Return to Sender? Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Repatriation

January 6 – August 15, 2026

Many objects in museum collections around the world were taken unethically from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. Though some objects have been returned in order to address colonial histories and honor cultural practices today, neither museums nor indigenous communities are able to repatriate everything–nor do they want to. Featuring Aboriginal objects and highlighting the Lam Museum’s experience attempting repatriation but ultimately not enacting it, the exhibit raises important questions for the future of cross-cultural exhibits: Who has the right to hold, display, or interpret these objects? And how can museums protect cultural heritage when return isn’t possible?