RMIT Culture 2023 Impact Report

2023 IMPACT REPORT

RMIT Culture acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT Culture respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

RMIT Culture unites the University’s public cultural spaces, creative programs and cultural collections, providing opportunities to engage creatively, as well as supporting RMIT’s learning and teaching activities and disseminating its research.

There are many ways that the whole community, as well as RMIT staff, students, industry and research partners, can engage with RMIT Culture – including dynamic programs of exhibitions, conversations, performances and publications, film screenings, online resources, creative development and research opportunities.

Our teams manage the University’s cultural programs and many of its public spaces including presenting a range of events at The Capitol and exhibitions at RMIT Gallery, RMIT Design Hub Gallery and First Site Gallery. RMIT Culture is also the custodian of RMIT’s Cultural Collections (RMIT Design Archives, AFI Research Collection and RMIT Art Collection). You can visit a City Campus Culture trail featuring publicly accessible works from the RMIT Art Collection. We also offer cultural residencies, grants and prizes to support the creative sector and emerging practitioners.

By showcasing and expanding RMIT’s cultural assets through new initiatives and vibrant partnered projects, RMIT Culture strengthens RMIT’s position as a leading university for enterprise, design and innovation.

We acknowledge the continuing culture of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation and their contribution to the life and art of this city, including those whose works are represented in RMIT’s exhibitions, collections and cultural resources.

introduction

I am delighted to present to you the RMIT Culture 2023 Impact Report. It has been a privilege to lead the RMIT Culture team through another year of exciting programming. Our purpose is to deliver programming that is deeply engaged with and informed by RMIT Learning & Teaching and Research. We do this with our Collections & Archives, in our Galleries and through Public Events including an extensive program delivered with partners and collaborators across campus, at The Capitol and beyond.

In 2023 we presented bold exhibitions and programs, welcoming visitors and participants to see the world around them with fresh eyes. We have enhanced how we care for our Collections & Archives and made them accessible in new and innovative ways. I am incredibly proud of our team for creating opportunities for our students, academics and broader community to engage with societal challenges through the lens of creative practice.

Throughout the pages of this report you will discover an exceptionally diverse range of projects across our Galleries, Collections & Archives, Partnerships and Events. From creative residencies and prizes that support individuals to deepen their creative practice to exhibitions and commissions that bring dozens of artists and researchers together to explore new ways of belonging, RMIT Culture is building a community of culture lovers. This year we also launched new mechanisms to get feedback from our audiences, participants and collaborators and, as ever, it is deeply humbling to receive such amazing testimonials to the impact we have enabled others to achieve.

PAULA TOAL HEAD, RMIT CULTURE

12,346 21 11,426 95 17,000

galleries

RMIT Culture’s galleries welcomed students back to campus in 2023 with the launch of Radical Utopia: An Archaeology of a Creative City, curated by Emerita Professor Harriet Edquist and Dr. Helen Stuckey. Displaying over 200 artifacts from the RMIT Design Archives, the exhibition showcased the significance of RMIT’s Cultural Collections in recounting Melbourne’s history. The accompanying RMIT Design Archives Journal, supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation, was awarded the 2023 Best Small Museum project by AMAGA and PGAV, spotlighting the collaboration’s success.

RMIT Gallery also hosted six scholarly exhibitions highlighting RMIT research outcomes and cultural stories, including Closer Together, which celebrated the 25-year partnership between the Hong Kong Art School and RMIT’s School of Art – the university’s longest running transnational educational partnership – showcasing the work of 18 high-profile alumni. Another exhibition, In Her Own Words: The Ceramics of Janet Beckhouse, honoured the contributions of the esteemed alumna to Australian ceramics. The year ended with a curated exhibition and catalogue celebrating the career of Australian/Indonesian alumna, Tintin Wulia, focusing on her exploration of marginal voices of globalisation and geopolitics.

