THE ANU School of Art is taking a leap into innovative digital and web design, as well as media arts, it has been announced by Head of School, Denise Ferris

The new ANU Design programs to run from 2017 will include courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including Bachelor and Masters Degrees and would, Associate Professor Ferris said, “mark a new chapter and a new direction for the School.”

While other art schools are being closed and reduced, she noted, the ANU had demonstrated strong support for the School of Art and the future of tertiary art and design in Canberra and the region.

“This is a reinvention of this school, but it’s a reinvention that sticks to the intrinsic core of what this school is,” Associate Professor Ferris said of the announcement, “It’s about applied creativity, engagement and collaboration, as well as the art and craft of making.”

The new Design program will be headed by Geoff Hinchcliffe and Associate Professor Mitchell Whitelaw, who have been pioneers of new forms of digital and web design.

Associate Professor Whitelaw has worked with partners including the Asia Art Archive, Canberra Museum and Gallery, the State Library of Queensland, the State Library of New South Wales, the National Archive and the National Gallery of Australia.

Dr Hinchcliffe, a School of Art alumnus who has been teaching at the University of Canberra for some years, has had a career spanning print, TV, web and interactive media, and his research focuses on new practices in digital design and innovative web-based forms.

In a former life he was  a well-known member  of the Canberra performing arts community and once appeared at the Edinburgh Festival.