Art, Culture and Collections

Edith Cowan's campuses are located on Whadjuk, Wardandi and Mooro Country, in the southwest of Western Australia. We recognise these Traditional Owners as the Custodians of the places upon which learning takes place, and pay our respects to those whose ancestors passed down knowledge of Country and intergenerational learning, and those who continue, in the role of Elders in the community, to do so.

Collaborations and connections

Under the banner of Creative Futures, the area of Art, Culture and Collections brings together the ECU Art Collection, the implementation of ECU's Cultural Narrative strategic framework, and exhibition programming within the ECU City Gallery, based on the City Campus on the ground floor on the corner of Yagan Square and Roe Street, Boorloo, Perth.

Art, Culture and Collections connects the university's cultural spaces and collections with community, fostering creative engagement, and supporting learning and research through programs, exhibitions, events and opportunities. We engage with best practice in caring for the ECU Art Collection, and deliver cultural outcomes by connecting internal and external stakeholders to the work of the university, including our staff, students and the public.

Community engagement

Community engagement is key to the success of our university, and our highly visible public-facing gallery is central to fostering engagement and supporting research and on-the-ground learning opportunities, nurturing the university community but also, more broadly, the sector and artists. By collaborating with leading cultural organisations we connect the creative industries with students and academic programs, focusing on public-facing outcomes that platform research and learning.

Our exhibition programs feature local and Western Australian artists, as well as artists based nationally and internationally. Exhibitions are open to the public and our ECU Art Collection is visible throughout each campus, including the ECU City Campus precinct.

Important notices

Moving artwork

It is extremely important that no ECU owned art is moved from its existing location by anyone outside of the Art, Culture and Collections team, during the relocation from Mount Lawley campus or at any other time on any other campus. No ECU owned artwork should be taken home for safekeeping nor disposed of by staff or students.

Temporary moratorium on artwork installations

Due to current resourcing demands and the focus on the closure of the Mount Lawley campus, there will be a temporary pause on new artwork installations across ECU campuses. This moratorium is intended to ensure our collection continues to be managed responsibly and sustainably during this transition period. We thank you for your understanding and continued support of the ECU Art Collection. There will be further communication when the program reopens.

Our mission

The mission for ECU Art, Culture and Collections is to become a leading conduit of formalised art knowledge and experiences into the public domain, as well as to enhance student and staff experiences across their ECU cultural journeys. Its goals, and metrics of success are to:

cultivate scholarship and research on artists
be a sustainable, dynamic space to explore art and ideas
be accessible and act as a significant pivot point for artistic programming, engagement with community and stakeholders, and innovation
contribute broadly and collaboratively to the local, Australian and international arts ecosystem via scholarship, publications, a rolling exhibition program, artistic support, activation and funding ideas and opportunities, and through partnerships
attract future students through its clear position of education in action; where pedagogy and teaching take place in a real-life context with pragmatic applications
be embedded in campus life and work collaboratively with all facets of ECU
build upon and continue to develop a focused collection of national significance
lead on best practice in Intellectual Property and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, as well as digital sovereignty
support activation and engagement opportunities centred around the public art across all campuses

Find out more

Cultural Narrative

Art Collection

ECU City Gallery

Who we are

Left to right: Alix Beattie – Senior Curator, Natalie Hewlett – Collection Manager, Matthew McAlpine – Registrar, Clothilde Bullen – Manager Art, Culture and Collections and Sarah Henneveld – Cultural Coordinator.

Contact us

Manager, ECU Art, Culture and Collections
Clothilde Bullen
Email: collections@ecu.edu.au

Policies and guidelines

Download the ECU Art Collection Policy via the ECU Policy database.

You can also download Access, Handling, Storage and Conservation Guidelines.

Image credits listed start at the top of the page: 1. NAIDOC public program In-Conversation with Noongar Artists as part of the exhibition Boola Moorditj Boordiya (Many Strong Leaders) curated by Zali Morgan. 2. Richard Bell, You Can Go Now, 2021, installation view, image courtesy of Clothilde Bullen. 3. Vincent Namatjira, P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), 2021, synthetic polymer paint on wall, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia 2021, supported by Veolia Environmental Services, image courtesy of Clothilde Bullen. 4.Floor talk for Transports by Eduardo Cossio, 2024, Spectrum Project Space. 5. Jody Brown, Edge of Country, acrylic on canvas, Edith Cowan University Art collection, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Greg Pynt. 6. Sandra Black, Small Pierced Bowl – Bird Design 30, porcelain, Edith Cowan University Art Collection. 7. ECU City Campus Concept – Roe Street East.

Creative Futures