Let’s think about your future as an artist. Look ahead
five, maybe six, years.
Your art work has already been exhibited in Australia and you are
attracting attention at home now as a talented artist. An artist
whose work is international and contemporary, but also able to tell
the story of your own life and that of your community.
or maybe you imagine your career in Design:
You have already had professional experience in design: you have
seen your designs put to work in the real world in Australia. Now
you’re employed as a designer, and clients are beginning to
take notice of your innovative ideas and persuasive presentation.
You know what you want to achieve and you are confident in your
ability and know-how.
Choosing to study art and design at an Australian university
was the best choice you ever made!
Right now, perhaps, you are thinking that studying in Australia
would be fun. Great city life, fabulous beaches, awesome landscapes.
Australian culture is a rich, complex tapestry of many cultures.
Australians you’ll meet are likely to be open to new experiences,
positive about cultural diversity, and friendly and encouraging
to newcomers.
Our art and design reflects our dynamic cultural history and multicultural
fabric. Here, the most ancient indigenous culture in the world generates
to the most exciting contemporary art. Australian artists and designers
keep their Aussie accents when they play on the international stage!
This is what we offer you: to develop your creative work to a professional
standard while exploring your personal and cultural experiences
to find your own distinctive voice.
In Australia the top art and design schools are found in the universities.
Undergraduate and postgraduate courses - from Bachelor to Masters
by coursework or research to Ph.D. - combine the studio art, craft
and design education with the intellectual and professional approaches
of a world-class university system (Eight of the ‘best 50 universities
in Asia’ are in Australia, says a recent Asiaweek review).
Most universities encourage students to take advantage of the wide
range of subjects and services they offer, complementing focussed
studies in art and design with subjects from other faculties. All
universities offer library and information technology resources,
and student support services, including accommodation, language
assistance, counselling and entertainment. When you study at a university,
you experience student lifestyle, and you take home a university
qualification that is recognised by employers and community worldwide.
Australian university Art and Design schools provide quality education
in all areas of the visual arts, crafts and design. There are differences
between the courses, so you need to investigate them. Choose between
courses which offer specialised discipline majors and those which
offer more generalist art and design education; between those which
offer flexibility and choice and those which offer a more structured
program. University courses all provide strong conceptual foundations
for your art and design practice through art history and theory
studies, and lay the foundations for your career through ‘professional
practice’ subjects.
Outward-looking attitudes and professional orientation are fostered
through artists’ residencies, conferences, field trips, student
exchanges, exhibitions and industry placements. As leaders in contemporary
art and design, as well as in curating, criticism and scholarship,
lecturers offer role-models of successful practice.
Art students take intensive studio-based courses in Painting, Drawing,
Printmaking, Sculpture, Installation and Performance, Photography
and Photomedia, Time-based and Multimedia, Animation, Jewellery,
Glass, Ceramics, Gold, Silver and Metalwork, Furniture and Wood,
Tapestry and Textiles. Craft - also known as Object Design or Applied
Arts - may be taught in the context of art and/or design.
Design students take Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Advertising,
Interior Design and Architecture, Industrial, Product and Object
Design, Fashion and Textiles, Theatre and Costume Design, Furniture
Design, Environmental Design and Design Management. In some courses,
the creative connection between art and design underpins the education
program. In some, there is a strong interface between Design, Architecture
and the Built Environment. Some universities build in a connection
between the science and engineering disciplines and design and craft.
In some universities, visual arts and design are located in Creative
Arts or Visual and Performing Arts schools.
Art and Design Schools also educate students for professional careers
as arts and design administrators, curators, critics, historians,
educators and writers. Graduates find employment in schools, museums,
art galleries, auction houses, and public arts authorities. What
is distinctive about these courses is their integration into the
studio-based art and design programs. Graduates have a close working
knowledge of creative practice and a familiarity with and respect
for artists and designers.
With such diversity and wide choice, it’s important to know
the profile, strength and distinctive character of the courses you
are considering. That’s where ACUADS comes in.
ACUADS is the peak disciplining body - the Australian Council of
University Art and Design Schools. Representing over 30 university
art and design schools in Australia, ACUADS promotes quality art,
craft and design education. It provides leadership in tertiary art
and design education and research, and a forum for senior staff
to identify major issues and set the direction of Art and Design
education in Australia. Staff from across the universities participate
in ACUADS’ regular conferences and seminars. ACUADS supports
art and design research and vigorously advocates policies and resourcing
to support art and design education and research.
One of the strengths of university art and design schools is the
ACUADS network. It means that when you study with one of our universities,
you can make contact with students and staff from all of them. National
conferences, student exhibitions, and even, in some cases, cross-institutional
enrolments are direct benefits to our students. Many of the most
significant achievement of ACUADS are less tangible, but just as
real for all that. They relate to the dynamic culture of the university
art and design schools, where staff are committed to excellence
in teaching and research; are deeply involved in the art world and
design industry; and maintain their professional practice to the
highest levels nationally and internationally.
You can find the ACUADS web site at http://web.sca.usyd.edu.au/acuads/
Or contact us by writing to:
The Executive Officer, ACUADS, SAHT, The University
of New South Wales College of Fine Arts, PO Box 259, Paddington,
NSW 2021, AUSTRALIA;
or e-mail S. Rowley@unsw.edu.au
Great choice. When you look back on your university years
in Australia, you’ll recall the fun you had and the challenges
you met. Your education will have set the direction and laid the
foundation for a lifelong career in the arts and design professions.
Author: Sue Rowley, University of New South Wales, Australia
This article first appeared in TransWorld Education
