A Message from the Dean of Arts

Welcome to another edition of the Faculty of Arts Alumni newsletter, ARTiculation.

As many of you will know this year marks 100 years since the battle of Gallipoli and the inauguration of the ANZAC tradition. Here at the University of Melbourne, we have had a long and multifaceted relationship with this historical conflict, and to honour and recognise this complex past, this edition of Articulation has been devoted to the engagement of staff, students and alumni, both past and present, with lesser known ANZAC stories.

Inside this edition you will find an interview with alumni Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios and Andrew Anastasios on the collaboration that resulted in the production of the acclaimed The Water Diviner. You will also read about Faculty of Arts alumna Jessie Mary Vasey's contribution to the plight of the 'War Widows', and the subsequent establishment of the War Widows' Guild of Australia.

Another major exhibition to take place this year will be 'The Anzac Battlefield: Landscape of War and Memory' located at the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a joint project between the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish governments and is the result of a five year research project on the Gallipoli battlefield, led by our own Professor Antonio Sagona from Classics and Archaeology. The Joint Historical and Archaeological Survey uncovered evidence of the daily life of Australian and Turkish troops, and the outcome of the survey provides new insights into life on the battlefield.

The University will also be offering a series of panel discussions which will reignite the spirit of the Melbourne 'War Lectures' which took place across the campus after the outbreak of WWI. The original series featured academics from a range of discipline areas, in particular from the humanities and social sciences, and sought to provide the University and broader community with a critical and historical context for the conflict that had such a profound impact on the community. The contemporary program of lectures will echo this diversity and provide insights into the lesser known histories of the University's engagement with WWI.

All of this and more is available on the University's ANZAC website and I encourage you all to explore the program and take advantage of the intellectual riches that it offers.

In other news, I would like to announce that last month the Faculty celebrated the official opening and launch of the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation in its new location on Swanston Street, located directly opposite the Ian Potter Museum of Art. The new building is the result of a generous donation and represents the ongoing support of teaching and research programs by our Arts community.

I hope you enjoy this edition and I look forward to bringing you more news from the Faculty with the next instalment of Articulation.