History
Art education has been offered at RMIT since its foundation in 1887 (as the Working Men's College),[2] as part of a suite of "art, science and technological" classes envisioned by its founder Francis Ormond.[3] The early art classes of the College were modelled on those of British and European art schools—particularly the Brighton College of Art (now the University of Brighton) and the South Kensington Science and Art School (now the Royal College of Art) in the United Kingdom.[4]
By 1899, around 400 students were taking classes in architectural and freehand drawing, painting, sculpture and wood-carving at the College.[5] Its architectural classes were the first in Victoria,[6] and remained part of the School of Art until 1934 when they broke away to form the predecessor to the RMIT School of Architecture and Design.[7]
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Photography commenced at the College in 1891,[8] and classes in wet-plate photography, photoengraving, photolithography and collotype and carbon printing were all offered by 1902.[9] Instructor Ludovico Hart founded one of the earliest photographic clubs in Australia at the College in 1891, The Working Men's College Photographic Club, which continues today as The Melbourne Camera Club.[10] Between 1904 and 1905, instructor James Aebi also took what were likely the first colour photographs in Australia at the College.[9] The Melbourne Camera Club. Retrieved June 7, 2017</ref> Photography was dropped from the College curricula in 1914, but recommenced as a certificate course in the School of Art in 1936.[11] It became a department of the School in 1956, with a diploma course developed by Dr. Neil Lewis from Kodak which he modelled on that of the Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States.[11]
Art became a separate school at RMIT in 1917, as the School of Applied Art (and the second following the Trades School in 1890), with a building for its own purposes completed that year.[12] The foundation stone for the new School building was laid by the Premier of Victoria, Sir Alexander Peacock, on 25 January 1915,[12] and the School was officially opened with a 1 oz 15 karat gold and enamelled key by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Arthur Stanley, on 25 January 1917.[13] Since 2008, the original key is held by Melbourne Museum as part of its history of technology collection.[14]
