Parkville Victoria 3010
Australia
The Ian Potter Museum of Art manages the University Art Collection, which ranges from antiquity to contemporary art, including international and Australian Indigenous material culture and work by major Australian artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Extraordinary in its breadth and idiosyncratic in its depth, the Collection – now numbering some 15,000 objects, is uniquely tied to the University’s endeavours via personal and practical connections, whether through a bequest, portrait commission, artist-in-residence program, teaching activities or field research. In recent years the development of the Collection has extended beyond this important foundation to reflect the broader community and the role of the University as a place of learning central to the cultural life of Melbourne.
Embracing research, intellectual curiosity and discovery, the Potter is committed to extensive participation in the University’s interdisciplinary degree structure. We aim to make art and the University’s collections central to teaching and learning, regardless of the discipline of study, and actively contribute to curriculum development across all faculties through our exhibitions and programs, and through real world engagement with objects and issues. Our diverse programs encourage experimentation, intellectual excitement, a connection with social context, and an embrace of cultural diversity.
As a space that encourages active dialogue and debate, the Potter is uniquely placed to make a difference to the lives of our audiences, and within the university, to make the experience of art and the role of creativity relevant, enjoyable and of value to the next generation.