JOAN GROUNDS LENDS SUPPORT

Joan Grounds shot by the legendary Carol Jerrems, 1974 (from Art & Australia, Summer, 43:2, 2005).

Former UWS Fine Arts lecturer and acclaimed artist, Joan Grounds, emailed to lend her support. Below is text Joan wrote for the petition (only the first paragraph appears on the petition, so read the rest here):

This decision to close Arts at UWS is the end result of years of distressing actions aimed at the Arts by the University. To observe the gradual dismantling of this vibrant and important tertiary cultural institution was one of the most unsettling events I have witnessed in education in Australia.

The Arts at UWS service the demographic centre of Sydney. Cultural institutions in this region are beginning to grow, to flourish and to gain a reputation for excellence in part because of the critical mass of talented past graduates. These institutions rely on a continuum of talent that has been developed and nurtured in the critical environment of tertiary art education within a liberal arts University. It is difficult to understand why or how removing this educational facility that so clearly is a key to the infrastructure of cultural institutions in Western Sydney makes any rational sense on any level.

For the present staff and students, ‘teaching and learning out’ the last of the courses this is a sad and bewildering event. For all artists in Australia this is a tragedy, because some of our best talent and minds have been educated and honed in this facility. Many of the students are first generation tertiary educated and many initially enrolled with little idea of the opportunities that would open for them as they developed as creative and productive artists. One has to assume that without this important and excellent facility there will be significant future loss for all of us, because the ‘voices’ of the students from this catchment will never emerge to enrich, challenge and bring honours to Australian life and culture.

It always takes years and years to build a strong arts program such as the one at UWS. And it takes so little time to break it down. So much good will, hard work and talent has gone into building up the Arts at UWS. To see it destroyed in this manner is a great and lasting tragedy. I would have to say, a tragic mistake of epic proportion.

- Joan Grounds