Uni Melb: “We Were Only Painting!”
Posted by savevca1 on January 25th, 2010
Workmen Repair Sign on Saturday 23 Jan 2010
When the University of Melbourne removed the last reference to the “Victorian College of the Arts” at the St Kilda Rd campus on Friday 22/01/10, they may have underestimated the ferocity of the response. With talkback radio and Facebook flooded by angry SAVE VCA member comments, some clever staff and students went about replacing the sign with one of their own making.
However, 24 hours later, with new sign in hand, these staff and students were met on campus by some very diligent University tradies working on a Saturday to put the original sign back!
When Crikey.com asked the University why the sign had been removed a spokeswoman revealed that: “the workers had to take the letters off to paint the fence. It’s part of the normal maintenance cycle, you can’t paint the fence with the letters on there,” she said. Crikey’s Flint Duxfield quipped “We can’t help but hope maintenance of the ‘fence’ won’t become an annual event.” (Crikey.com 25/01/10).
We’ll forgive the University spokesperson for mixing up the sign with a “fence” (perhaps she doesn’t frequent the VCA grounds?) and we’ll also try and suspend disbelief that perhaps the removal of the sign was not in line with existing University contravensions of the Heads of Agreement which have seen the VCA name and logo removed from the website, the campus and on all printed material.
Heads of Agreement: “the VCA is to retain its title and logo (pentagram representing the five senses intertwined) for the purposes of branding, publicity and marketing of the VCA as a distinct entity and its programs both in Australia and internationally”
We’ll also ignore that surely the “paint job” would have been best done AFTER the Discussion Paper process is complete, because after all, if the University is genuine about offering all options, the sign could end up with a new name (e.g. Australian College of the Arts) or a new logo (TAFE) or a new partner (a different University). Why paint it twice in one year?
We share Crikey’s hope the “painting” of the sign will not become an annual event, and for now have a quiet giggle to ourselves, enjoy the footage below, and write our submission to the Discussion Paper advocating VCA become independent, funded by the Arts Ministry like NIDA, and in charge of its own “fences”.
Recent Interesting Reading
The Age 24/01/10 “Mr B and the A Team”
(Suggestion the new Arts Minister is in the category of “Minister for Stuff Ups and Invisibility” and is likely to retire this year)
The Australian 23/01/20 “Luvvies Outside The Tent”
(Michaela Boland tells it like it is – “it’s at the community level that Kosky’s neglect is beginning to show and from where the next generation of acclaimed performers will emerge”)
The Age 23/01/10 “Batchelor Moves to Front of House”
(John Brumby gets “cranky” when ABC’s Virginia Trioli questions his committment to the arts)
For Prosperity: The Saga of the “Fence Painting”
VCA Students & Staff with their own Sign (with workman quickly replacing the original sign behind)
VCA Students & Staff with their own Sign
BEFORE: Last "VCA" Removed by Melbourne Uni
AFTER: Workmen Repair Sign on Saturday 23 Jan 2010
Mongrels!!! When i was in third year 1993 we had a class photo taken around the sign. Wonder how much it will be worth now??? This fight has to to continue money cannot win over arts education.