At Design Hub Gallery, Wild Hope: Conversations for a Planetary Commons, funded with support from the City of Melbourne, was a major exhibition and public program which showcased the work of 21 RMIT researchers, stimulating discussions on planetary issues and highlighting the leadership role of RMIT’s academics in this field. This was a major component of the City of Melbourne’s Now or Never festival. DHG also supported postgraduate outcomes through PHD and Masters by Coursework Practice Research Symposiums, culminating in celebratory exhibitions each semester.

Meanwhile, First Site hosted On-Site, featuring the work of 39 students and recent graduates. The program included well-attended exhibitions and workshops, such as CAST’s dây dó (here/there) popup exhibition of Vietnamese fashion designers, fostering knowledge exchange. First Site’s programming, including online projects from 2020 and 2022, continued to attract growing audiences, showcasing the vitality of RMIT Culture’s initiatives.

Attendance by gallery

Attendance by type

exhibitions

RMIT GALLERY

Radical Utopia

RMIT Gallery

21 February – 27 May

Curators: Harriet Edquist and Helen Stuckey

Artists, Designers, Researchers: Sus an Cohn, Rennie Ellis, Jo Lane, Clarence Chai, Jenny Bannister, Robert Pearce, Simon Burton, Bruce Slorach, Sara Thorn, Michael Rayner, Robert Alcock, John Gollings, Built Moderne, Gavin Brown, Kate Durham, Peter Corrigan, Lyn Tune, Sally Pryor, Jill Posters, Mimmo Cozzolino, Bob Bourne, Geoff Cook, Cos Aslanis, Ian Robertson, Paul Greene, Marius Foley, Colin Russell, Deborah Kelly, Pru Borthwick, David McDiarmid, Paul Drakeford, Peter Lyssiotis, Ted Hopkins, Peter Corrigan, Suzanne Dance, Gregory Burgess, Kevin Borland, Dean Cass, Brian Sadgrove, Kate Gollings, Michael Trudgeon, Vanessa Bird, Kim Halik, Craig Bremner, Elaine Merkus

Closer Together

RMIT Gallery

5 June – 18 August

Curators: Shirky Chan, Rachel Cheung and Tammy Wong Hulbert

Artists: Kay Mei Ling Beadman, Movana Chen, Ryan Christopher Cheng, Kris Coad, Carolyn Eskdale, Daphne Alexis Ho, Jaffa Lam Laam, Ivy Ma King Chu, Sally Mannall, Drew Pettifer, Kate Siu Man Kit, Scotty So, Tang Kwong San, Fiona Wong Lai Ching, June Wong Siu Ling

Supported by: Hong Kong Art School, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Spring

RMIT Gallery

September 5 – November 11

Curators: Helen Rayment

Artists, designers, and researchers: Rupert Bunny, Albert Namatjiram, Cresside Collette, Jörg Schmeisser, John Wolseley, Sam Leach, Louise Ann Zahra King, Tate Adams, Sara Lindsay, Louise Rippert, Roger Kemp, Elizabeth Cross, John Farmer, John Olsen, Ernest Buckmaster, Nobuhiro

Shimura, Beyula Puntungka Napanangka, Kate Rohde, Marlene Scerri, Fiona Hiscock, Judy Napangardi Watson, Susan Flavell, Peter Ellis, Lorna Fencer Napurrurla, Shelley Hilton, Michelle Saunders, Lucy Blackmore, Kathlyn Harris, Renata Dabal, Michaela Bruton, David Neale, Mirka Mora

