Harriet Edquist facts for kids

Harriet Edquist is an Australian historian and curator. She is a Professor Emerita at RMIT University in Melbourne. This means she is a retired professor who still holds her title.

Harriet was born and grew up in Melbourne. She has written many books and created exhibitions. These works focus on Australian architecture, art, and design history. She also helped share knowledge about Australian design. She was the first editor of the RMIT Design Archives Journal.

Harriet's Education

Harriet Edquist finished school at St Catherine's School, Toorak in 1965. She then went to Monash University. There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Classics. Later, she completed her PhD in Architectural History at RMIT University in 2000.

Her Career in Academia

Harriet started teaching at the University of Melbourne. She taught about Renaissance and modern art history.

In 1987, she joined RMIT University. She became an editor for Transition: Discourse on Architecture. This was a magazine about architecture. She worked with Karen Burns from 1987 to 1991. They wanted the magazine to cover more topics. They believed architectural discussions should include all arts. They also wanted to include observations on society.

In 1988, RMIT University hired Harriet as a lecturer. She taught Architectural History. From 2001 to 2007, she led the School of Architecture and Design. Now, she is a Professor Emerita at RMIT. She also started and directed the RMIT Design Archives. She was the first editor of the RMIT Design Archives Journal.

Harriet is a member of SAHANZ. This is the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand. She was also its president from 2003 to 2005. She is also a member of Docomomo Australia.

In 2015, she became the first president of Automotive Historians Australia. This group studies the history of cars in Australia. She also helped create an exhibition called Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian car.

Exhibitions Harriet Curated

Harriet Edquist has helped create many interesting exhibitions:

• 2015 Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian car, NGV Federation Square - with David Hurlston
• 2014 Free, Secular and Democratic: building the Public Library 1853–1913, State Library of Victoria
• 2013 Frederick Romberg: An Architectural Survey, RMIT Design Archives - with Michael Spooner, Keith Deverell, and Stephen Banham
• 2012 The Lost Modernist. Michael O'Connell, Bendigo Art Gallery - with Tansy Curtin
• 2012 A skilled hand and cultivated mind: a guide to the architecture and art of RMIT University - with Elizabeth Grierson
• 2010-11 The Stony Rises Project, touring exhibition RMIT Gallery and regional Victorian galleries - with Laurene Vaughan and Lisa Byrne
• 2010 The architecture of Neil Clerehan - with Richard Black
• 2002 Kurt Popper', Jewish Museum of Australia
• 2001 Ernest Fooks, Jewish Museum of Australia - with Helen Stuckey
• 2001 Frederick Romberg. An Architecture of Migration 1938-1975, RMIT Gallery and the University of Queensland Gallery - with Helen Stuckey
• 1999 Wolfgang Sievers & Stanhill, RMIT Gallery - with Vanessa Bird
• 1992 The Angelic Space. A Celebration of Piero della Francesca's 500th Anniversary, Monash University Gallery - with Juliana Engberg
• 1991 George Baldessin. An Exhibition of Drawings, Heide Museum of Modern Art
• 1991 Diologhi per una possibile Utopia, Museo Civico Cuneo, Piedmont and Turin Politecnico, Italy - with Karen Burns and Mauro Baracco
• 1991 Companion City, ACCA (Australian Centre of Contemporary Art) - with Karen Burns
• 1989 Robin Boyd: The Architect as Critic, State Library of Victoria - with Karen Burns and Dean Cass

Awards and Honours

Harriet Edquist has received several awards for her work:

• In 1992, she won the Bates Smart National Award for Architecture in the Media. This was for her work editing Transition: Discourse on Architecture. She shared this award with Karen Burns.
• In 2004, she won another Bates Smart National Award. This time it was for her book, Harold Desbrowe-Annear: A Life in Architecture.
• In 2006, she became an Honorary Fellow at the Australian Institute of Architects. This was to recognize her contributions to architectural education and history.
• In 2016, she was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA).
• In 2020, Harriet was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This is a high honour for her important work in architectural history, design, and education.