Griffith graduates feature in world’s biggest contemporary art exhibit

Two graduates from the Queensland College of Art have been chosen to exhibit at Documenta 14, the world’s most prestigious contemporary art event.
Doctoral candidate Dale Harding and Masters graduate Gordon Hookey are among just three Australian artists invited to show their work at Documenta.
The blockbuster exhibition is held every five years in Kassel, Germany and features the best contemporary artists from around the world.
Dubbed the ‘art Olympics’, it attracts more than a million visitors over 100 days, including collectors, gallery and museum directors and international press.
Both of the indigenous artists are known for their politically charged artworks, which are on display in Athens and Kassel.
Dale was born in the Central Queensland town of Moranbah and is a descendant of the Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal people.
After moving to Brisbane, he enrolled in the QCA’s unique Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art, graduating with honours in 2013.

His work uses traditional and contemporary

See Full Post >>

Griffith Business School launches “forward-focused, future-ready” strategy for 2017-2020

Griffith University’s new Business School Strategy is about meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Launched in April 2017, the new objectives for the Griffith Business School (GBS) are aimed at creating a forward-focused, future-ready Business School and will ensure that the university remains an industry leader in the field of business education.
Pro Vice Chancellor (Business) Professor David Grant believes that placing greater importance on the School’s already strong commitment to global connectedness and social responsibility is the way forward.
“The strengths of the strategy are articulated in its mission and vision,” Professor Grant explains. “The Business School’s vision places a heavy emphasis on our traditional values of socially responsible, innovative and globally connected leadership. The mission places a very heavy emphasis on our engagement with businesses, government and other community partners, and ensuring we use that engagement to deliver high-quality business education and research.”
The four main areas of strategic

See Full Post >>

Griffith to host Voices in Paradise

Griffith is giving young singers a chance to join the a cappella revolution.
Next month, the university’s Gold Coast campus will host Voices in Paradise, an all-day workshop and concert celebrating the power of song.

Now in its fifth year, the popular event attracts hundreds of participants and is open to all singers between the ages of 15 and 30.
During the workshop, singers will get the opportunity to work with a cappella superstars like Blindside and Drums of War, using a range of popular arrangements by Pitch Perfect producer Deke Sharon.
Participants develop their skills in four-part a cappella harmony, technical vocal production and choreography, covering hits by contemporary artists like Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons and Walk the Moon.
The results will be showcased in a concert at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus, where singers will share the stage with their mentors and the southern hemisphere’s largest male a cappella chorus, The Blenders.
Voices In Paradise

See Full Post >>

Exploring the unique skills of people with autism

Developing the unique skills of people with autism and improving pathways to further education and employment will be explored in an autism seminar at Griffith University’s Mt Gravatt campus on Friday, April 21.
Emeritus Professor Patricia Howlin from the King’s College London, said most follow-up studies of adults with autism found that outcomes are poor with the majority of people unemployed and socially isolated.
She said studies of adults in Europe and the US indicate that employment rates, at best, are around 30 per cent and even among those who do find work jobs are mainly low level and poorly paid.
“But we now realise that many individuals with autism are of average or above-average intelligence and that a substantial minority also possess special skills or patterns of abilities that exceed those of the general population,’’ she said.
“How to make best use of such skills to enhance educational progress and facilitate entry into the

See Full Post >>

Turning the lens on Nepal’s untold stories

Griffith photography students recently travelled to Nepal for a three-week study tour, revealing some of the untold stories of the tiny Himalayan nation.
The tour featured a five-day festival of masterclasses and workshops, followed by an intensive 12-day storytelling project which gave students the opportunity to work in the local community with a team of international mentors.
The trip concluded with a series of open-air exhibitions in the local communities the students had visited. The theme, ‘Utopia/Dystopia’, allowed the photography students to showcase the negative and positive aspects of Nepalese life.
Heading out of the classroom
Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Photography Earle Bridger said the study tour provided a unique learning experience for students from the Queensland College of Art and Griffith Film School.
“It was our first trip to Nepal and it won’t be our last,” he said.
“The kind of stuff our students took away from this trip can’t be taught in a classroom.
“They

See Full Post >>

Italian exchange inspires Claudia

Languages student Claudia Espinoza on exchange in Italy.
By journalism intern Monique Gilmore
Griffith University Italian student Claudia Espinoza recently returned from Italy where she worked at a primary school (the Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono) as part of the Griffith Global Mobility program.
While in Italy, Claudia took on the role of English language assistant, an experience she describes as unforgettable.
“Having a passion for Italy and Italian pushed me to enrol at Griffith and although learning the language at university for the past two years has been an absolute delight, nothing compares to the experience of traveling and being immersed in a different cultural practice,” Claudia said.
“I had the chance to work closely with each and every one of my students. I listened to their impressions on different topics, laughed with them, cried with them and most importantly, learned from their vivacity and innocence.”
When asked about how the Griffith mobility program benefited her, Claudia had

See Full Post >>

Griffith leads the way for student satisfaction

Griffith is among the leading universities in Australia when it comes to student satisfaction.
A new report, published on April 12 by the Federal Government, places Griffith University at number two in the country amongst publically funded universities after students across Australia were surveyed about their entire educational experience. Griffith was ranked fifth overall.
The annual Student Experience Survey, carried out by the Social Research Centre, is the only comprehensive survey of current higher education students in Australia. About 178,000 undergraduate students participated in the 2016 survey, which focused on six quality indicators in learning and teaching.
“Griffith outperforms the national average in all six of the survey’s focus area indicators,” Professor Debra Henly (left), Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), said. “Our students registered an overall satisfaction rate of 84.2% which is notably higher than the 80% national average.”
Along with the overall quality of educational experience, the other five indicators in the Quality Indicators for

See Full Post >>

Get your green thumb out with groNATIVE

Gardening in southeast Queensland has never been easier with the swipe of a finger – or green thumb.
The groNATIVE app – developed at Griffith University in partnership with Natura Pacific and funding from the State Government – includes profiles of more than 400 plants native to southeast Queensland.
The app intuitively helps you find the most suitable native flora for your suburb.
Since being launched, the free app for smartphones and tablets is already being used by more than 2000 people and Professor Catherine Pickering is encouraging even more to think about using it and getting out in their garden over the Easter break.
The botanist in Griffith’s Environmental Futures Research Institute says it’s a great time to revitalise the garden with some new plants, with April’s milder weather and moist soils creating perfect conditions. She says the days when native gardens might have looked a little drab are long gone.
“People can use

See Full Post >>

Scholarship fosters next generation of filmmakers

Griffith Film School student Siobhan Domingo will get the opportunity to hone her craft alongside the country’s top camera crews after winning the ABC John Bean ACS Memorial Scholarship.
The Brisbane-based filmmaker has just embarked on a Masters of Screen Production, which will be partially funded by the scholarship.
The $25,000 scholarship also includes an intensive 6-week internship with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The John Bean Memorial Scholarship for Cinematography was established in memory of Griffith University alumnus and ABC cameraman John Bean, who died in a helicopter accident in 2011.
It is designed to support the ongoing study of a talented postgraduate student in the field of cinematography and encourage excellence in this specialist field.
Siobhan, who graduated from the Bachelor of Film and Screen Production last year, said she was overwhelmed to have won the scholarship.
“I was very surprised and I’m still trying to process it,” she said.
“I know a scholarship like this

See Full Post >>