Deans and Directors of Creative Arts
The important contribution that creative arts disciplines make to innovation, education and society is not always well understood. The DDCA advocates on behalf of its members to advance the creative arts in the higher education sector and, more broadly, for the role of the creative arts in society.
The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) is a representative body for the creative arts in the Australian tertiary sector, advocating the value of creative arts education and research not only to the sector, but also to society and culture more broadly. We acknowledge the 47 recommendations made in the Australian Universities Accord Final Report, published in February 2024, and from the point of view of the creative arts we are particularly encouraged to read the following important points…
The DDCA in consultation with The Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) a Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) and Australian Screen Production Education and Research Association (ASPERA) and Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association (IDEA) have made a submission to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report 2023.
The DDCA in consultation with The Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) and Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) has submitted in our submission to the Review of the Australian Research Council Act 2001.
DDCA shares sector concerns about the changes outlined for the Australian Research Council (ARC) programs and governance in the Letter of Expectation from Acting Minister for Education & Youth, the Honorable Stuart Robert MP, addressed to ARC CEO Professor Sue Thomas.
DDCA and ACUADS responded to the government’s proposed changes, including new fee structures, contained in the Job-ready Graduates Package released on 11 August for public consultation.
The consultation period closed on 17 August 2020. Details on the proposed legislation is available at:
https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready/job-ready-graduates-package-draft-legislation-consultation
Following DDCA’s submission to the ANZSRC review in June 2019 (see below), we were given an opportunity to respond to the proposed revised draft. Following consultation with our member peak bodies: ACUADS, ASPERA and AAWP, plus with a number of member institutions in music, DDCA responded to the proposed model, particularly highlighting the challenges related to the restructuring of FOR 1902.
DDCA’s submission responded to the invitation issued by the Australian Research Council for comments on the review of ANZSRC. The submission advocated for change to the current ANZSRC classifications to better reflect and include creative arts research. The submission was advised by consultation with peak bodies in creative arts disciplines and leading scholars in visual and performing arts and creative writing.
Details of the consultation process and paper are available at: https://www.arc.gov.au/anzsrc-review
At the kind invitation of the conference organisers, DDCA Board member Professor Frank Millward presented an overview of DDCA and NiTRO to the Women in Creative Arts Conference held at the Australian National University, Canberra on 11 August 2017.
DDCA thanks Professor Millward who stepped in to deliver the presentation at very short notice following a family crisis which prevented NiTRO Editor Jenny Wilson from attending the event.
At the request of the ARC, DDCA has reviewed and commented on the final journal list proposed by the ARC for inclusion in the 2018 ERA journal list.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the 10 DDCA members who undertook the task of reviewing and providing input on behalf of their broad disciplinary areas. These were then collated into the final response to the ARC.
DDCA’s role was only to review and comment on the journals that had been proposed via a consultation with universities and we were not able to include missing journals. However, the exercise revealed a significant number of current refereed journals missing from the ARC’s 2018 list. We have pointed out to the ARC that this risks giving an inaccurate picture of research activity in FOR 19 for the next ERA exercise.
Although the list is now closed for 2018, given the seriousness and extent of the omissions, we are hoping that the ARC will ask us to update the journal list in time for the next ERA exercise.
DDCA’s submission responded to the invitation issued by the Australian Research Council for comments on its Consultation Paper. The submission reinforced support for the principle that measures of research engagement and impact be sensitive to a range of research types and highlighted the lack of data related to creative arts research impact and engagement in current university data collection processes.
Details of the consultation process and paper are available at: http://www.arc.gov.au/nisa
DDCA’s submission responded to the response format to the discussion paper released by ACOLA. Key issues highlighted in DDCA’s submission included: the portfolio career and professional nature of research students in creative art disciplines; the gaps in current university graduate review and support systems and reforms needed to equitably encompass graduate training in creative arts disciplines.
Details of the consultation process and final report are available at: http://acola.org.au/
DDCA’s submission responded to the response format to the discussion paper released by the Commonwealth Government. Key issues raised in the DDCA submission included the contribution that creative arts research makes to the cultural industry, to innovation in industry more broadly and the need to support creative responses to improve innovation
DDCA President, Su Baker at the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) 2015 Conference.
Glenelg Pier Hotel, Adelaide. 23 September 2015
Clive Barstow examines the role of the Arts, Current News (May 2018) – Future Arts
Wilson, J. (2017). Australian tertiary artists, we need to talk: The birth of NiTRO. Australian Art Education, 38(1), 108.
Macarthur, S., Lochhead, J., & Shaw, J. (Eds.). (2016). Music’s Immanent Future: The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies. Routledge.
FitzSimons, T. (2015). ‘I’ve got to STOP writing this (adjective of choice) article and get onto my filmmaking’: documentary filmmaking as university research–some history and case studies. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 9(2), 122-139.
Kerrigan, S., Leahy, G., & Cohen, H. (2016). Still a burning issue: measuring screen production research. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 10(1), 79-96.
Despite the influence of the Strand Report (1998), which paved the way for consideration of select creative arts activities as ‘non-traditional research outputs’, the status, aims, methods and values of creative arts departments in Australia today vary widely.
“Why, when the rest of the world is unleashing the creative potential of young people to generate new cultures and industries and a better understanding of our world, is the University of Sydney selling off its highly esteemed art school to its major competitor?”
‘The reinvigorated Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) has produced it’s first online “space for views and news in the tertiary creative arts community. Our first edition focuses on the changing higher education landscape as we ask: Watt’s next for creative arts?” It’s called NiTRO and contributors include Monash’s Margaret Gardner, VCA’s Su Baker and … yours truly.’
‘The AAWP is delighted to announce that it will be joining the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) as an organisational member. AAWP President Lynda Hawryluk has contributed a short piece to the DDCA’s inaugural interactive component, NiTRO.’
‘In March 2015, the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) conducted a three-day symposium in Melbourne entitled “The Outstanding Field: Artistic Research Emerging from the Academy”. This symposium[…] presented a showcase of twenty six exemplary Australian and New Zealand practice-led PhD projects from the past decade.’
‘There were some impressive speakers at the conference and the tone was optimistic without being blithe or over-emphatic.’
‘Artists need audiences to deliver their best, but audiences also deserve the best from the artists they come to see, and increased public attendance may encourage that.’
The newly formed Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (ACDDCA) is calling on federal politicians to urgently support increased funding to the tertiary arts sector.
In the spirit of reconciliation, the DDCA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.