UQ Art Museum

Year in Review 2017

“It was Orientation Week, and while the University was swarming with people I had never felt more alone. Not knowing what to do, I stared nervously at a map before I noticed ‘UQ Art Museum’. I went straight there and engrossed myself until I finally felt okay. I could say to you that it’s the architecture, or the art, or the exhibitions, or the lovely people that I love the most – but it wouldn’t be accurate. I feel art can provide comfort during times of discomfort, and that is exactly what UQ Art Museum was and will always be for me.”
— UQ Molecular Biology student 2017

In 2017, our artistic program provided the means to have urgent and creative conversations with our visitors. As a result, we welcomed 61,866 people to UQ Art Museum – our highest attendance ever.
We expanded our student program to offer more professional art museum experiences, and delivered our most ambitious education program to date.

Twenty-nine students worked alongside professional Art Museum staff in curatorial, registration, advancement, front-of-house, education, finance and marketing areas, as volunteers, interns, and scholarship recipients.

More UQ students than ever before (nearly 800) used the Alumni Friends of UQ Collection Study Room to get close to art and explore its relevance to their lives and disciplines.

Our new Student Engagement Council, comprising UQ students from multiple disciplines, contributed energy and new ideas to help shape an even better, more relevant Art Museum.

Philanthropists and Collections told moving historical stories of giving, through a selective survey of artworks generously donated to UQ.
The Dust Never Settles brought artists, academics, industry leaders and the community together, stimulating debate and discussion.
New Alchemists challenged us to think about the current and future impact of science and technology on our lives.
From saints and mystics to bacchanalian fetes and dreamscapes, Ecstasy: Baroque and Beyond was presented in partnership with the UQ Node of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions.
Still in my mind: Gurindji experience, location and visuality explored the historic Wave Hill Walk-Off and provided opportunities for crucial, ongoing dialogue about Country.
Our team realised exhibition visions in fresh ways to create more powerful experiences for our visitors.
UQ drama and music students responded to exhibitions and animated our spaces with performances, while a poetry slam gave voice to provocative ideas.
The sixth University of Queensland National Self-Portrait Prize challenged notions of traditional portraiture.
Hangs, a podcast and audio guide, gave listeners a new take on our exhibitions. Soon after launching, Hangs earned a spot on iTunes ‘New and Noteworthy’. Listen and subscribe.
Two UQ students were awarded a life-changing 12 months of paid work under the guidance of UQ Art Museum staff through the Kinnane Endowment Curatorial and Registration Internships.

The incredible kindness of our donors funded six summer and winter scholarships.

Donor wishes were fulfilled when we brought the Kinnane Endowment to life beyond the city limits through a cross-institutional partnership in Mackay.

Artwork donated to the UQ Art Collection made a vital contribution to our holdings of contemporary Australian art.

“I’m an Adjunct Professor in Architecture at UQ and although I do many things for the School in this role, I see my donation as reinforcing my sense of belonging."— Michael Rayner AM

We welcomed close to 50 donors to a special curator tour of the 2017 National Self-Portrait Prize where we thanked them for their unwavering support during the year.
In 2017, 529 artworks from the UQ Art Collection were shown in our exhibition program and across campus, while 49 were lent to important Australian exhibitions elsewhere.
Artwork sparked important conversations during lectures, tours, artist talks, panels, workshops and seminars attended by 8063 people.
In 2017, our team created a social, thought-provoking and sought-after space on campus – a place where we fostered critical and creative thought, where we started conversations, and where art enriched lives.

www.artmuseum.uq.edu.au