Stephanie Misa: An Altar for the Fleshy Tongue

RMIT Gallery

5 – 30 September

Curators: Stephanie Misa

Artists: Stephanie Misa

In Her Own Words: The Ceramics of Janet Beckhouse

RMIT Gallery

12 October – 11 November

Curators: Helen Rayment

Artists: Janet Beckhouse

Tintin Wulia: Secrets

RMIT Gallery

5 December 2023 – 27 Jan 2024

Curators: Andrew Tetzlaff

Artists: Tintin Wulia

FIRST SITE GALLERY

On-Site Lab 01: Aaron Billings

First Site Gallery

21 February – 17 March

Curator: Lisa Linton

Artists: Aaron Billings

Ex Machine

First Site Gallery

18 April – 12 May

Artists: Dominik Zarowyn

As far as the mind can see

First Site Gallery

18 April – 12 May

Artists: Rhy Dyball

Crawl Space

First Site Gallery

30 May – 23 June

Artists: Ambience Collective

The very very very last day

First Site Gallery

30 May – 23 June

Artists: Judy Kong

On-Site Lab 02: Xanthe Dobbie

First Site Gallery

11 July – 4 August

Curators: Lisa Linton, Xanthe Dobbie

Artists: Xanthe Dobbie, Linda Dements, All

New Gen

Basalt Study

First Site Gallery

22 August – 15 September

Artists: Christine McFetridge

The Dark Botanical Garden

First Site Gallery

22 August – 15 September

Artists: Pug

Off the Well-Worn Path

First Site Gallery

22 August – 15 September

Artists: Ryley Clarke

Am I Late?

First Site Gallery

3 – 13 October

Artists: Master of Communication Design students

dây dó (here/there)

First Site Gallery

23 – 26 October

Artists, Designers: Tom Trandt Minh Ðao, Pham Hoang Linh

Close Proximity

First Site Gallery

12 December 2023 - 19 January 2024

Curator: Michaela Bear

Artists: Lora Adzic, Aaron Ashwood, Maya Grkow, Joel Humphries, Evie Rosa, Amanda Tonkin-Hill, Canwen Zhao, Joy Zhou

DESIGN HUB GALLERY

Wild Hope

Design Hub Gallery

15 August – 30 September

Curators: A/Professor Katrina Simon, Professor Naomi Stead, Professor Wendy Steele, A/Professor Fleur Watson

Creative Practitioners: Marnie Badham and Tammy Wong Hulbert, Vicki Couzens, Dean Cross, D&K (Ricarda Bigolin and Chantal Kirby), with Žiga Testen, Jessie French, Kate Geck, Marc Gibson, Pirjo

Haikola, Tom Park, Kirsten Haydon, Alex Le Guillou, Grace Lillian Lee, Machine Listening (Sean Dockray, James Parker, Joel Stern), Clare McCracken, Rebecca Najdowksi, Polly Stanton, Georgia Nowak and Eugene Perepletchikov, Openwork, Sarah Lynn Rees, RMIT ICON Science, Caitlyn Parry & Helen Duong, Maj Plemenitas, RMIT Architecture Immersive Futures Lab and Superscale (Patrick Macasaet, Vei Tan, Shuming Ivy Zhou and Zechen Huang), David Rousell and Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, Greg Semu, These Are the Projects We Do Together (Millie Cattlin, Joseph Norster)

Supported by: City of Melbourne

Part of the Now or Never festival 2023

Practice Research Symposium 1 & 2

Design Hub Gallery

Semester 1 & 2

Architecture and Urban Design End of Semester Exhibitions

Design Hub Gallery Semester 1 & 2

Landscape Architecture End of Semester Exhibitions

Design Hub Gallery

Semester 1 & 2

Interior Design End of Semester Exhibition

Design Hub Gallery

Semester 2

“

The cavernous space is teeming with over twenty, research-driven works from practitioners and collaborative groups across art, architecture, material sciences, and landscape, digital and textile design... It is an ambitious feat to take on such a sizable thematic such as ‘planetary commons’ in this time of poly-crisis. Wild Hope is a plea.

— AUDREY PFISTER, ART AND AUSTRALIA

collection items million dollars in value research visitor hours works accessed by researchers volunteer hours items audited items digitised new acquisitions internal art loans installed journals

RMIT’s Cultural Collections team continue to go from strength to strength, with 2023 marking several significant events, including the 20th anniversary of the AFI Research Collection at RMIT and the joyous Spring collections exhibition, produced in collaboration with the Galleries team. A successful soft launch for RMIT’s groundbreaking Artothek program was also undertaken, establishing it as Australia’s first art lending library for RMIT students.

