Arts at Melbourne

Step into a live presentation of student work this week with George Paton Gallery x MPavilion Parkville: Student works with Laura Banfield ✨

Encounter new artistic works emerging under the guidance of artist Laura Banfield. Drawing on her practice across performance, sculpture and video, Laura will lead a series of creative development workshops with University of Melbourne students.

You can then discover how their ideas take shape when they present the outcomes at MPavilion Parkville over the next three days, 19-21 May!

George Paton Gallery x MPavillion Parkville Encounter student works at MPavilion Parkville shaped through movement, material and collective making, presented in collaboration with George Paton Gallery.

George Paton Gallery x MPavilion Parkville: Student works with Laura Banfield

19 May - 21 May | George Paton Gallery x MPavilion Parkville

Step into a live presentation of student work.

Encounter new artistic works emerging under the guidance of artist Laura Banfield. Drawing on her practice across performance, sculpture and video, Laura will lead a series of creative development workshops with University of Melbourne students in the George Paton Gallery Arts Lab. Discover how their ideas take shape when they present the outcomes at MPavilion Parkville over three days in May.

George Paton Gallery x MPavillion Parkville Encounter student works at MPavilion Parkville shaped through movement, material and collective making, presented in collaboration with George Paton Gallery.

Poetry goes no further than language at Buxton Contemporary

Poetry goes no further than language revisits a defining moment in 1980s China, when artists began to question the very foundations of art. Featuring works by the Beijing collective New Measurement Group and Shanghai-based artist Qian Weikang, alongside a new commission by Melbourne-based artist Darcey Bella Arnold. Further exhibition details can be found here

Poetry goes no further than language: A historical moment of art becoming art again - Buxton Contemporary A rare look at 1980s Chinese conceptual art. Discover New Measurement Group and Qian Weikang, alongside a new commission by Darcey Bella Arnold.

Shakespeare in Depth + Julius Caesar discount

Explore Julius Caesar's history, language and staging in our new video series produced with Bell Shakespeare, then see it live with an exclusive 20% discount.

Video Series link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlhuO2ztsug

Ticket discount link: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2026/seasons/bell-shakespeare/julius-caesar?emailsource=UMEL2026

Julius Caesar Betrayal and chaos rock the republic as Rome teeters on the brink of collapse.

Wattle Fellowship applications are now open!

Applications for the 2026 Wattle Fellowship are now open. And for the first time, it’s open to students at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University! We're a year-long sustainability leadership program. No minimum WAM. No required discipline. Just people who care and want to grow.

Applications close 24 May 2026. Apply here:

Wattle Fellowship The Wattle Fellowship is the University of Melbourne’s flagship co-curricular program dedicated to cultivating leadership for global sustainability.

Don't miss 'Migration, hope and illusion: Io Capitano film panel, discussion, and live performance' from the Faculty of Arts 🎻🥁🎶

A critical discussion of urgent contemporary global issues related to migration, displacement, and transnational identities through a panel discussion of the 2023 Italian film, Io Capitano. 6:30pm–8:30pm, 20 May. Forum Theatre, Arts West building.

Migration, hope and illusion: Io Capitano film panel, discussion, and live performance Join the School of Languages and Linguistics for an evening of live music performances, film panel discussion and Q&A, and Senegalese food.

I’m writing to share an upcoming collaborative poetry workshop to students interested in Creative Writing, particularly those interested in questions of identity, creative practice and collaborative methods.

On Friday 8 May from 3:00pm-4:30pm, join us as we bring together creative writing and critical reflection. Co-facilitators Andy Jackson and Dr. Lin Song will lead a one-hour workshop where participants work in pairs or small groups to write and perform a collaborative poem. New Zealand Poet Laureate Chris Tse will then give a 30-minute talk on how identity and lived experience are translated into poetry, and how collaborative writing can open space for risk, experimentation and new approaches to voice and form.

Solo attendance is welcome and encouraged.

Register here:

Chris Tse: Collaborative Poetry Workshop Writing is often solitary, but this workshop shakes things up. Collaborate in groups to create and perform poetry while exploring voice, tone and form.

Towards the intermedial study of Latin American popular song of the late 20th century

Join us on Thursday the 11th of June to explore urban popular song in Latin America, a field gaining interest in musicology yet still lacking robust theoretical and methodological frameworks. Drawing on Dick Higgins’s concept of intermedia, the lecture reframes popular song as a cultural unit shaped by regional networks, collaborations and shared influences at the end of the twentieth century. Register your attendance here:

https://events.humanitix.com/towards-the-intermedial-study-of-latin-american-popular-song-of-the-late-20th-century

For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Towards the intermedial study of Latin American popular song of the late 20th century This lecture reframes late‑20th‑century Latin American popular song as intermedia, shaped by music, text, recording, images and networks.

The Melbourne Writers Festival is coming up on 7-10 May, have you decided what you're keen to see yet? ✍👀

The Faculty of Arts is proud to be a major partner of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Students can access a 10% discount on Festival program events (exclusions apply) using the promo code UOMVIP.

Need help choosing from the program? Read about Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative Creative Producer Dr Seth Robinson’s top-picks:

https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/public-humanities-initiative/mwf-2026-mphi-suggests

A taste of India has arrived at the Student Pavilion! 😍

Curry Workshop, the University’s first Indian cuisine retailer, is now open on Level 4 of the Student Pavilion. Drop by to enjoy affordable wraps, flavour-packed rice bowls, snacks, and drinks - bringing fresh, vibrant tastes to campus and adding a delicious new option to your lunch routine 😋🤤 Come and find your new favourite spot.

Link to map: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/2hae