Annual Conference

The annual AAANZ conference takes place in either Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand. The conference brings together scholars from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and further afield. The conference attracts bewteen 300 and 500 delegates for a two-to-three day program, which typically includes over 150 papers, keynote lectures, graduate masterclasses, networking, round-tables on publishing, funding and other events. The annual conference is an important event for scholars working within the art history, art theory, curatorship, art education and arts practice. Each year the program features range of speakers from students to established, senior academics. Our aim is to support research in the arts and to draw together the diverse range of people working in universities, museums, libraries and independently.

The venue changes each year and each host venue engages with the local arts and educational groups. By holding the conference in a different major city every year the Association maintains a visible and active presence across the region. Through this geographical spread the Association develops key relationships with a large number of art museums, galleries and educational organisations broadening our scope with each new stakeholder we work with.

AAANZ works in partnership with the organising committee in the host city and each year our conference encourages collaboration between universities and the gallery sector.

The 2025 conference will be hosted by The Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, The Berndt Museum, and the UWA School of Design, and supported by the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Western Australia in Perth from Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 December. The theme for this years conference is Unruly Objects.

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