UQ Art Museum

Year in Review 2019

A crowd is gathered for a performance by Clare Milledge with Austin Buckett, Tom Smith, and Luke Pigliacampo of I am an infant: who but I peeps from the unhewn dolmen, arch? I am the tomb: of every hope 2019 at the opening of the Second Sight exhibition at UQ Art Museum..

Clare Milledge with Austin Buckett, Tom Smith, and Luke Pigliacampo performance of I am an infant: who but I peeps from the unhewn dolmen, arch? I am the tomb: of every hope 2019 at the opening of Second Sight.

Clare Milledge with Austin Buckett, Tom Smith, and Luke Pigliacampo performance of I am an infant: who but I peeps from the unhewn dolmen, arch? I am the tomb: of every hope 2019 at the opening of Second Sight.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ operates. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.


In 2019, UQ Art Museum welcomed 70,000 visitors – more than ever before.

"As the cultural epicentre of UQ's St Lucia campus, we provided new ways for our audiences to experience art, to build community and to challenge their thinking about critical topics."

– Dr Campbell Gray, Director

This year we took a new approach to programming.


Immersive artworks, artist-conceived installations, new perspectives on the UQ Art Collection and activities that sparked conversation and action – Unlearning provided a platform for a new kind of engagement with our campus community.

"Through Unlearning we embraced the idea of ‘not knowing’ with empathy and curiosity, and had less frenetic conversations about art and culture across an extended period."

– Peta Rake, Senior Curator

Two students painting the wall bright pink for the Baldessari Wall Painting project.

Sixty students worked on California-based artist John Baldessari’s Wall Painting project, which also connected us to guest curator Tara McDowell from Monash University.

Sixty students worked on California-based artist John Baldessari’s Wall Painting project, which also connected us to guest curator Tara McDowell from Monash University.

“I loved being part of creating something instead of merely viewing it. The pyramid image [hung after the wall is painted] is what signifies the end of the artwork, and to the lay viewer, might look like the main attraction however the true creation or 'art' is the wall, which may go unnoticed unless you know the context.”

– Brinda Taparia, Baldessari painter and UQ student

We created opportunities for meaningful artist, campus and broader audience engagement.


A group of three visitors to the UQ Art Museum Second Sight exhibition opening smiling.

In 2019, our team delivered a program of events and activities that made art an integral part of university life and learning, including:

  • 23 programs run by the Art Museum involving 2005 guests
  • 31 tours delivered to UQ groups from 19 different courses and four tours to groups from other universities
  • tours to 940 guests from the general public, kids clubs and 29 Queensland schools
  • tours to 2351 international students, and ICTE and IES visitors
  • 26 tutorials delivered to 540 students from seven courses in the Alumni Friends of UQ Collection Study Room
  • 13 events with 500+ guests to support donor engagement
  • 92 bookings in Art Museum spaces by the broader University attended by approximately 4500 guests.













A long line of people outside UQ Art Museum waiting to come inside for the Unlearning opening celebration.

Unlearning opening night.

Unlearning opening night.

We aspire to make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges an integral part of our mission.


Curator Freja Carmichael with her sister and featured artist Elisa Carmichael standing in the Weaving the Way exhibition space.

“When I began working on Weaving the Way, I immediately gravitated to the fibre works in the UQ Art Collection and was excited to showcase them in a way that encouraged visitors to experience fibre work in a living, breathing context.”

– Freja Carmichael, curator

A woman inspects Elisa Carmichael's artwork Rain from the heart at the opening of the Weaving the way exhibition at UQ Art Museum.

Elisa Carmichael Rain from the heart 2018-2019. On loan courtesy of the artist and Onespace Gallery, Brisbane.

Elisa Carmichael Rain from the heart 2018-2019. On loan courtesy of the artist and Onespace Gallery, Brisbane.

We made art part of the campus experience for more students.


Forty volunteers worked with artist Lara Merrett over ten days in an outdoor studio on the Art Museum lawn. The 60 fabric canvasses they painted were suspended on bamboo structures, and later became part of the High Stakes exhibition.

Artist Lara Merrett paints a canvas laying flat on the grass outside UQ Art Museum with the help of a UQ student volunteer on a sunny day.

“The process was full of surprises. Some volunteers hadn't painted since they were kids, and others were practising artists or art students. An economics student from Vietnam told me his head was full of numbers and he'd spent hours on the laptop so he wanted to try something different. And a Chinese student who'd grown up watching her artist uncle paint was keen to experience painting again.

"The other surprise was the wind and the movement of the canvases on the lawn. They embodied a certain beauty, moving and being seen outdoors in the natural light."

