music, visual and performing arts - University of Melbourne

demonstrate a flexible and innovative
approach to the national and international
challenges for the professional visual
artist in the 21st century
> work at various levels, both as an
individual and as a team member, in a
wide variety of visual artistic environments
> demonstrate an open, independent and
inquiring attitude towards contemporary
cultural developments and new ideas
> understand their relationship with and
responsibility to their cultural environment
and society.
Creating a world of career
opportunities
The major function of the Bachelor of Fine
Art is to prepare you for a career as an art
practitioner. Professional visual artists are
judged by the quality and proportion of their
work exhibited in public and commercial
galleries in Australia and throughout
the world. As visual artists usually work
independently as self-employed individuals,
their achievement is normally measured by
critical reaction to their public exhibitions,
the quality of their artistic output, and their
contribution to cultural life. Consequently,
you are advised not to embark on
this course with a preconception that
appropriate job vacancies await you at
the culmination of your studies; advertised
positions specifically designed for artists
are extremely rare.
Many graduates support their studio activity
through part-time employment while others
obtain full-time art-related employment. Art
education has been a major employer – in
universities through to specialist secondary
art teaching. Usually this option requires
graduates to undertake graduate studies
in education. Graduate qualifications in the
visual arts are increasingly demanded by
the higher education sector.
An education in the visual arts usually
produces people who are creative,
flexible and able to adapt specific skills
to occupations with a visual or aesthetic
component. Past graduates have
established satisfying careers in museums,
galleries and community arts centres,
in occupational therapy, in ceramics or
photography studios, art packaging and
transportation, as art advisers to corporate
and government bodies, in film, television
and theatre, in art materials supplies and as
managers or coordinators of art or cultural
events.
Careers in Art
Independent artist exhibiting locally and
internationally, arts educator, exhibition curator,
work in museums, galleries and arts centres,
arts adviser, art supplies, manager of art event.
More information:
www.vcam.unimelb.edu.au
Professional and international
degree recognition
Courses offered at The Faculty of the
VCA and Music enjoy wide recognition
among the international arts community.
The Faculty is a member of the European
League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), the
International Council of Fine Arts Deans
(ICFAD), and is an international affiliate of
the Association of Independent Colleges of
Art and Design.
The School of Art draws on the strong
legacy of the National Gallery Art School
and the Prahran Art School, whose
graduates include Arthur Boyd, Rupert
Bunny, Margaret Preston, Hugh Ramsay,
Fred Williams, Joy Hester and Clifton Pugh.
More recent graduates include Bill Henson,
Jenny Watson, Patricia Piccinini, Susan
Norrie, Ricky Swallow and Callum Morton.
Honours
The Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) is a
more advanced and specialised course
of study requiring a higher standard
of performance than the pass degree.
Students undertake a major studio project
supported by a research paper. Major areas
of study may be chosen from Drawing,
Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and
Sculpture and Spatial Practice.
Graduate study opportunities
As a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Art
you have the opportunity to extend your
study through graduate Masters (research
or coursework) and PhD programs.
Graduates are well placed to apply for
graduate professional entry programs at the
University of Melbourne in a range of areas
including law, teaching and business. See
pages 32–33 for more information.
Photography Studio, Graduate Exhibition 2008. Artist: Georgia Rose.
19