Independent significance assessments were commissioned for the AFI Research Collection and University Art Collection, completing a long-term project to document and contextualise the importance of RMIT’s cultural assets within the broader Australian collecting context. The findings of these reports were invaluable in informing the team’s new Collection Development Plan, written in consultation with our Collection Advisory Panels. This important strategic document will ensure future collecting meets stakeholder needs and is sustainable while addressing identified collection gaps.

Conservation and preservation remain pillars of our work, with many projects made possible through generous philanthropic support. In 2023 this included digitisation of early 20th century radio plays (AFIRC) as well as rare mid-century architectural drawings by Berenice Harris, the latter through support from Isaacson Davis Foundation (RDA). Interest in RMIT’s collections continues to grow, with research requests returning to pre-Covid numbers with material loaned to La Trobe Regional Gallery, Mildura Arts Centre, Wangaratta Art Gallery, RMIT Gallery and Design Hub Gallery for exhibition.

“

The Artothek program has meant a lot to me this year... It has significantly enhanced the ambiance in my space and improved my wellbeing.

— JIDAPHA WANNALEE, PARTICIPANT

27 12 8 1 attendees events discussions screenings workshops performance

2023 public events generated community engagement with RMIT research, showcased alumni accomplishments and included collaborations with high-profile creative industry partners such as The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne Fringe and Always Live.

Highlights included the partnered presentation of the Birrarangga Film Festival Opening Night, amplifying Indigenous voices and narratives, Screen Presence 23, in partnership with the Chinese Museum, which celebrated Chinese Australian stories on screen, and The 2023 Capitol Commission, Upside Down People, showcasing RMIT neurodiverse and Indigenous artists and fostering inclusivity.

Collaborations with the City of Melbourne on Now or Never and the Melbourne Conversations series provided forums for thoughtprovoking discussions, including a screening and Q&A with Bob Brown and Food Waste is Bananas, spotlighting RMIT researchers’ expertise in food transformation. Launching the Planetary Civics Initiative at RMIT, we hosted social entrepreneur and visionary thinker Indy Johar as he explained the need for equitable and regenerative futures.

Collaborations with RMIT Future Play Lab showcased RMIT’s expertise in game-making and placemaking, activating Melbourne’s spaces with site-specific initiatives, while The Best Films You’ve Never Seen series, in partnership with RMIT Cinema studies, offered contextual introductions from RMIT academics to enrich audiences’ film knowledge, connecting academia with the broader community. 21 RMIT alumni were featured alongside national and international artists and speakers.

I am still lost for words — it was such a beautiful occasion and lovely people all around, behind the scenes and in the audience! We couldn’t have dreamt of a more fitting way to end our tour.

— LAURENCE BILLIET, DIRECTOR, GENERAL STRIKE PROJECTS ON THE GIANTS WITH BOB BROWN

Audience demographics

“

Teaming up with RMIT Culture is always a pleasure. The team dives into every project with curiosity and creativity, consistently delivering top-notch exhibitions and events.

— KATE MCKENZIE, CITY OF MELBOURNE, NOW OR NEVER TEAM

engagement with learning & teaching

The Partnerships team leveraged RMIT Culture’s industry partnership with Tim Ross/Modernister Films to build a semesterlong studio project where Digital Media students designed content for the Tim Ross Live performance at The Capitol, which included a briefing, mid-point review and final assessment from Tim Ross himself. The team also worked with Associate Professor Adrian Danks in the School of Media and Communication for a semesterlong studio for Cinema Studies students exploring The Capitol and the concept of Phantom Cinema. The Partnerships team participated in the briefing, mid-point review and final assessment of the student’s work and provided support and advice to the student and academic throughout the semester to realise the public outcomes of the Studio.

The team also collaborated with Associate Professor Darrin Verhagen in School of Design for a semester-long project supporting the 2023 Capitol Commission: Upside Down People through student work from the RMIT Digital Media’s Heightened Multisensory Experience Studio. The project offered students the opportunity to understand the requirements of neurodiversity in an artistic setting, engage sensitively with cultural heritage, develop artistic skills and contribute to a significant public project.

