Incorporating Egyptian perspectives, narratives and voices in our displays will show that there are multiple histories to be understood about Egypt’s past, and foster a sense of belonging and pride for Egyptian-Australians in their heritage.

Our museum wants to continue building on our relationships with the Egyptian-Australian community in order to activate the collection as an extension of the community, and work collaboratively to provide new insights into ancient and modern Egypt.

In 2022, the curators of the Nicholson Collection and our research partners from Egypt’s Dispersed Heritage Project, Dr Heba Abd Al-Gawad and Professor Alice Stevenson, invited members of the Egyptian-Australian community to a weekend long focus group to discuss the ways in which Egyptian heritage is interpreted and ways forward for participation. Since then, we have grown our community connections, focusing particularly on on-campus participation. In November 2023, we held the inaugural Egyptian cultural festival at the Museum, and in April 2025 we celebrated 'Sham el-Naseem’ (the ‘sniffing of the winds’) Springtime festival in Egypt.