Bright future for VCA

Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu visited the VCA recently to unveil details of the Victorian Government’s $24 million package to support the VCA, which was announced in the 2011-12 Victorian Budget.

Mr Baillieu was joined by Oscar-winning VCA graduate Adam Elliot, students and staff in celebrating a new era for the College, which he said had for 40 years been the “premier training ground for outstanding Australian artists across a range of disciplines.”

Mr Elliot said the rich ground of the VCA needed constant support, love and nurturing. “No matter what government is in power, we need financial support to ensure emerging talent gets the fertiliser it needs to blossom, bear fruit and bring mental and commercial profit to this state.”

Initiatives being negotiated as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Coalition Government and the VCA include: scholarships for outstanding and disadvantaged students; support for graduate professional development scholarships; a national Graduate Opera Program in partnership with Victorian Opera; a national Music Theatre and Cabaret Program; master teachers and projects to provide support for on-campus or regionally-based specialist teaching and projects; and an infrastructure fund.

The agreement will also extend opportunities to regional Victoria, with funding allocated to support a program to take students on the road.

“Victorians are proud of the VCA and our commitment will help it continue its role as a source of astounding talent and reach its potential as the leading provider of arts training in Australia,” Mr Baillieu said.

Dean of the VCA and Music at the University of Melbourne Professor Barry Conyngham welcomed the government support and said the funding packaged would allow VCA to “do the job we want to do”.

He said the budget allocation was about “fulfilling the promise of Victoria being the arts state of the country and also of making the VCA … the jewel in the crown of arts education in Australia.”

“The future now looks fantastically bright for arts in Victoria, not only because of the VCA grant, but because of other initiatives which to me indicate this is going to be a government interested in developing the arts,” he said.

VCA Director Professor Su Baker said: “The broad public support for VCA recently has indicated that if there wasn’t such a place we would have to invent it. The grant is a wonderful support base for the future and so we’re extremely grateful.”

http://www.vca.unimelb.edu.au/