Major Artistic Partner

Partners driving a creative city region

In a partnership spanning over two decades, Geelong Arts Centre and Deakin University continue new and exciting initiatives with the leading education tertiary provider as the centre’s Major Artistic Partner.

Deakin University has held naming rights for the Geelong Arts Centre’s Deakin University Theatre season for almost 10 years. The sponsorship has been integral in the centre’s ability to bringing world class arts experiences to the Greater Geelong region, including works by Bangarra Dance Theatre, Opera Australia and Ensemble Theatre.

Geelong Arts Centre has also managed Deakin University’s Costa Hall, a 1397 seat concert auditorium, continuously for over 20 years. The arts centre secures national and international touring artists, including Amy Shark, Dylan Moran and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for the remarkable historical site conversion.

This long-term collaboration between the two organisations has been built on a foundation of mutual values and strategic focus areas, including a commitment to learning, growing the region’s creative capability, interrogating future facing ideas and enabling and strengthening the wider community through positive collaborative experiences.

These overlapping strategic focus areas and pilot initiatives also align with the City of Greater Geelong’s commitment to establishing Geelong as a Clever and Creative city-region.

As part of Geelong Arts Centre’s opening of the Ryrie Street Redevelopment in 2019, the arts centre hosted an exhibition of work by final year Deakin University Communications Design students, displaying the culmination of a pilot industry experience program held from February to June 2019.

Participating students responded to a brief built from the challenges surrounding communicating the centre’s ambitious $38.5m Ryrie Street Redevelopment. An opportunity exists for the arts centre to provide a bursary to students who produce works of excellence that warrant further investigation.

The two institutions also hosted inaugural Reflex symposium in November 2019, which gathered together academics, creatives and community members from the region, and across Australia to explore the intersection between artist, infrastructure and community partnership.

As Major Artistic Partner, Deakin University is a proud supporter of Geelong Arts Centre's programming including Our Season.