The UWA Cultural Precinct features many prominent galleries and museums for students, alumni, and the general public to explore. From contemporary arts and design to Aboriginal art and geological artefacts, the university has a cluster of rich and well-curated sites to explore. Better still, locals and visitors alike can take in the beautiful grounds of WA's oldest university whilst soaking up it's historical and cultural treasures.
The UWA Cultural Precinct features many prominent galleries and museums for students, alumni, and the general public to explore. From contemporary arts and design to Aboriginal art and geological artefacts, the university has a cluster of rich and well-curated sites to explore. Better still, locals and visitors alike can take in the beautiful grounds of WA's oldest university whilst soaking up it's historical and cultural treasures.
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
Nestled in the lush surrounds of the north-western side of campus, the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery is regarded as one of the finest university galleries in Australia. The gallery presents a diverse exhibition program each year, including works from The University of Western Australia Art Collection, historical and contemporary art, as well as travelling exhibitions. Each exhibition is accompanied by a range of academic and public events, most of which are free to attend – so there’s excuse. They include artist talks, curating forums, lectures, presentations, workshops, symposia, conferences and performances. Don’t forget to soak in the tranquil beauty of the Sunken Garden while you’re nearby.
The gallery is located right across from the Sunken Garden and is open Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 5pm.
Berndt Museum
Founded in 1976, the Berndt Museum contains one of the finest collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and cultural artefacts. This makes it the premier university-based museum that focuses on Aboriginal Australia in the world, and therefore a must-see for those interested in Aboriginal art. At its core, the museum manages the Ronald M. and Catherine H. Berndt Collections, as well as several hundred individual collections of objects that have been presented over the past 40 years. The richness of the collections includes not only the extensive archives, art and object collections, but film, sound and photographic collections of substantial proportions. Trust us, it’s epic.
Collections are housed within the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, and is open Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 5pm.
Edward de Courcy Clark Earth Science Museum
Named after the UWA distinguished geology professor and Clarke Medal-winner, this museum is dedicated to the fascinating world of geo-science. The geo-curious can explore past environments, plants and animals, and examine beautiful crystals. Plus, Edward de Courcy is one of those truly interactive museums, giving visitors the rare chance to touch a meteorite or handle some of Western Australia’s unusual minerals. Walking into the entrance, there is an Eocene plant grove that flourished 38-55 million years ago, and within the museum a repository of more than 136 000 mineral, rock, fossil, and meteorite specimens. Embrace your inner geo-nerd!
The museum is located in the Geology building across from the central Tropical Grove, and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9:30am – 5pm; as well as Saturday 2pm – 5pm.
Cullity Gallery
Located just across Stirling Highway in the Nedlands campus is the Cullity Gallery – a unique venue showcasing innovative works in visual arts, architecture, landscape architecture and design. Open to the public five days a week, the gallery hosts three dedicated student exhibitions a year as well as several private displays. It demonstrates the sheer depth of talents flowing from the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Visual Arts – or ALVA if you want to sound like a true-blue UWA arts kid.
You’ll need to cross over to the Nedlands campus to see this one. Located on the ground floor of the main ALVA building, the gallery is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.
ARTLAAB
Beautifully restored, ARTLAAB is a street front laboratory located within the Masonic Contemporary building on Broadway. Yes, UWA has it own Broadway – or rather the suburb of Crawley does. Set off-campus to the west, the space is set up as a dynamic and responsive site for students, staff, alumni, and the broader community to exchange in ideas about art. Exhibitions and talks are of a more experimental flavour, and perfect for those wishing to see boundary-pushing art practice in action.
Located just across from the corner petrol station, the gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 7pm.
Content credit: UWA Cultural Precinct; images: UWA Cultural Precinct (Facebook)
All events at UWA
[lp-scoop-widget]data-prop-region=western-australia data-prop-type=events data-prop-max-rows=3 data-prop-parent-id=106219[/lp-scoop-widget]