University of Newcastle student art gallery celebrates 25th anniversary

The University of Newcastle Students Art Gallery, Watt Space, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in September, making it the longest-running student art gallery in Australia.

To mark this event, Watt Space is hosting “25 Watt: Exhibition and Catalogue,” curated and edited by Penny Finnigan. 25 Watt will showcase a curated exhibit of works from former students who now have a national and international reputation.
Artists on exhibition include Lucas Grogan, Alexia Sinclair, Chris Langlois, Peter Speight, Jennifer and Catherine Strutt, Ahn Wells and Dr Ashley Whamond.
Also featured in 25 Watt will be profiles of art administrators and essays by directors and ex-committee members.
Over the past 25 years, Watt Space has hosted close to 30,000 student artists, who have taken advantage of the professional experience that exhibiting in such a space that Watt Space provides.
In the lead up to the exhibition, Watt Space is hosting a residency for New York based artist Ian Burns. Burns is an installation artist who is constructing his work for 25 Watt in the gallery.
Originally studying his undergraduate degree at the University of Newcastle, Burns travelled to New York on exchange, while in the third year of his degree.
Burns completed a Master of Fine Art at Hunter College of CUNY, in New York, and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally.
Watt Space was originally established in 1989 after political activism from students and has survived when many other galleries have closed after the abolition of compulsory student union fees.
Over its 25-year history, Watt Space continues to provide opportunities for professional experiences for students of the University of Newcastle.

University of Newcastle School of Creative Arts

The School of Creative Arts has earned a reputation for delivering quality programs in the creative and performing arts, music and fine art. The school has more than 1,300 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying courses in creative and performing arts.
Staff in the School of Creative Arts have national and international reputations in performance, creative work, scholarly research and teaching. They are living and breathing creative artists, researchers and/or performers—and sometimes a combination of the three.
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Find out more about studying arts degrees at the University of Newcastle! Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Arts Programs Admissions Officer Rachel Brady at rachel@oztrekk.com for more information about how you can study in Australia!