Artistic Work: Industries and the Creative Life

Undergraduate | 2026

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Mode icon
Mode
Mode
Your studies will be on-campus, and may include some online delivery
On campus
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Area/Catalogue
CREA 2003
Course ID icon
Course ID
201127
Campus icon
Campus
Adelaide City Campus West
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course owner
Course owner
School of Humanities
Course level icon
Course level
2
Work Integrated Learning course
Work Integrated Learning course
No
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Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
Yes
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
Yes
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
Yes
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Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

Creating art is a public good and potent way of understanding, interpreting and communicating the nuance and complexity of lived experiences. Additionally, this leads to the study of the social function of arts and roles of artists being a rich repository for knowledge building, including about the lives of artists and the tensions that may exist when artist’s lives are embedded within the structures of consumption in the creative and cultural industries. In addition to working as thoughtful artists, this course prepares creative industry professionals to transfer their critical lens and skills to commercial arts and cultural organisations, political campaign management, arts and cultural management in local council, state and federal government agencies, education, communication media for private companies, or in the not-for-profit sector. This course provides a way into this complex confluence of ideas, leading to an understanding the role creative artists as both practitioners and innovators, by teaching students to critique the extent to which autobiography and artistic practice are entangled. Since the 20th century, graphic narratives have become a vital way of charting life through artwork, and so this course uses the creation of graphic narratives as a creative method through which to critically assess the relationships between artistic practice, life and industry. Students will study the history and practice of autobiographical art, covering a range of cultural perspectives, and will apply what they have learned by creating their own autobiographical graphic narratives.

 

This course calls students to interrogate the intersections between art, work and life, drawing them to a deeper understanding of their own creative aspirations and personal values, while also developing entrepreneurial skills to make strategic career decisions. Students will explore graphic life narratives of aritsts from a variety of cultures to reflection on the role of creative life in creative industries, and as a tool for charting career trajectories.

  • Art In Public Life
  • The Lives Of Artists
  • Arts Scenes And Industry

Course learning outcomes

  • Critically analyse works of art in terms of their formal properties, content and/or process of production.
  • Identify and discuss the way a work of art articulates with its historical and cultural context and evaluate its role and reception in society.
  • Articulate their subjective experience of relating to art work by communicating persuasively.
  • Develop, interpret and present their own works of art effectively to audiences.

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A