Griffith University is positioning itself at the forefront of creative arts research with the launch of a new institute bringing together leading thinkers from the music and performing arts, design, art and film worlds.

CARI Director Professor Vanessa Tomlinson

Professor Vanessa Tomlinson will lead Griffith University’s new Creative Arts Research Institute (CARI) and said it would create a powerful platform for new collaborative projects.

“This is my dream job,” she said.

“It’s about creating a collective voice for cutting-edge creative arts research within the university and strengthening our engagement with industry and the community.

“This is a genuine opportunity to connect the dots and combine our interdisciplinary expertise to do amazing things.”

Professor Tomlinson said CARI would support arts research with social impact.

“Social justice, inclusion and environmental sustainability are the central issues of our time, and creative solutions play a vital role in creating a better future,” she said.

“CARI will also provide a showcase for globally significant work by First Peoples researchers at Griffith, and we will work in close partnership with the Indigenous Research Unit (IRU).”

CARI, which incorporates the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre (QCRC), will be based at South Bank, in the heart of Brisbane’s cultural precinct.

Professor Tomlinson said CARI would leverage researchers’ industry connections to create exciting new collaborations.

“CARI is a space for thinking, making and doing. There will be a lot of hands-on creative work, as well as big picture research which will shape policy and create new ways of engaging with the world,” she said.

“Individually, our researchers are already out there playing in concert halls, exhibiting in galleries and engaged in festivals. Together we can go to industry with a cohesive strategy, help set the future agenda for the arts, and work out how to highlight the significant role culture plays in the lived experience of our community.”

With 57 members, CARI will also provide mentoring and support for more than 150 HDR candidates across the creative and performing arts at Griffith, through a doctoral training program, research workshops and masterclasses.

“We have a large cohort of HDR students, and many of them are already leading industry practitioners,” Professor Tomlinson said.

“CARI will allow those students to tap into a network of mentors across the creative arts disciplines at Griffith.”