States share a rich heritage of Indigenous culture and shared interest in strengthening people-to-people ties. I extend deep thanks to Mark Kelton and the Administrative Trust Under the Richard Kelton Living Trust for this unconditional return and acknowledge the significant role of AIATSIS to realise this process and the benefits it brings to communities in both our countries.”
Mark Kelton, Trustee, Administrative Trust Under the Richard Kelton Living Trust
"I am deeply appreciative and grateful for the research that AISTSIS is undertaking to reconnect these objects with the communities they came from. It's a wonderful, rewarding feeling to know that the items will once again be part of cultural and ceremonial life for the next generations. I am also very appreciative to Miriam Grundy, for her ongoing talents and efforts managing our collection after these last few years and helping to keep us achieve this. I know that my late father, Richard Kelton, and Kerry, my late sister, would both be very pleased by this outcome."
Miriam Grundy, Kelton Collection Manager
"It is a great privilege to work with the AIATSIS team and help guide the Kelton Collection in repatriating these important objects back to community. The Kelton Collection has been relentlessly forward-looking, commencing in the late 1970s when Richard Kelton started his collection with contemporary bark paintings by the seminal Yolŋu artists of the era. Initiating the return of these items back to community reflects Richard's forward-looking philosophy is a fitting bookend to the Collection. There is no better outcome than knowing that these objects will be returned to their custodians and vivified once again."
Leonard Hill, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
“The landmark return of these highly significant artefacts from a private collector is a truly momentous occasion, warmly welcomed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and indeed – all Australians. This return underscores the importance of building respectful, productive, and collaborative relationships with collectors to ensure that cultural material is returned to those that can best care for it. On behalf of the descendants of the people who crafted these artefacts, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Mark Kelton and the Administrative Trust Under the Richard Kelton Living Trust for the deep care and commitment they have shown in returning these materials.”
Media inquiries:
Frank Exon
Assistant Director, Media
P: 0476 843 522
E: commsmedia@aiatsis.gov.au
L to R: Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, Mark Kelton and Miriam Grundy. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, Mark Kelton and Miriam Grundy. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, and Mark Kelton. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Tanya Bennett, Leonard Hill, and Mark Kelton. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Leonard Hill, Mark Kelton, and Tanya Bennett. Photo: JKreative.
L to R: Leonard Hill, Mark Kelton, and Tanya Bennett. Photo: JKreative.