Nicola Dickson

Detail from Nouvelle femme, 2009,
Acrylic and oil on board, 200 x 120 cm

Suzanne Moss

#16 (n+1 measures of tenderness), 2008
Pencil and acrylic on canvas, 150 x 150 cm
Photography: Rob Little

And here’s what Dr. Kylie Message, Associate Dean, Research Training, College of Arts and Social Sciences had to say at the opening:

Talk by Kylie Message for 2010 PostGrad Exhibition Opening of Nicola Dickson’s and Suzanne Moss’s PhD exhibitions:

I was really pleased to be asked to talk about how these exhibitions and the School of Art’s PhD programs fit into the broader College and University research context.

The College of Arts and Social Sciences is very large: it is the biggest College in the University, I believe. The research that we do here – as academics, as well as higher degree, postgraduate, and undergraduate students – is affiliated with a diverse range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas associated with the humanities, creative and performing arts, as well as the social sciences. This diversity means that research in the College ranges from fundamental to strategic and applied, from theory to practice, and that it often aims to create a strong interface between our scholarly peers, the University community, and the general public.

Our research programs include scholarship and creative activity, so that while many students are enrolled in purely theoretical or text-based programs of study, others are undertaking practice-based programs (for example, in the School of Art and School of Music). Other students may, alternately undertake part-project based PhDs, or ones that are closely aligned with the aims of their workplace (as is sometimes the case with students who also work at cultural or collecting institutions based in Canberra or around the country). The diversity of our programs means that what is considered as constituting ‘evidence’, ‘research’, and a significant innovation or contribution to the field of study differs greatly different across the College. The uniqueness of our contribution means that the College has a very important – and valuable – profile in the University.

As is evident in Nicola and Suzanne’s PhDs – which have, in addition to this exhibition, included an exegesis, a theoretical dissertation, and an oral examination – demonstrating how our PhD programs are rigorous and internationally esteemed. In every case, the College strives to attract and support students who will produce internationally outstanding research and generate work which has a significant impact on political, cultural and social debate in Australian society and beyond. I think that Nicola and Suzanne’s work exemplifies the breadth and depth of what we are trying to do across the College. Their work demonstrates creative practice and innovative thinking as a real strength.

In addition to this, their work is also really stunning, so I want to finish by congratulating the artists on their fabulous achievement. Well done.

Glenn Carter (MVA, Glass)
Untitled, 2009
cast and stained glass
11 x 7 x 3 cm

Diana Johnston (Grad Dip, Painting)
Brown Painting, 2009
oil on plywood
60 x 60 cm

Jill Loupekine (MAVA, Printmedia and Drawing)
Untitled, 2009
embossed paper and powdered graphite on BFK Rives paper
75.6 x 106.5 cm

Points of View students might like to catch the Open Day for The Shine Dome just across the road. It is open on Thursday 1st October from 10am to 4pm. And see Roy Grounds’ experiments in the bush on ArtWranglers.

Graduate Program
…………………………………..
The graduate students at the Australian National University School of Music present their 2009 Graduate Symposium
Reinventing Tradition: Pathways to Innovation in Music Research
ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences
The Graduate Symposium is planned and run annually by a committee of ANU School of Music postgraduate research students. The primary aim of the symposium is to provide postgraduate music research students with an opportunity to demonstrate their research and findings in a formal manner. However, staff members are also invited to share their research as part of the symposium.

Two keynote speakers, Professor Graham Hair and Dr Dan Bendrups, have been invited to address the symposium with their insights and experiences as professional, active researchers and musicians in their respective fields.

The symposium will take place in The Band Room, Peter Karmel Building, The Australian National University, on September 12 and 13. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Details from Anthony Smith

at SofA Theatre

Thursday 10 September @ 3.00pm

Ursula Frederick (PhD, Art Theory/Photography & Media Arts): Two Days in Detroit: Recent fieldwork on cars and art

Meredith Hughes (PhD, Textiles) – Emerging context and methodology in an investigation of subjectivity, interrogation and disruption in contemporary art and Indo Tibetan Buddhism.