All the fires come alive (19 Oct 2026)

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

All the fires come alive

Uncover arcane knowledge, ritual, and alchemy in the collections of State Library and Archives of Tasmania

Monday 19 October, 11am

State Library and Archives of Tasmania
Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts
Ground Floor, 91 Murray Street

Curators Theia Connell and Jane Stewart will talk about the exhibition All The Fires Come Alive. At its heart is Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy, first published in the 1530s. This remarkable book remains one of the foundational texts about western esotericism.

From there, the exhibition steps into mystical worlds where spirits, incantations, and shadows are illuminated through art and books.

This is a FREE event. Numbers are strictly limited due to space considerations, so this event is open to Friends members only.

Above: Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, English translation reprinted 1651

TMAG's Tissue Collection (12 Nov 2026)

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

TMAG's Tissue Collection

Thursday 12 November, 10.30am

Royal Society Room, TMAG

(entry via Davey Street)

Dr David Hocking, TMAG Senior Curator of Vertebrates and Palaeontology, will speak to us about the TMAG Tissue Collection. This contains specimens that have been collected for archiving and research, and is primarily composed of frozen tissue samples stored in -80°C freezers. It is a growing collection that seeks to house specimens that span the diversity of Tasmania’s vertebrate fauna, with a special focus on rare or threatened species, including Tasmanian devils, threatened birds of prey and samples collected from stranded marine mammals.

Looking at what’s in the freezer, David will tell us some tales of collaboration with the Inland Fisheries Service focussing on the ones that did not get away — the last specimen of invasive carp, the last Pedder Galaxias collected from Lake Pedder in 1994 — and much more besides.

He will touch on the vital importance of these samples in finding ways to tackle modern scourges such as devil facial tumour disease, raptor mortality, and the looming spread of bird flu.

TMAG is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of the zoological collections of Tasmania, and is one of the founding partners of the Atlas of Living Australia.

Just one of the reasons why we need to keep the TMAG Zoology team fully staffed and resourced.

This is a FREE event, and you are welcome to bring non-member friends. For organisational purposes, please let us know you are coming.

BACKGROUND:

A collaborative effort between the Inland Fisheries Service, TMAG Collections and Research Facility and CSIRO is helping preserve valuable fish specimens while creating new opportunities for biodiversity research, conservation and education.

Many specimens have recently been donated to TMAG by the Inland Fisheries Service, ensuring they are permanently housed within Tasmania’s State Collection and available for future scientific study.

The work was coordinated in partnership with Dr David Hocking, who oversees collections that span more than 150 years of zoological acquisitions. These collections play a vital role in advancing our understanding of the state’s biodiversity and support research into species distributions, ecology, genetics, evolution, and responses to environmental change.

Pictured above: David Hocking with Jonah Yick of the Inland Fisheries Service

Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery upcoming events

All the fires come alive (19 Oct 2026)

TMAG's Tissue Collection (12 Nov 2026)