The following letter outlines my response to the currently proposed cuts to the ANU School of Art & Design:
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you in regards to the proposed changes to the ANU School of Art & Design. I have finished my Honours thesis this year, and although the proposed changes may not affect me in my academic future, the consequences to not only the Canberra art community but the broader Australian art sector are immense.
Throughout my Bachelor of Visual Arts, I majored in Photomedia. In the first two years I studied traditional photography courses. In the last two, my courses comprised of contemporary practices, valuing critical thought and innovation. This was brought on by the hiring of academics that understood and valued the contemporary art world. My knowledge of contemporary art practices expanded and so did my own practice.
In the final year of my bachelor’s degree, I expanded into the field of video. I was taught and encouraged by the hybrid practices that surrounded me and was largely influenced by my peers. These peers were across many different studios – but mainly in Photography, and Video and Animation. This artwork was the most successful artwork I had made, to date. I was very proud of it, but would not have been able to accomplish it without the help of my teachers, peers, and technical officers. In my Honours year, I kept going along the stream of creating Videos, however this time I brought in a hybrid practice of lo-fi animation. While I never majored in Video and Animation, this practice is so important to not only photography but the contemporary art field as a whole. The lines between Photography and Video/Animation are being increasingly blurred. To eradicate this studio practice from the School of Art & Design is completely absurd.
Hybrid and contemporary art practices cannot exist without video and animation. As technological based media become more important, so do the means of presenting these. Video and Animation is not only a crucial step in education towards a contemporary art practice but is also one of the final products. However, videographers and animators are not just essential in the art world – they are essential in the technological age. If COVID-19 has shown us anything, it is that the whole world is available online. Almost every activity can be executed through an online means, and the people with the essential skills to execute this are valued members of our community. It is shocking to witness the ANU not only limit this education, but willingly retract it from our university with the compete knowledge of its importance.
The Video and Animation studio is also a huge investment opportunity for the ANU School of Art & Design. Technological based industries are where the huge money is made after university education – videographers and animators contribute largely to this. It is a shame to see the ANU devaluing not just the arts, but innovation and the high potential for success of contemporary art students. The Australian National University cannot compete as an innovative and successful university without a successful art school. To eradicate the Video and Animation studio is to eradicate a successful and important segment of the School. The ANU School of Art & Design cannot compete as a contemporary art school without this vital studio. It will fall decades behind its national and international competitors and will be looked down upon in a global setting. The Australian National University can no longer say it is progressing into the future if its mindset is stuck in the past. This is the reality of cutting the vital video and animation studio.
Transitioning the School of Art & Design Gallery to an online format not only diminishes the accomplishments of art students, but diminishes the importance of the School itself. Without the attention that the School receives from the gallery, interest will also be lost from the community surrounding the School. The Gallery is a vital tool in networking – a crucial step in establishing any industry practice. The Gallery also allows the School to draw local, and national attention from its exhibitions and openings. An important part of an art education is witnessing what is happening in the surrounding artworld. The gallery allows for students to be involved in this at a local and national level, as they draw from important artists that are exhibiting. However, the irony in transitioning the gallery online while removing the studio-based practices that can successfully complete this, is a narrative that even The Betoota Advocate could not have conceived.
The removal of a number of technical officers is another great concern within the funding cuts to the ANU School of Art & Design. The School is one of the best studio-based art schools in Australia. Students apply to experience and learn hands-on skills and techniques that would not be taught with such finesse at other universities. These studios cannot run without the knowledge brought by the Technical Officers. There are two key components to the arts education at ANU: the academics, and the technical officers. To remove one of these is to remove a large portion of the education that students receive. The academics cannot teach to their full potential with the Technical Officers, and the Technical Officers cannot run the studios to their full potential without the Academics. To cut back on the number of Technical Officers is to scale back the great education that is received at the ANU School of Art & Design. This proposed change has clearly been given little thought, and an even smaller willingness to understand the processes that occur at the School of Art & Design. This change is reflective of the ignorance of the Australian National University and the lack of care given to art students, an art education, and the art world.
Throughout COVID-19, when the masses were stuck at home, we turned to the arts. We, as a nation, turned to film, television, and music. How can the Australian National University, against all the evidence, ignore the essential services that are arts employees? Will the Australian National University, once again, ignore students’ needs? How dare you ignore the advice from experts, communities, and national organisations. This advice makes it clear that by reducing the quality of the education provided by the ANU School of Art & Design, there will be a detrimental flow on effect to the Canberra art community and Australian art sector. This will draw in less prospective students, less revenue, and decrease the prestigious name that the University values so highly.
It is a shame on the Australian National University’s name to not just be considering these cuts but to willingly implement them with such little forethought. The leaders of this great university should be ashamed of themselves.
Yours Sincerely,
Aloisia Cudmore
Aloisia Cudmore