History

The Melbourne UNESCO Observatory of Arts Education is housed in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education under the Directorship of Professor Susan Wright. Between 2006-2011 it operated as the UNESCO Observatory for Multidisciplinary Research in the Arts, within the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning under the Directorship of Dr Lindy Joubert.

Lindy Joubert, the Founding Director of the inaugural UNESCO Observatory, is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne and currently is the Vice President World Craft Council Asia Pacific Region (South Pacific). She is Editor-in-Chief of the UNESCO Observatory e-journal Multi-disciplinary Research in the Arts and the UNESCO Observatory Cultural Village Reading Series.

During the period 2000 to 2003 Lindy Joubert was in Paris, working as a consultant to UNESCO on a full‐time basis. Prior to this period, she was Director of the Asia‐ Pacific Confederation of Arts Educationand had been a University academic in the arts since 1978. This work established a link, which after attending UNESCO meetings in India and Hong Kong, in 2005, led to a proposal to UNESCO that an Observatory should be established at the University of Melbourne. The focus of the Observatory was to bring people together with shared interests in the arts and community wellbeing, to support cross‐disciplinary collaborative partnerships with government and industry bodies, and further the contribution of research to public life. The official launch of the Observatory took place at Circus Oz Birrarung Marr, in 2008

Lindy edited the book Educating in the Arts – the Asian Experience, Twenty-four Essays (Springer, 2008) and currently is preparing a sequel, Educating in the Crafts – the Global Experience. This book includes 21 contributors illustrating a wide range of arts education programs in the Asia‐Pacific Region. Written by leaders in a wide range of creative fields and from all corners of the Asian region, this collection of essays presents arts and education programs which reflect traditional and contemporary practices.

Lindy has led teams for Community Arts Development Scheme for VicHealth; the Australia Council and the Creative Arts Strategy for the new Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne; and engaged in UNESCO creative capacity building projects in the Cook Islands; Papua New Guinea; Kenya; Lapland; Timor Leste and Indigenous Australia. She has had 34 international exhibitions, including six in New York City.

  • There is extensive empirical evidence for the significance of placein community health and wellbeing and supports the role of place‐making in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals. Cultural Villages are local communities seeking to support the health‐providing and sustaining aspects of their cultures and practices through new infrastructure – spaces for community gatherings, community services, arts‐in‐education, and protection of heritage. Partnership building and the fostering of ongoing collaboration with local communities is fundamental to the Cultural Village program. The nature of the UNESCO Observatory’s collaborative work embodies the University of Melbourne’s strategic goal of engagement and knowledge transfer, as well as providing communities the opportunity to engage in a two‐way educative process on their views, cultural orientations and direct participation in key decision‐making processes. Cultural Village projects bring together communities and supporting NGOs, architect firms, state government representatives, university‐based academics and students.

    Cultural Village Reading Series

    Kidzbookhub is producing a series of children’s readers about the World Cultural Village series edited by Lindy Joubert. The readers include a series of photographic and illustrated essays showing village life around the world.

    Global Village Projects

    Los Palos Cultural Village Timor Leste

    The development of a Centre for Traditional and Contemporary Arts and Culture in Lospalos is in a valued partnership with the State Secretariat for Culture, Government of Timor-Leste. Other key partners are the communities of Lospalos and Many Hands International (an NGO). The Melbourne UNESCO Observatory was instrumental in obtaining the initial funding for architects and engineers to provide the concept plans. The Project Patron of the Centre is His Excellency Dr José Ramos-Horta, the former President of Timor-Leste. The Centre will run arts and culture based programs and events for local people and tourists, and skills development in arts, crafts and cultural tourism. Activities are intended to support cultural maintenance, promote social cohesion and cultural asset-based economic development.

    Samiland Cultural Village Levi, Finland

    The Cultural Village project near Levi, in Finnish Lapland is for the Sami people and for cultural tourism and education. The development was supervised by Niiles‐Jouni Aikio and Ante Aikio. The design includes a living museum, an indoor and outdoor space where the Sami people have the opportunity to use and demonstrate their traditions and skills to local and international visitors, and also showcase their handicraft and unique style of food preparation. Reindeer herding is an important part in Sami culture – a large corral for 40‐50 reindeers is incorporated in the site.

    Worawa Aboriginal College

    Worowa school, on the significant site of the Coranderrk Station, Victoria, is a secondary college directed by Aboriginal peoples. Through a Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning postgraduate subject – ‘Facilities for Social Sustainability’, students specialising in architecture, botany, history and environmental science developed plans for new landscape designs, facilities and a remodelled cultural centre, under the supervision of Lois Peeler (School Principal).

    Wesley College Yirramalay

    Wesley College Melbourne and communities of Yiramalay via Fitzroy Crossing (Western Australia) have developed a close partnership over six years. Some of the stated objectives are to: “expand life opportunities and learning pathways for students in both communities”. The UNESCO Observatory collaborated with researchers in the IBES funded project ‘Connecting Learners across diverse communities’ and worked with Indigenous students to establish collaborative relationships and engage in distance based education and learning.

    Maasai Cultural Village, Maasailand, Rift Valley. Kenya

    The Maasai communities in the Rift Valley near the Ngong Hills, in conjunction with UNESCO Observatory, under the guidance of Emmanuel Parsimei (Director of MACCONET) and architect Bryan Cush provided concept designs for a Cultural Village comprised of a complex of facilities.  Facilities will complement the heritage, crafts, traditions and skills of the Maasai people as well as extend vocational learning opportunities.

    A series of documentary films about this community were produced by Creative Cowboy Films. The films were one of three finalists in the United Nations association media awards for online media and provide outstanding educational resource material. See the films below:

    Gichocho School and Cultural Facilities design, Gichocho, Kenya

    University of Melbourne students in collaboration with the UNESCO Observatory and Global Aid Partnerships Australia (GAPS) and the local Gichocho church and school developed and finalised concept designs for an arts and health services and a vocational training centre.

    The Torres Strait – Mua Island

    Projects that took place in the Cook Islands and Torres Strait Islands preceded the Cultural Village Program and provided an important background to developing the program. Architecture students visited Moa Island in the Torres Strait. The Mualgal people educated students on local cultures and how the new design of an eco‐tourism resort would serve the community. Student design plans were presented and the Mualgal community then directed revision of the design plans.

    Cook Islands

    The objective was to design the Ministry of Education building in Rarotonga. Faculty of Architecture students at The University of Melbourne provided comprehensive research and designs for the trip. An affiliate in this project was the University of the South Pacific.

    Papua New Guinea Cultural Villages outside Lae and Ilahita

    Cultural Villages in these regions are aimed at providing facilities for vocational training, cultural education, health services and education, and promoting eco‐tourism. In partnership with Design and Build, architecture students from across Australia built a health centre outside Lae, PNG. At Ilahita, the community has initiated and built a community accommodation centre and are supporting a village development plan and cultural infrastructure whilst maintaining the best heritage characteristics that have defined their past. The overall design reflects the social mores of Melanesian culture in a modern and evolving setting.