I am a curator and historian exploring our place in the world.  

In most of my work there are plants, environments and old things sprouting in some sort of wild garden.

My book The Wardian Case was six years in the making and took me all over the world. Writing it was a lot of fun - I still remember that day in Berlin when I first saw a Wardian case. The book won the NSW Premier’s General History Prize and was Garden Media Guild’s Garden Book of the Year. I am at work on my next book, they usually take me a while.

I specialise in writing about environment, history and museum collections. My writing has appeared in catalogues, magazines and publications by Vitra Design Museum, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, National Library of Australia and the State Library of Victoria. Recently, I guest edited Garden, issue 23 of The Museum magazine for the National Museum of Australia.

I have worked with collecting institutions around the world, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Deutsches Museum Munich, the National Museum of Australia and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

I have curated 25 exhibitions, some of my favourites are featured on this site. On the Land won both the Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNA) and the Australian Museums and Galleries Awards Victoria (AMAGA). Necessity won two Museum Australasia Multimedia and Design Awards (MAPDA).

If I am not reading, writing or curating, I can be found at the beach, in the garden or on the trails.

One of the great parts of the Wardian case project is hearing from people working on interesting and related projects. I look forward to hearing from you - luke@lukekeogh.com