$80,000 Grant Helps Put ECU On National Arts Map

Edith Cowan University (ECU) is one of three national galleries awarded a prestigious Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP) grant, enabling a nationally recognised artist to showcase their work in the heart of Perth at the new ECU City campus public gallery.

ECU City opens in semester one of 2026 as the centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, a collaboration between the Australian Government, Western Australian Government and ECU, to deliver a world-class university to the heart of Perth.

The highly competitive Copyright Agency Partnerships grant supports mid-career and established visual artists to develop and present new work in partnership with leading art galleries and cultural organisations around Australia.

The public gallery at ECU City will present a commissioned artist’s work in 2027, with two other Copyright Agency Partnerships exhibitions at UNSW Galleries in Sydney (2026) and Gertrude Contemporary in Melbourne (2028).

A bold cultural vision 

Clothilde Bullen OAM, Manager, Art, Culture and Collections at ECU, an acclaimed Wardandi and Badimaya curator, writer and arts advocate, said she was thrilled to see ECU selected as a CAP partner.

“This investment in the University’s gallery program helps elevate the role ECU is playing in transforming Perth’s cultural landscape, supporting bold, innovative artistic practice that resonates with diverse communities and speaks to contemporary life,” she said.

“As a university, we’re deeply committed to access, equity and creativity and this CAP commission will provide vital opportunities for emerging artists and students to connect with the selected artist, research their practice, and to see first-hand what best practice in curatorial and exhibition programming can be,” she said.

Creative industries at the heart of Perth

The Copyright Agency Partnerships grant is supported by ECU’s School of Arts and Humanities Creative Humanities program, which includes Visual Arts, Design and Screen Production.

ECU Associate Dean Creative Humanities Professor Katya Johanson said the opportunity to bring a renowned artist to exhibit in ECU’s public gallery and work alongside emerging artists in ECU’s studio offered fantastic benefits to the arts world.

“It will help expand students’ understanding of the arts ecology, the work that goes into exhibition, and what it takes to tour artwork,” she said.

Visit the Copyright Agency webpage to learn more about the Copyright Agency Partnerships and criteria for applicants.

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