Adelaide College of the Arts

It’s always a fun art exhibition opening to go to. Packed full of people creating an excited buzz, variety of artwork, abundance of artwork and some lovely Fox Creek wine to accompany it.
Tonight was a graduate exhibition and I love those as there are always proud parents and other supporters of the emerging artists there, which creates some sentimental moments if you’re people watching!
Penny Griggs, SALA CEO gave a warm and wonderful speech.
One tip is to collect the booklet as well as the listing of works. In the booklet all the artists are featured, which makes a great reference for following the up and comers as they grow and develop and exhibit in future shows.

AC Arts is great for two things: diversity and accessibility.
There’s so much crazy crap going on inside that building on Light Square at any given time. If you could peel away the walls and watch it, your head would spin. You’ve got the dancers, the artists, the actors, the lighting guys, the list goes on. There are exhibitions, shows, classes and workshops all throughout the year in just about every area of the arts. I’ve been here to see plays, mate’s art exhibitions and drawing workshops.
The building itself is great too. A reflection of the often schizophrenic world of the arts, the facility plays like a big jagged mishmash of staircases, broken floors and rabbit warren hallways. I did work experience in the AC Arts building and got lost innumerable times. It was a fun place to get lost though.

From the outside this place looks like a giant Kit Kat, but is actually the proud home of the AIT Arts facility (Associated with TAFE SA).
Open plan interior with stairwells leading to various upper level rooms, and a downstairs space used primarily for exhibitions. Home and resources to various courses such as performing arts, ceramics and costume making.
There is a café operating inside, and a theatre where various performances are staged, so the public can enjoy as well. Unfortunately you are unable to bring hot drinks inside the theatre, so if you are watching a show, plan Intermissions wisely.

The Adelaide College of the Arts is many things to many people. It houses a couple of theatres that are used as schoolrooms to teach technical production to students as well as provide acting students an opportunity to perform in a state of the art venue; it also provides this experience to the dance students who get a degree in dance at the college. The theatres are also for hire at different times of the year, particularly during the Adelaide Fringe Festival and that’s when any number of theatre companies may be appearing in public seasons of plays, stand up comedy or dance.
The facility houses galleries where exhibitions are constantly featuring work by graduates of the variety of courses on offer at the school including print making, jewellery and sculpture. Most often the work is available for sale. The large foyer area hosts small scale exhibitions of work related to student productions and there are many opportunities to purchase work by students and view productions by students. One of the best things for the public is the café housed in the foyer where you can get a coffee or other beverage, a muffin, a wrap or toasted sandwich and sit at one of the indoor or outdoor tables and relax for a while watching the creative types come and go.
Outside there is a small but rather beautiful cactus garden bed, and inside on the last Tuesday of each month a poetry reading is held free of charge between 1 — 2 PM, so there is often something to listen to as well as watch. Music usually plays in the foyer area as well.
AC Arts is transitioning into an independent business and encourages the public to use the café facilities and attend the exhibitions and poetry readings on site. Always an interesting place to meet for a drink in the city and who knows, you may just bump into the next Picasso, Cate Blanchett or Judy Davis!