New CDU Academy of Arts to bring community together through arts

A new Academy of the Arts is set to be established at Charles Darwin University (CDU) by 2024 to enliven the Northern Territory’s creative scene and nurture local artists. 

Based at the CDU Casuarina Campus, the Academy of the Arts will deliver contemporary visual arts education and courses, with studio spaces for artists and students and a Creative Futures Research Centre to produce world-leading research in the creative arts arena. 

A new theatre and CDU Art Gallery will serve as a community hub for exhibitions, performances, events, screenings and activities that celebrate emerging and established artists.

As plans for the new Academy progress, the University is actively recruiting for an inaugural Director of the Academy of the Arts who will be appointed to lead the establishment as well as an Advisory Committee comprised of arts-based academics and external stakeholder groups.

CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said establishing a new Academy of the Arts was integral to the NT’s creative industry.

“We’re developing an arts and culture precinct at CDU, and the new Academy of the Arts will give our students and the community a first-class performing and visual arts centre they can use right in the heart of Darwin,” Professor Bowman said.   

“This is a win for the whole of the Territory – whether you live in Darwin, Katherine or Alice Springs, you’ll no longer have to travel down south to see the best acts from around Australia and the world.”

The Academy of the Arts will offer a range of courses from Diploma to Higher Degree by Research qualifications in music, screen and media, design, live production, visual arts and arts administration in music production and performance, creative and digital arts.

Artists will also be invited to run short courses and masterclasses for the community in areas such as illustration, printmaking, ceramics, screen printing, life drawing, 3D design and sculpture. 

Dean of the College of Indigenous Futures, Education and the Arts, Professor Ruth Wallace, said the Academy of the Arts would become a hub for the Territory’s arts community.

“The Academy will bring emerging artists, experts, creatives and the broader community together in a collaborative and educational space,” Professor Wallace said.

“It will represent and nurture the people, knowledges and places of the remote, regional and urban Northern Territory, as well as reach out across CDU’s programs and build connections nationally and internationally.” 

The Academy will work closely with First Nations artists and knowledge holders to develop First Nations leadership in arts through teaching and learning experiences, and technology that enables people to be involved from anywhere in the Territory.

Work Integrated Learning programs for students to gain industry experience and supporting events like the bush bands program and engaging with remote First Nations bands will also be a focus of the Academy.