– Lara Merrett, artist

At the end of a bright yellow hallway sits a table against a printed wallpaper backdrop which forms part of Elizabeth Willing's Through the Mother exhibition.

Elizabeth Willing Through the Mother 2019. Installation view. Photo: Simon Woods

Elizabeth Willing Through the Mother 2019. Installation view. Photo: Simon Woods

Artists were provided with a vehicle to share their stories.


“Visual design, touch, taste and smell can shape our most poignant and powerful memories. In Through the Mother I've attempted to interpret an elusive olfactory memory in ways that give the audience multiple access points to participate in the exhibition experience.”

– Elizabeth Willing, artist

Olivia Trenorden sits smiling in focus alongside another guest at the table set with candlelit plates at the Elizabeth Willing concept dinner.

“The Liz Willing dinner was nothing short of phenomenal. Liz complicated notions of contemporary food culture and food as ritual through each course and invited the participants to explore every one of their senses. Josue Lopez's menu was delicious, visually exciting and innovative. A big thank you to the Art Museum for giving me a taste of Liz Willing's practice!”

– Olivia Trenorden, 2019 Bachelor of Arts graduate and 2020 Honours candidate

Public Art

“Artists enrich life in Brisbane and the more artwork produced and integrated into architecture and public spaces, the more vibrant, complex and layered our university campuses and cities at large become.”

Jane Tynan, valued UQ Art Museum supporter

Elizabeth Willing's artwork Through the Mother depicts five hand-drawn bunches of dried strawflowers, yarrow, eucalypts, marijuana and hydrangeas, reproduced on individual eight-metre by four-metre panels spaced across the façade of UQ Art Museum.

Elizabeth Willing Through the Mother 2019. Window commission. Photo: Simon Woods

Elizabeth Willing Through the Mother 2019. Window commission. Photo: Simon Woods

The UQ Art Collection stimulated debate and inspired us to question.


In 2019, we acquired Australian contemporary artworks that articulated the complex conditions of the times in which they were made. We focussed on artworks by First Nations and women artists.

A still from Hoda Afshar's Remain video work depicts two refugee men embracing on the shoreline - one man rests his head on the other man's thigh in exhaustion.

Hoda Afshar Remain 2018 two-channel digital video, 23:29 min, edition 1/7 Collection of The University of Queensland. Reproduced courtesy of the artist.

Hoda Afshar Remain 2018 two-channel digital video, 23:29 min, edition 1/7 Collection of The University of Queensland. Reproduced courtesy of the artist.

A man in focus gestures to two friends as they discuss an artwork at the Second Sight exhibition opening at UQ Art Museum.

Our community connected with art and the Collection in diverse ways.

  • 214 artworks exhibited at the Art Museum – 151 from the UQ Art Collection and 63 loaned from other institutions, artists and private collectors
  • 252 artworks installed across UQ campuses
  • 135 artworks made available for learning in the Alumni Friends of UQ Collection Study Room
  • 64 artworks loaned to important Australian exhibitions.

We collaborated with colleagues in a way that spoke to our distinct place within the University.


We partnered with campus colleagues on research-based exhibitions, forums and teaching. This work contributed to the University's Excellence in Research for Australia outcomes, and the Australian Research Council's Engagement and Impact assessment.

Artist Naomi Blacklock performs Aflame, A Singing Sun 2019 to a large gathered audience at the opening of Second Sight.

Naomi Blacklock performance of Aflame, A Singing Sun 2019 at the opening of Second Sight. Photo: Simon Woods

Naomi Blacklock performance of Aflame, A Singing Sun 2019 at the opening of Second Sight. Photo: Simon Woods

In 2019, we helped shape game-changing graduates.


We employed 24 students in front-of-house, advancement, finance, installer, production, and Kinnane curatorial and registration intern positions. They were mentored, developed new professional skills and helped with the day-to-day running of the Art Museum. These experiences will make them more employable when they graduate.


“Art and culture are a crucial part of a holistic education and we are boosting graduate prospects for UQ students from all walks of life through a range of immersive, contemplative and critical experiences at the Art Museum.”

– Dr Holly Arden, Associate Director

Former UQ Art Museum is pictured smiling in the Art Museum.

“I credit the experiences I had at UQ Art Museum for the success I've had in the visual arts. Without the Kinnane Curatorial internship, I wouldn’t have been selected for the Venice Biennale Emerging Arts Professionals Program, or my current role at Museum of Brisbane – it made all the difference!”

– Emma McLean, Assistant Curator, Museum of Brisbane and 2018–19 Kinnane Curatorial Intern

Nikia Tester and Alex Reed present on highlights of the Stuartholme-Behan Collection of Australian Art in front of a selection of artworks and an audience of Art Museum donors in the Collection Study Room.

