Arts Centre Melbourne announces partnership with University of Melbourne

Arts Centre Melbourne and the University of Melbourne have announced a new partnership set to foster cultural development within the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

Arts Centre Melbourne Chief Executive Officer Karen Quinlan AM:

This partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between the two organisations, driven by a shared commitment to education, connection, artistic innovation and collaboration.

I look forward to seeing a wide-reaching impact on training and learning, First Nations knowledge, programming and research.

University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Culture & Engagement, Professor Michael Wesley:

We’re proud to partner with our colleagues at Arts Centre Melbourne to deliver new projects that will enhance the cultural life of our city.

By strengthening this relationship, we not only broaden prospects for our students and researchers but also reinforce the University of Melbourne’s standing as a global hub for arts, culture, and Indigenous knowledge.

The five priorities underpinning the partnership are Precinct and Place, Training and Learning, Indigenous Knowledges, Research, and Programming and Venues.

These priorities will be realised through the development of new collaborative projects, enriched learning experiences for students and platforms for cultural collaboration and interdisciplinary research.

This partnership extends existing collaborations between the two organisations, which have provided opportunities for University of Melbourne students from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation to work on projects with significant holdings from Arts Centre Melbourne’s Australian Performing Arts Collection (APAC), such as the remarkable Akira Isogawa costumes acquired from the Sydney Dance Company wardrobe.

Formalising this agreement will also enhance career pathways for University of Melbourne students from the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, providing them with professional development opportunities, hands-on industry experience and unrivalled access to Arts Centre Melbourne’s state-of-the-art performance facilities.

This announcement comes at a pivotal moment for both organisations, as they reaffirm their commit ment to integrating Indigenous Knowledges into research, engagement and teaching practices and seek to create a culturally safe space for First Nations people and artists in the Precinct.

The work is underpinned by the University of Melbourne’s recently launched Indigenous Strategy, ‘Murmuk Djerring’, and complemented by Arts Centre Melbourne’s appointment of Troy Walsh as Executive Director of First Nations, Equity, and Inclusion.