Working with RMIT Culture on the 2023 Capitol Commission: Upside Down People was a transformative experience. The project offered students the opportunity to understand the requirements of neurodiversity in an artistic setting, engage sensitively with cultural heritage, develop artistic skills, and contribute to a significant public project.

— DR DARRIN VERHAGEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DIGITAL MEDIA (SOUND)

studios

Master of Communication Design students participated in the Curating and Exhibiting Design studio in collaboration with the RMIT Design Archives, culminating in an interpretive window display about the Clarence Chai archive. The Design Archives also facilitated two Master of Architecture electives across the year, focusing on the Graeme Gunn collection designed to reflect on past architecture practices and technology, as well as heritage and archival theory/ processes.

The AFI Research Collection facilitated two new exciting practicebased studios with Interior Design in 2023. The first, with lecturer Michelle Mantsio, encouraged students to reimagine the set design of the Australian film Dogs in Space for a contemporary context, while the second explored concepts of interior and interiority through the genre of horror cinema, with Ronnie van Hout and Tiger Zheng. Studio outcomes included a range of creative outcomes including short films, mind-maps and set designs.

residencies

The creative residency program at McCraith House further enriched our creative industry partnerships, supporting 10 independent creatives within the creative sector. RMIT’s residency studios were well activated with 8 graduating students undertaking a studio residency program to continue and support the development of their practice post-graduation. An end of year curated exhibition in First Site Gallery celebrated the graduate residents’ achievements. We were delighted to see our international residency program reactivated. RMIT Culture hosted 3 artist residents from Krems (Austria) and HBK (Germany).

grants, fellowships & commissions

The AFI Research Collection (AFIRC) invites proposals from scholars around Australia wishing to undertake research that utilises the Collection’s resources and promotes the AFIRC through a published outcome. The 2023 AFIRC Fellowship was awarded to film critic, filmmaker and screenwriter Digby Houghton. He will spend his fellowship investigating Melbourne’s historic film culture to form the basis of a screenplay titled Cine-Files. This is the first time the fellowship has been awarded for a creative outcome.

RMIT Culture oversees and delivers the Capitol Commission, made possible through the Capitol Innovation Fund, which enables an applied, practice-based approach through creative initiatives at The Capitol. Culture produced the 2023 Capitol Commission: Upside Down People, an immersive audio-visual experience exploring threatened bat species and autistic inclusion, which provided a platform for neurodiverse and Indigenous artists from RMIT.

Engaging with RMIT Digital Media’s Heightened Multisensory

Experience Studio augmented the performance work with highquality student-led work. The project fostered partnerships, notably with Zoos Victoria, enabling public engagement. It also showcased RMIT’s expertise, fostering collaboration between PhD student Sara Kian Judge and Zoos Victoria researchers and offering industry placements for students from Melbourne Polytechnic and RMIT Media.

The Cultural Visions Grant is an opportunity for an RMIT student to explore the dynamics and exchange of culture in Australia through an original artistic work. Successful projects highlight diversity and engage a public audience to reflect on cultural perspectives. We worked with our incredible panel to assess the 2023 Cultural Visions Grant shortlist from a range of disciplines. The winner was selected from the Media discipline, Ji Li, who received $10,000 to realise his new creative work, titled New Life. The documentary will highlight the mental wellbeing challenges faced by immigrants in Australia through a series of short documentaries.

In 2023, RMIT Culture continued to foster strategic partnerships aligning with the University’s mission of empowerment through learning and community engagement. Collaborating internally with schools, portfolios, hubs and research groups, alongside external industry partners, RMIT Culture facilitated transformative experiences for students and communities alike. Through collaborative programming with partners, the focus remained on research translation via public outputs such as exhibitions, talks, performances and publications, leveraging the expertise of RMIT’s researchers. These partnerships expanded audience reach while offering students immersive experiences through partnered studios, work-integrated learning (WIL), and industry placements across various disciplines.