UQ Art Museum presented a series of special viewings of the highlights of the Stuartholme-Behan Collection of Australian Art. The University of Queensland holds the collection on loan from Sacred Heart Education Ministry which acknowledges the kind support of the Behan Family and The University of Queensland.

UQ Art Museum presented a series of special viewings of the highlights of the Stuartholme-Behan Collection of Australian Art. The University of Queensland holds the collection on loan from Sacred Heart Education Ministry which acknowledges the kind support of the Behan Family and The University of Queensland.

Our community contributed knowledge, time and support to our students.


“Nikia and Alex [2019 Art Museum interns] are a great reflection on UQ's Art History Department and UQ Art Museum. They are smart and enthusiastic and if they represent the calibre of graduates entering the arts sector, Queensland is in very good hands. Not only did they undertake a tremendous amount of reading to inform their presentations on the Stuartholme-Behan Collection, but they also embraced the challenge with such self-directed motivation, that they deserved to shine, and they really did.”

– Bruce Heiser, Art Dealer and Valuer

Alex Reed and Nikia Tester are pictured with mentor Bruce Heiser.

We are grateful to our generous community of supporters.

UQ Art Museum Director speaks with Dr Felix Behan about the Stuartholme-Behan Collection of Art in front of a gathered audience of donors.

Our team


In 2019, our team mentored students as part of our daily work. We delivered guest lectures to students, taught courses, and provided opportunities for students to put their knowledge into action in a professional museum setting.

With the help of these students, front-of-house staff and interns, we also delivered a program that resulted in our highest number of visitors ever. We're proud of what we've achieved in 2019.

Some of the UQ Art Museum staff, students and front of house staff assembled for a group shot school photo style with the Lara Merrett High Stakes installation as a backdrop.
Some of the UQ Art Museum staff, students and front of house staff assembled for a group shot school photo style with the Lara Merrett High Stakes installation as a backdrop.

Back row L to R: Shane Pace (UQ student and Front of House), Peta Rake (Senior Curator), cut-out of Effie Skoufa-Klesnik (Registrar, Loans and Acquisitions), Chloe Marston (UQ student and Front of House), Anna Briers (Curator), Nick Ashby (Museum Preparator), Nicola Garrett (Education and Public Programs Officer) Middle row L to R: Olivia Trenorden (UQ student and Front of House), Beth Porter (Operations Manager), Dr Holly Arden (Associate Director), Riva Charles (Kinnane Industry Experience Scholar), Sheryn Smith (Senior Registrar), Melanie Moore (Executive Assistant/Finance and Administration Officer), Rebecca Kilpatrick (UQ student and Front of House) Front row L to R: Danielle Harvey (Engagement and Training Officer), Isabella Baker (Curatorial Assistant), Nikia Tester (UQ student and Front of House), Zali Matthews (UQ student and Kinnane Endowment Fund Curatorial Intern), Elena Dias-Jayasinha (UQ student & Music of Spheres student curator), Dr Campbell Gray (Director) Absent: Brent Wilson (Production Manager), Danielle Hastie (Assistant Registrar Collections and Storage) and many more Front of House staff and students!

Some of the UQ Art Museum staff, students and front of house staff assembled for a group shot school photo style with the Lara Merrett High Stakes installation as a backdrop.
Some of the UQ Art Museum staff, students and front of house staff assembled for a group shot school photo style with the Lara Merrett High Stakes installation as a backdrop.

Back row L to R: Shane Pace (UQ student and Front of House), Peta Rake (Senior Curator), cut-out of Effie Skoufa-Klesnik (Registrar, Loans and Acquisitions), Chloe Marston (UQ student and Front of House), Anna Briers (Curator), Nick Ashby (Museum Preparator), Nicola Garrett (Education and Public Programs Officer) Middle row L to R: Olivia Trenorden (UQ student and Front of House), Beth Porter (Operations Manager), Dr Holly Arden (Associate Director), Riva Charles (Kinnane Industry Experience Scholar), Sheryn Smith (Senior Registrar), Melanie Moore (Executive Assistant/Finance and Administration Officer), Rebecca Kilpatrick (UQ student and Front of House) Front row L to R: Danielle Harvey (Engagement and Training Officer), Isabella Baker (Curatorial Assistant), Nikia Tester (UQ student and Front of House), Zali Matthews (UQ student and Kinnane Endowment Fund Curatorial Intern), Elena Dias-Jayasinha (UQ student & Music of Spheres student curator), Dr Campbell Gray (Director) Absent: Brent Wilson (Production Manager), Danielle Hastie (Assistant Registrar Collections and Storage) and many more Front of House staff and students!

Visit UQ Art Museum in 2020

The UQ Art Museum building lit up at night for an exhibition opening.