NiTRO + Creative Matters

Perspectives on creative arts in higher education

Melbourne launches new Conservatorium home with ACO partnership news

The long-awaited formal opening of Melbourne Conservatorium’s new home at The Ian Potter Southbank Centre on 1 June featured the announcement of a $1 million partnership with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

At the official launch of The Ian Potter Southbank Centre by Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley, Melbourne University VC Duncan Maskell announced that Melbourne would be the official University partner of the ACO for the next 5 years with an investment of $200,000 per annum.

Professor Maskell said: “The ACO partnership, made possible by the Sidney Myer University Trust, will provide our students at the Conservatorium with exceptional educational enrichment opportunities to engage and learn from the national orchestra’s musicians.”

The $109 million Ian Potter Southbank Centre was funded by the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Government, and generous philanthropic support, particularly from The Ian Potter Foundation, Martyn and Louise Myer and The Myer Foundation.

Other recent news

Risky Business…

Our next Creative Matters edition on RISK will include a special section of your responses to the following questions:  1. How does the

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Other related news

Risky Business…

Our next Creative Matters edition on RISK will include a special section of your responses to the following questions: 1. How does the increasing bureaucratisation and brand-safeguarding against risk in the neo-liberalised university curtail creative and intellectual experimentation, and what strategies might creative practitioners in academia employ to resist this institutional anxiety? 2. What role can artistic and […]

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“New research lays bare the harsh realities facing artists and arts workers”

Marnie Badham in The Conversation “Our four-year study reveals workers are abandoning the visual art sector, largely because of unstable employment, below-average salaries and a lack of support. We present findings from the largest academic surveys of artists and arts workers to-date – the first conducted in 2022 (more than 700 respondents) and the second […]

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Assistant Professor in Creative Practice (Research and Education)

Location: Birmingham Salary: £46,735 to £55,755 Grade 8 Hours: Full Time Contract Type: Permanent Closes: 27th April 2025 As part of strategic growth and investment in the area of digital media and communications, the School seeks to recruit an Assistant Professor in Creative Practice from 1st September 2025. The post holder will contribute to teaching and […]

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Update: NCGP review

The ARC held an online consultation today on the Second Policy Review Discussion Paper on the National Competitive Grants Program for discipline Peak Bodies and Learned Academies. The DDCA was pleased to attend and represent the interests of its creative arts members. The ARC is clear in their desire to collaborate with the Peak Bodies […]

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DDCA response to the National Competitive Grants Program Policy Review

The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA), Australia’s peak body for tertiary creative arts education and research, congratulates the Australian Research Council for the responsive changes proposed to the National Competitive Grants Program (Discussion Paper, February 2025). The implications of the changes for researchers in the creative arts are broadly positive. […]

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DDCA response to Creative Australia’s Venice Biennale decision

The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA), Australia’s peak body for tertiary creative arts education and research, urges Creative Australia to reconsider its decision to rescind the presentation of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino’s work in the 2026 Venice Biennale Australian pavilion. This decision to override a rigorous and internationally peer-reviewed process […]

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