The Partnerships team nurtured new and enriched exemplary partnerships throughout 2023 — including those with Yarra Ranges and Bendigo Shire Council bringing poetry to local communities for wellbeing, supporting Birrarangga Film Festival, delivering a rich program of film screenings and panel discussions for Australia’s Social Sciences Week and once again working closely with City of Melbourne, Melbourne International Games Week and The Wheeler Centre to bring RMIT research to a broad audience.

New collaborations with The Nature Conservancy, The 86 Festival, Always Live and Fringe Festival enabled exemplary student outcomes, showcased RMIT expertise and generated deep community engagement.

partners & supporters

ACMI

Always Live Festival

Amnesty International

Asia Society

Birrarangga Film Festival

Chinese Museum

City of Melbourne:

Conversations Series and Now or Never Festival

Collingwood Yards

Craft Victoria

Frankston Arts Centre

Footscray Community Arts

Fringe Festival

Future Women

Gordon Darling Foundation

Great Southern Reef

Hong Kong Art School

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office

Melbourne City of Literature Office

Melbourne International Games Week

Modernister Shows

Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival

Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne Polytechnic Creative Arts

Nature Conservancy Australia

Nell & Gerald McCraith Endowment Fund

Social Sciences Week

The 86

The Sydney Peace Prize

The Wheeler Centre

Yarra Ranges Regional Museum

Birrarangga Film Festival had the pleasure and honour of working with the RMIT Culture team to present our opening night... [it] was one of the highlights for the entire team at the festival and the audience’s feedback was amazing as well.

— DAMIENNE PRADIER, PRODUCER, BIRRARANGGA FILM FESTIVAL

International Women’s Day: Power and Politics

Her dad was killed, but that’s not what stops this Bhutto from entering politics

The Sydney Morning Herald 23 February 2023

Radical Utopia

Melbourne Art and Design, Past and Present

The New York Times 23 March 2023

Radical Utopia review Fluoro 15 March 2023

Radical Utopia review

Australian Book Review 14 March 2023

Everyday Oceans

Radio interview

Triple R - Radio Marinara 25 June 2023

The Best Films You’ve Never Seen: Noir Edition

Radio interview

Triple R - Primal Screen 10 July 2023

Closer Together

Shirky Chan and Tammy Wong Hulbert interview

Hongkongology 13 July 2023

Closer Together broadcast video

SBS Cantonese Radio 9 July 2023

Kay Beadman interview 3MBS Radio

July 2023

Wild Hope

Vicki Couzens interview Triple R 5 September 2023

Renowned social architect Indy Johar is speaking in Melbourne tonight Beat Magazine 21 August 2023

New Research Partnership Targets LargeScale Planetary Issues Mirage News 21 August 2023

Planetary Auditions highlight Beat Magazine 28 August 2023

RMIT joins forces with Dark Matter Labs for new research initiative Architecture AU 28 August 2023

