Dr Mariko Smith

Dr Mariko Smith (she/her) is Yuin (Ralph and McCauley families) with Japanese heritage. Her interdisciplinary practice spans museology, contemporary art, visual sociology, research methodology, and public history. As Senior Specialist (Research & Publications) in the First Nations Division, Mariko leads research and publication initiatives that centre First Nations knowledge systems, histories, and cultural protocols.

Mariko's career at the Australian Museum has encompassed roles in First Nations collections management, as well as in First Nations curatorial and repatriation. She joined the AM in 2013 as Indigenous Collections Repatriation Officer, developing foundational expertise in cultural heritage management and community-centred practice. She later progressed to curatorial roles from First Nations Assistant Curator (2018–2021) to First Nations Curator (backfill position, 2021), before moving into senior management positions including Manager, First Nations Collections & Engagement (2021–2024) and Head of First Nations Collections & Research (2024–2025). Following a brief tenure as Strategic Lead (2025–2026), Mariko transitioned to her current position title of Senior Specialist (Research & Publications) in January 2026, where she focuses on research outputs and curatorial support for First Nations Division deliverables.

Mariko has previous museum sector experience working with collections and curatorial teams at the Australian National Maritime Museum and the then-Historic Houses Trust of NSW. From undertaking two short-term internship placements at the Maritime Museum (2011-2012) as part of her Master of Museum Studies degree, Mariko progressed to volunteering as a curatorial intern on the Maritime Museum’s inaugural Nawi: Exploring Australia’s Indigenous Watercraft conference (2012). This project inspired Mariko’s 2013-2018 PhD thesis on the cultural resurgence of Aboriginal tied-bark canoe making in south-eastern Aboriginal communities.

With her past experience in the NSW legal sector, Mariko was engaged by Historic Houses Trust of NSW (2012) as a research consultant to support the Justice & Police Museum’s team by researching and preparing a suite of explanatory documents to assist staff in curatorial and interpretative work regarding NSW Aboriginal social justice issues and legal history. She then returned to the Maritime Museum to temporarily backfill an Assistant Curator – Travel, Tourism, Sport & Leisure History role (2012), where she curated her first museum display on the tradition of tea-drinking at regattas.

During her museum sector career, Mariko has developed deep expertise in Aboriginal cultural heritage, community-based cultural resurgence initiatives, and the integration of Indigenous ways of knowing into museum and creative practices. Her work advances culturally appropriate approaches to research collaboration, collections interpretation, and knowledge sharing. Mariko’s specialist knowledge extends to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) principles and fostering meaningful partnerships between museums and First Nations communities.

• Honorary Associate, University of Sydney: 2019 – 2025
• Wingara Mura Indigenous Fellow and Associate Lecturer, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney: 2016 – 2019

• Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Department of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Sydney: 2013 – 2018
• Master of Museum Studies (with Merit), University of Sydney: 2010 – 2012
• Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, College of Law: 2007
• Bachelor of Arts/Law double degree (Japanese Studies Major), University of Sydney: 2002 – 2006

• NSW Public Service Commission’s Aboriginal Career and Leadership Development Program for Grade 9/10: 2022

Articles

• Smith, M. (2024). Meeting Nanny Nellie. Explore (Sydney, N.S.W.), online publication, https://australian.museum/publications/explore_summer2024/
• McBride, L. and Smith, M. (2023). The Unsettled exhibition: Laura McBride and Mariko Smith in conversation. Aboriginal History, 46, 77–107. https://doi.org/10.22459/AH.46.2022.04 (Peer reviewed)
• Lindsey, K., Smith, M., Clark, A., Batty, C., Brien, D., & Landers, R. (2022). “Creative histories” and the Australian context. History Australia, 19(2), 325–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2022.2050465 (Peer reviewed)
• Lindsey, K. and Smith, M. (2021). Setting the scene: Statue wars and ungrateful citizens. Public History Review, 28, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5130/phrj.v28i0.7789 (Peer reviewed)
• Smith, M. (2021). “Who controls the past... controls the future”: A case for dialogical memorialisation. Public History Review, 28, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5130/phrj.v28i0.7787 (Peer reviewed)
• Smith, M. (2021). First Nations watercraft culture. Australian Museum website, https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/watercraft-culture/
• Smith, M. (2021). ‘Do you expect this exhibition to solve racism?’ Unsettling curatorial practice in First Nations exhibition development. AMaGA Magazine, 29(2), 50-57
• Smith, M. (2021, 9 July). Inspiring change for First Nations representation in museums. IndigenousX, https://indigenousx.com.au/inspiring-change-for-first-nations-representation-in-museums/
• Smith, M. (2020, 6 January). Warnings of change – from 1770 to 2020. IndigenousX, https://indigenousx.com.au/warnings-of-change-from-1770-to-2020/
• Smith, M. (2019, 31 October). Museums should become known as sites of cultural revival, not scientific racism. The Guardian (Australia), https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/31/museums-should-become-known-as-sites-of-cultural-revival-not-scientific-racism
• Smith, M. (2019, 3 June). Community and Cook in 2020 at the Australian Museum. IndigenousX, https://indigenousx.com.au/community-and-cook-in-2020-at-the-australian-museum/
• Gapps, S. and Smith, M. (2015). Nawi - exploring Australia’s Indigenous watercraft. AlterNative : An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 11(2), 87–102 (Peer reviewed)
• Smith, M. (2015). Diary of a Freedom Rider – What is the Freedom Ride? Australian Museum website, https://australian.museum/blog-archive/museullaneous/diary-of-a-freedom-rider-what-is-the-freedom-ride/
• Smith, M. (2014). Carrying the message stick. Explore (Sydney, N.S.W.), 36(1), 3-5
• Smith, M. (2014). Men’s or women’s business?: Male and female roles in Aboriginal tied-bark canoe-making. Signals (Sydney, N.S.W.), 109, 26–32
• Smith, M. (2013). By the sea, drinking tea: The global influence of a beloved brew. Signals (Sydney, N.S.W.), 103, 22–27
• Smith, M. (2012). Collections to connections: Insights of an intern. Signals (Sydney, N.S.W.), 99, 18–21

Books

• McBride, L. and Smith, M. (2021). Unsettled: an Australian Museum exhibition May 2021. Australian Museum Trust.

Book chapters

• Smith, M. and McBride, L. (2024). Unsettling Darlinghurst at the Australian Museum. In Pietsch, T., Kemmis, G., and Clark, A. (Eds.), My Darlinghurst (172-185; 1st ed.). NewSouth Publishing (Peer reviewed)

Reports

• Smith, M. (2025). Essay: Understanding community sentiment to progress positive social change. In Marsh, C. and McBride, L., Consultation Report 2025. Australian Museum. https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/community-consultation-report-2025/
• McBride, L. and Smith, M. (2019). The 2020 Project First Nations Community Consultation Report. Australian Museum. https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/the-2020-project/

Reviews

• Smith, M. (2021). The Man behind the Images: Mervyn Bishop Exhibition at the NFSA. History Australia, 18(3), 613–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2021.1956359 (Peer reviewed)
• Smith, M. (2020). [Rev. of Archival Returns: Central Australia and Beyond]. Aboriginal History, 44, 181–184 (Peer reviewed)