ACCAonline and ACCAMag
In October 2002 ACCA launched Australia’s first art blog in tandem with its own website. The ACCAMag provided a fluid space for art reviewing and commentary from around the globe with contributions from leading Australian and international artists, curators and writers. The ACCAMAg was initiated to address the absence of a Melbourne-based contemporary art journal and to bring attention to the significant ways in which Melbourne was part of the international contemporary art world through exhibitions, exchanges and the movement of artists and arts professionals.
In its first year of publication as a web-based entity, the ACCAMag covered exhibitions from Melbourne, Sydney, Japan, and the UK, Canada, France, Italy, USA, Germany and more. Writers were predominantly arts professionals: curators, artists, project personnel and this added to the range of styles and delivery of coverage. Content was written to be accessible, worldly and informative over didactic, theory-based and academic. Its clear design and legibility made it popular both as an onscreen read and a downloadable archive or art and events.
Education
ACCA’s Education Program was very active in 2002 with over 60 primary, secondary and university groups visiting. ACCA presented Teacher Briefings and PD Opportunities to the teaching community and developed educational resources and interpretive materials developed to support exhibitions. ACCA also held School Holiday Programs and education outreach programs in the latter half of the year. ACCA’s Outreach Program was a principal component of this year’s Education Program with various ACCA presenters delivering illustrated talks and workshops to over 1,500 students at 35 secondary schools in metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Lecture – The ART of Conversations: A series of talks about the arts in Melbourne – Public Art
7 October 2002
One of a series of talks that took place as part of Melbourne Conversations, a free City of Melbourne talks program.
(300 attended)
Lecture – The ART of Conversations: A series of talks about the arts in Melbourne – What is Fringe in 2002?
14 October 2002
One of a series of talks that took place as part of Melbourne Conversations, a free City of Melbourne talks program.
(75 attended)
Talk
20 October 2002
Lecture – The ART of Conversations: A series of talks about the arts in Melbourne – Censorship: The Controversy of Art
21 October 2002
One of a series of talks that took place as part of Melbourne Conversations, a free City of Melbourne talks program.
(200 attended)
Education – Teachers’ Briefing/Curator’s Insight: A History of Happiness and Susan Norrie, Undertow
23 October 2002
Juliana Engberg, ACCA’s Artistic Director and Curator of the 2002 Melbourne Festival Visual Arts Program in conversation with Kate Barber, ACCA’s Public and Education Program Manager, discussed the key themes and ideas explored by artists in A History of Happiness and Susan Norrie: Undertow.
Speakers: Juliana Engberg, Kate Barber
Talk
30 October 2002
Talk – Susan Norrie
3 November 2002
An artist’s floortalk on the exhibition Undertow held off-site at the Beckett Theatre, CUB Malthouse Theatre.
Launch – Ron Robertson Swann’s Vault
6 November 2002
Ron Robertson-Swann’s infamous sculpture Vault was unveiled on the ACCA grounds. The formalities were conducted by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne John So and ACCA’s Artistic Director Juliana Engberg, with both adding the final strokes of paint in front of the crowd of media and public.
Talk – The Perils of Public Art
6 November 2002
To celebrate the relocation of Ron Robertson-Swann’s controversial public sculpture Vault to Southbank, ACCA in conjunction with the City of Melbourne presented ‘The Perils of Public Art’. The talk involved Ron Robertson-Swann, artist and creator of Vault in conversation with Geoff Wallis, Lecturer in Art History/Theory at the Arts Academy, University of Ballarat and author of the forthcoming book,' Peril in the Square – the sculpture that challenged a city'.
Speakers: Ron Robertson-Swann, Geoff Wallis
Talk – Robert Owen
10 November 2002
Artist Robert Own discussed his practice and on-going interest in eastern spirituality in relation to his rich and meditative work 'Trace of a Silent Bell' (1988-1989) which was included in A History of Happiness.
Education – Teachers’ Briefing/Curator’s Insight
13 November 2002
Rebecca Coates, Project Manager of a A History of Happiness and Susan Norrie: Undertow spoke in conversation with Kate Barber, Public & Education Programs, ACCA. The discussion was focused on issues arising from the display and presentation of contemporary art.
Talk – Juliana Engberg
17 November 2002
Juliana Engberg, ACCA’s Artistic Director and Curator of the 2002 Melbourne Festival Visual Arts Program discussed the key themes and ideas explored by artists in A History of Happiness and Susan Norrie: Undertow.
Forum – Global sustainability and the environment
24 November 2002
Tricia Caswell, Executive Director, Global Sustainability Unit, RMIT University gave a personal response to Susan Norrie’s work Undertow, discussing the implications of a world in environmental flux and what we might strive for in creating an environmentally sustainable future.