1 August 2006
Renowned Melbourne artist and academic Associate Professor Domenico de Clario has been appointed the Head of Fine Arts at Monash University's Faculty of Art and Design.
Dr de Clario, a multidisciplinary artist, is represented in all major public and private collections in Australia as well at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in a number of international private collections.
He comes to Monash from Perth's Edith Cowan University, where from 2001-3 he served as both Head of the School of Visual Arts and Associate Dean (Research and Development) in the WA Academy of Performing Arts. From 2003 until May this year he was the Head of ECU's School of Contemporary Arts.
Dr de Clario brings 24 years of teaching experience with him from RMIT University, where from 1973 until 1996 he taught painting, drawing, sculpture, performance and installation before resigning his tenure in order to concentrate on further research, obtaining both an MA and a PhD in the process.
In 2002 he was awarded Victoria University's Professional Achievement Award as well as VU's Vice-Chancellor's Prize for that university's Best Postgraduate Thesis for 2001.
Dr de Clario said he was excited about future opportunities for expansion and development in the Faculty of Art and Design at Monash, which is home to traditional contemporary arts disciplines as well as multi-media, photo-media, industrial and interior design and art theory.
"I'm excited about the number of departments working in close proximity to each other within a creative arts faculty," he said. "I'm a great believer in collaborative ventures and multidisciplinary practice, and I'm very keen to facilitate collaborative ventures within the faculty and engage more broadly with both the local and international arts community."
The vigour of the Art and Design Postgraduate program at Monash was also a big drawcard for Dr de Clario, who plans to continue and intensify his own practice. "Research output is currently such a significant issue for universities, and the fact that the faculty has such an extensive and well-run research program is very exciting," he said.
Faculty of Art and Design Foundation Dean Professor John Redmond said Dr de Clario had an exceptional research record built over 30 years of continuous art practice, as well as more than 100 solo exhibitions throughout Australia and the world, and many collaborative projects with international performance artists, classical and improvisatory musicians, actors, dancers and digital media artists.
"The Department of Fine Arts is arguably the leading centre of fine arts studio research in Australia and Dom is ideally placed to lead it through its next stage of development," he said.
For more information or to arrange interviews contact Melissa Marino, Media Communications, on + 61 3 9905 2085 or 0437 121 978 or Dr Domenico de Clario on Domenico.Declario@artdes.monash.edu.au. Photographs of Dr de Clario are available.
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