Wild Hope announcement e-flux 14 September 2023

Wild Hope announcement ARTPIL September 2023

Wild Hope review Art + Australia September 2023

Tim Ross: Designing a Legacy Live

Radio interview ABC Radio Melbourne August 2023

Radio interview Triple R - Uncommon Sense 22 August 2023

Social Sciences Week: Disturbing Technology

Radio interview Triple R - Primal Screen 4 September 2023

Future Play Lab: TRON

Future Play Lab Highlight Beat Magazine

September 2023

Future Play Lab: 64 Ways of Being feature Beat Magazine 2 October 2023

Food Waste is Bananas

Radio interview

Triple R - Eat It 1 October 2023

Radio interview

ABC RN - Big Ideas 30 November 2023

Ed Yong

Radio interview

ABC RN - Late Night Live November 2023

Radio interview

ABC RN - Big Ideas 20 Novemeber 2023

In Absence: Reflections

Radio interview

Triple R - Banksia 9 October 2023

Richard Flanagan

Event highlight Beat Magazine 23 October 2023

Upside Down People

Radio interview

Triple R - Breakfasters 31 October 2023

Radio interview

PBS FM - The Breakfast Spread 1 November 2023

Sydney Peace Prize

Event highlight Beat Magazine 23 October 2023

The Best Films You’ve Never Seen: The Devil’s Playground

Radio Interview

ABC Radio Melbourne - Evenings 6 November 2023

Radio interview 3CR - Showreel 11 November 2023

Event highlight Melbourne Cinematheque post 13 November 2023

Tim Winton: Nature Writing Prize

Radio Interview

ABC Radio Melbourne - Drive 9 November 2023

Author Tim Winton lashes oil and gas industry’s ‘crime against humanity’ The Sydney Morning Herald / The Age 22 November 2023

Caroline Polachek: Always Live

Live event recording ABC RN - Big Ideas 12 December 2023

Tintin Wulia: Secrets

Tintin Wulia, Natalie Kon-yu, Anna Emina and Celine Saoud interview Triple R 20 December 2023

Tintin Wulia interview 3MBS 2 December 2023

our people

Head, RMIT Culture

Paula Toal

Manager, Collections & Archives

Elizabeth Marsden

Manager, RMIT Galleries

Helen Rayment

Manager, Partnerships & Engagement

Alison Barker

Manager, Business & Continuous Improvement

Verity Hayward

Business & Continuous Improvement Officer

Ro Lynagh

Communications & Digital Engagement Coordinator

Juliette Younger

Creative Producer, Partnerships & Engagement

Helen Withycombe

Partnerships Coordinator & Event Producer, Partnerships & Engagement

Jenny Branagan

Senior Production Coordinator

Erik North

Production Officer

Tim McLeod

Technical Production Coordinator

Simon Maisch

Senior Curator

Andrew Tetzlaff

Exhibition Coordinator

Galleries

Julia Powles

Engagement Coordinator

Galleries

Lisa Linton

Creative Projects Officer

Elise Barton

Exhibition Assistant Michaela Bear

Exhibition Assistant

Celine Saoud

Exhibition Assistant Louise Meuwissen

Exhibition Assistant Jemima Penny

Art Collection Coordinator

Nick Devlin

Collections Coordinator

Jenna Blyth

Curatorial Officer

Ann Carew

Archives Officer

Simone Rule

Collection Coordinator

Olympia Szilagyi

Collections Officer

Simon Strong

Collections Assistant

Leah Martin

Collections Team

Grace Mooney

Production Team

Ari Sharp

Bec Bartlett

Christopher Forwood

Ellen Waite

Elliot Taylor

Jonty Ransome

Mason Cox

Nikolaus Dolman

Olivia Borghesan

Pat Mooney

Rob Curulli

Robert Bridgewater

Yvette James

Gallery Attendants

Alex Bloom

Andari Suherlan

Audrey Merton

Bek Steel

Kyla Sun

Lowell Demetita

Maud Freeman

Melissa Viola

Vivian Qiu

Partnered Projects Team

Elizabeth McCarthy

Sally Grainger

Events Team

Callum McKinnon

Celine Marge Mercado

Clarine Wilmar

Damian Sabatini

Hannah Camilleri

Jasmin Seale

Lara Tumak

Nicholas Leong

Olivia Summerhayes

Ruby Neal

Simone Etheve

Wing Ting Sze

Yasmine Sharaf

Tom Backhaus

ADVISORY PANELS & COMMITTEES

Cultural Advisory Panel

Martyn Hook (Chair)

