Index
29 February 2008
“A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind”
Treasures in the heart of the city
A stained glass window at the western entrance of Building 1 at night.
Bathers, by Rupert Bunny, one of two works by the Melbourne artist in the RMIT collection. The 1905 work displays the artist’s confident, deft handling of colour.
Dobell’s cow, 1994, by John Kelly, who undertook a bachelor degree in painting at RMIT, followed by a masters degree by research. His Dobell’s cows series came from his interest in William Dobell’s wartime work as a camouflage artist making decoy cows for airfields.
Ho Chi Minh City campus, Stage 1, 2005. The building was designed by Norman Day and Associates. Norman Day had been awarded an honorary doctorate by RMIT in 2000.
RMIT University is tonight launching a book celebrating its architecture and art, throwing a light on some of Melbourne’s hidden treasures.
“A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind” is written by two leading RMIT academics, Harriet Edquist, Professor of Architectural History, and Elizabeth Grierson, Professor of Art and Philosophy. The title refers to RMIT’s motto, adopted on its opening in 1887.
The book covers six phases in the institution’s development, from its early days through to today’s campuses and its planned new buildings, along with the formation of the art collection of each period.
Little-known features revealed by the book include:
- the striking gothic buildings that established the City campus;
- the background to RMIT’s Corrigan building that dominates the Swanston Street frontage;
- the wealth of paintings contained in the Lindsay Edward art collection; and
- the W.E. Macmillan gold and silversmithing collection.
“The book records the importance of art and architecture in the University’s history, as well as charting some of the changes in Australian art and architecture over the last 120 years,” said RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Gardner AO.
“This is not a University history. It is a window into our campuses highlighting important buildings and works of art, as well as delving into their relationships to the staff, students and community who have contributed to RMIT.”
The book will be launched on Friday at 5.30pm at Swanston Library, Building 8, Level 5, 360 Swanston Street, City, by Professor Gardner and Daryl Jackson AO, Principal Director, Jackson Architecture.
It is available from the RMIT Bookshop, priced at $55.
More news is available at Openline
The book is on sale at RMIT Bookshop.