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Sara Bartolucci

Sara Bartolucci

PhD Candidate
Arts, Design & Architecture
School of Art & Design

Email: s.bartolucci@unsw.edu.au

Supervisors: Lizzie Muller, Oliver Bown, Megan Lawrence

Sara Bartolucci is a museum professional and researcher specialising in contemporary curatorship, digital engagement, and teenage agency. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in the School of Art & Design, supported by a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. Her research project examines how in-person and digital museum strategies can support teenagers in exploring their self-identity, prioritising youth agency by centring young people's own voices and perspectives. Originally from Italy, Sara holds a Bachelor’s in Cultural Heritage and a Master’s in Arts, Museology, and Curatorship from the Università di Bologna, enriched by a semester of advanced studies in art history and contemporary oral history at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Université PSL) in Paris. Her diverse foundational experience ranges from hands-on field archaeology at the Ostia Antica site, Rome to an internship at her hometown’s history and archaeology museum. Since relocating to Australia in 2024, Sara has worked in the marketing department at the Sydney Jewish Museum where she manages social media, website content, and digital storytelling. Blending academic theory with frontline industry practice, her work focuses on breaking down institutional barriers and elevating young voices. Through her research and practice, she aims to reshape how cultural institutions collaborate with the next generation of museum-goers.

My research investigates the role of museums in teenage identity formation and self-discovery, examining how museums can function as spaces for this outside of traditional educational frameworks through physical and digital forms of engagement.