Distant Connections

Distant Connections was an exhibition in response to the Chifley Home. The Chifley Home is a home museum situated in Bathurst, NSW to document the life of Prime Minister Ben Chifley. The artworks were created by students enrolled in a visual arts curriculum subject delivered by distance in a teacher education program at CSU. Australian history was explored, interdisciplinary connections examined and museums engaged with as sites of learning. Through research into Australia in the 1930s-1950s, the exhibition arrived at a new benchmark for teacher education in utilizing social history as a vehicle for art education. It established new knowledge about how museums can be used as resources and sites for learning. As the first art exhibition at Chifley Home the exhibition contributed new interpretations and expressive responses to the collection.