Arts and Culture
La Trobe students have the opportunity to be creative through the visual arts, student theatre, live music and film. Across our campuses there are a range of arts and cultural activities and we also offer degree programs in the creative and visual arts.
La Trobe has several campus art galleries and regular travelling exhibitions. We have an active cultural sponsorship program and encourage students to take advantage of Melbourne’s and regional Victoria’s rich artistic and cultural resources.
Art Galleries
Art galleries are located on site at two of our campuses: the University Art Museum at Melbourne (Bundoora) campus and the Phyllis Palmer Gallery at Bendigo. The University also operates 121 View a visual arts centre in Bendigo.
Our other campuses have easy access to local exhibition spaces. The Shepparton Gallery is located in the Shepparton town centre and was home to our 40th anniversary travelling art exhibition. Albury-Wodonga students can access Albury Regional Art Gallery. In Mildura, Visual Arts students present a final year art exhibition and there is also the Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival.
Courses
The School of Visual Arts and Design operates at our Bendigo and Mildura campuses. Degrees are available at both undergraduate and postgraduate level or you can apply to undertake a single unit of study. Disciplines include visual arts, graphic design, multimedia, illustration and photojournalism.
La Trobe also offers a Bachelor of Creative Arts at our Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. Areas of study include creative writing, criticism, performance and production, writing for the screen and the media. We also offer a renowned Bachelor of Media Studies program. Postgraduate study in media is also available.
From 2008, Art History will be offered through our history program. Interested students should apply for the Bachelor of Arts or an associated double degee program. Honours level study is also available.
Cultural Sponsorship Programs
La Trobe University supports the Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, a heritage and cultural space for the community which includes changing gallery exhibitions. We are also a major sponsor of the Bendigo Art Gallery, one of Australia’s oldest and largest regional art galleries and which houses a dedicated La Trobe University gallery. Past sponsorship programs have included the Melbourne Writer’s Festival.
Indigenous Cultural Programs and Events
The Office of the Director, Indigenous Education conducts various events at our campuses, including Harmony Day, Sorry Day and NAIDOC. We also host the Hyllus Maris Annual Memorial Lecture at our Melbourne (Bundoora) campus; the first memorial lecture in honour of an Aboriginal woman on an Australian university campus.
Sculpture Park
Our Melbourne (Bundoora) campus even has a Sculpture Park which includes the controversial upside-down statue of Victorian colonial Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe, by sculptor Charles Robb.
Student Theatre & Film
La Trobe University Guild runs an annual program of theatre and filmmaking activities open to all students. A professional theatre director is employed to facilitate these events which include seasons of short student made plays and films and The Moat Festival, an annual event which celebrates the Performing Arts. For more information see the student theatre and film website.