Professor John Dewar with Professor Karen Quinlan and Mr Craig Niemann, Chief Executive Officer, City of Greater Bendigo
Under a new initiative, announced jointly today by the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University, Ms Quinlan will take on an unprecedented leadership role in the Victorian and national arts industry by leading two of Victoria’s prominent regional arts institutions.
Today’s announcement confirms that the La Trobe Arts Institute has appointed Karen Quinlan as both its first Professor of Practice and new Director. Professor Quinlan will continue her role as the Director of the highly successful Bendigo Art Gallery and concurrently lead the La Trobe Arts Institute to achieve its ambition of building a vital cultural and creative sector in regional Victoria and establishing La Trobe University as a leading arts destination in its own right.
Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar said he was delighted that Professor Quinlan, who already has strong links to the University, has agreed to take on the leadership of the Institute.
“We already have a successful partnership with the Bendigo Art Gallery and this new initiative will enable both institutions to link their substantial collections and curatorial expertise with the intellectual capital and teaching expertise of one of Victoria’s top three Universities,” Professor Dewar said.
“The opportunity to build new links with our world class academics and researchers will enhance arts offerings and experiences for the wider community in Bendigo, regional Victoria and at our Melbourne campuses in Bundoora and the CBD.
“Our students will benefit from the application of Professor Quinlan’s extensive industry experience to ensure our teaching and research is relevant and innovative; and that a range of industry partnerships will offer work placements as a stepping-stone to future careers for our students.”
More here.