Dene Cici

Jan Clohessy

Nicole Eaton

Lliam Freeman

Amy Harrington

Mohan Krishnamoorthy

Mathews Nkhoma

Jacque Payne

Clare Russell

Naomi Stead

Kit Wise

RMIT Design Archives

Advisory Panel

Beau de Belle

Ying-Lan Dann

Tarryn Handcock

Simon Lockrey

Christine Phillips

Julian Pratt

Michael Reason

Sarah Teasley

Andrew Tetzlaff

Noel Waite

RMIT Design Archives

Journal Editorial Board

Noel Waite

Suzie Attihill

Michael Bogle

Philip Goad

Brad Haylock

Robyn Healy

Andrew Leach

Michael Spooner

Sarah Teasley

Laurene Vaughan

RMIT Art Collection Advisory Panel

Nick Bastin

Mikala Dwyer

Peter Ellis

Samantha Hamilton

Alan Hill

Fiona Hillary

Helen Rayment

Darrin Verhagen

AFI Research Collection Advisory Panel

Djoymi Baker

Adrian Danks

Stephen Gaunson

John Hughs

Alexia Kannas

Simon Rose

Stayci Taylor

Rachel Wilson

Cultural Collections

Industry Advisor

Maryanne McCubb

IMAGES IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Jessie French, ‘To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind’ 2023 at Wild Hope, Design Hub Gallery, 2023. Photo: Tobias Titz.

Openwork, ‘Plan B’, Wild Hope, RMIT Design Hub Gallery, 2023. Photo: Tobias Titz.

On-Site Lab 01, Aaron Billings, Closing Party, First Site Gallery, 2023. Photo: Keelan O’Hehir.

RMIT Art Collection, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe.

Close Proximity installation, First Site Gallery, 2023. Photo: Sebastian Kainey.

Tintin Wulia: Secrets, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Christian Capurro.

Radical Utopia installation, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Tobias Titz.

Wild Hope opening night, Design Hub Gallery, 2023. Photo: Marie-Luise Skibbe.

On-Site Lab 01, Aaron Billings, Closing Party, First Site Gallery, 2023. Photo: Keelan O’Hehir.

Closer Together, Pao Gallery, Hong Kong, 2023.

Closer Together installation, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Sebastian Kainey.

Scotty So performs at Closer Together’s opening night, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Phuong Le.

Detail of ‘Peace’ 2012, In Her Own Words: The Ceramics of Janet Beckhouse, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Sebastian Kainey.

Vivian Qiu, ‘Life Line’ 2023, Slow Making, First Site Gallery, 2023. Photo: Sebastian Kainey.

Close Proximity installation, First Site Gallery, 2023. Photo: Sebastian Kainey.

Tintin Wulia: Secrets installation, 2023, RMIT Gallery, 2023. Photo: Christian Capurro.

Wild Hope installation, Design Hub Gallery, 2023. Photo: Tobias Titz.

AFI Research Collection, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe.

RMIT Design Archives, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe.

RMIT Art Collection, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe

AFI Research Collection, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe.

RMIT Design Archives window, 2023. Photo: Marie-Luise Skibbe.

RMIT Art Collection, 2023. Photo: MarieLuise Skibbe

Indy Johar keynote for Wild Hope, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Marie-Luise Skibbe.

Writing Blak Legacies, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: James Henry.

Play Capitol Arcade, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Kit Edwards.

Bob Brown at screening of The Giants, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: MJ Bentley.

Caroline Polachek in conversation with Brodie Lancaster, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: T15 Media.

Director Fred Schepisi at The Best Films You’ve Never Seen: The Devil’s Playground, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Helen Withycombe.

Tony Birch speaking at Writing Blak Legacies, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: James Henry.

RMIT’s Bowen Street Press, 2023.

Tim Ross live performance, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Harrison Moss.

Behind the scenes of Upside Down People, 2023. Photo: Helen Withycombe.

Clarence Chai window display, RMIT Design Archives, 2023. Photo: Ann Carew.

2023 Capitol Commission: Upside Down People, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Helen Withycombe.

McCraith House.

Ji Li, ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ (film still) 2024. Photo: Ji Li.

64 Ways of Being activation, 2023. Photo: Marie-Luise Skibbe.

Colson Whitehead in conversation, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: TJ Garvie.

International Women’s Day event Power and Politics, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Ernest J Arriagada.

Play Capitol Arcade, The Capitol, 2023. Photo: Kit Edwards.

64 Ways of Being activation, 2023. Photo: Marie-Luise Skibbe.

Birrarangga Film Festival opening, The Capitol, 2023.