About

Since its foundation and the first intake of students in 1961, Monash University has commissioned significant works of art to complement the architecture and the landscapes of its campuses. The earliest works, situated on the Clayton campus, include a celebrated ceramic mural by John Perceval, stained glass windows by Leonard French and Les Kossatz, and  sculptural installations by Clifton Pugh and Clive Murray-White.

In recent plans for campus redevelopment, Monash has reinforced the importance it places on public artworks. It has formalised a public art policy that aims to enhance the University’s campuses and stimulate greater cultural participation and debate through permanent and temporary displays of public art that are lively, engaging and at times provocative. 

Callum Morton’s Silverscreen, 2010, was commissioned to mark the relocation of the museum to Caulfield. A number of new commissions have taken place alongside redevelopment projects, including the iconic, halo-like entry and external skin of Monash’s Building 17 created by Kosloff Architecture and MAP (Monash Art Projects) in 2018; a suite of artworks by A Centre for Everything (Will Foster and Gabrielle de Vietri), Tully Moore, Kenny Pittock, Sam Songailo and Esther Stewart produced in 2017 for the S2 Car Park at Clayton; and Agatha Gothe-Snape’s The Scheme Was a Blueprint for Future Development Programs, made for Caulfield’s Campus Green in 2015. While others, such as Megan Cope’s Weelam Ngalut (Our Place), 2019, play a specific role: her site-specific installation welcomes students, staff and visitors onto the Country of the people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional owners of the land and waterways upon which we meet, teach and learn at Monash University.

Today MUMA is  responsible for the development and management of the Monash University Collection across the multiple Victorian campuses, found both inside buildings and integrated in the public realm. In a carefully curated campus experience, art is a constant revelation and inspiration to the Monash community.

^{Image: Esther Stewart, P2 Upper 1, 2 P2 Lower 3, 2017, synthetic polymer paint on concrete. Location: Level 2, Learning and Teaching Building, S2 Car Park, Clayton}