Collecting the Future: 50 years of the Griffith University Art Collection

29 May – 16 August 2025

Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 4pm

Griffith University Art Museum

226 Grey Street, South Bank

Australia's artistic landscape over the past half-century and celebrate Griffith University and the Queensland College of Art & Design's substantial cultural legacy.

 

Curated by Lizzie Riek, herself a QCAD alumna, Collecting the Future traces the changing social and cultural contexts within which the University and the Art Collection have operated since their foundation in the 1970s. It features works by some of Australia's most influential artists and outstanding Griffith University alumni.

 

The exhibition also includes a powerful 2017 self-portrait by 2025 Archibald Prize winner and QCAD Alumna and staff member Dr Julie Fragar. Collecting the Future also highlights the crucial role that donors have played over five decades in building this nationally significant collection and enhancing its cultural impact.

 

The exhibition coincides with the launch of an interactive 50-year anniversary website. Curated by QCAD alumn Patrick Lester, it chronicles GUAM's evolution from its origins as the Queensland Film and Drama Centre in 1975 to its current status as a premier cultural institution.

 

A series of public programs featuring artists, curators, and past GUAM staff will complement the University's 50-year celebrations. These events will spotlight contributions from Queensland College of Art and Design (QCAD) and Contemporary Australian Indigenous Arts (CAIA) alumni, with additional programming to be announced throughout the exhibition.