Arts, music and media extravaganza at SCU

A music, arts and media extravaganza showcasing the best of the works by Southern Cross University students will be held over four weeks, starting on October 24.

Exit 05 will feature works by final-year students in the School of Arts completing Contemporary Music, Visual Arts, and Media degrees. Head of School of Arts Associate Professor Jan Davis will officially launch the showcase today (Wednesday, October 19).

Professor Davis said the Exit program had been growing each year, and the 2005 event promised to be the best yet with more than 100 students presenting a variety of work.

"This is a fantastic event featuring some of the region's best musical and artistic talent. This is a great opportunity for people from throughout the North Coast to come and see the creativity and professionalism of our students," Professor Davis said.

"Our Bachelor of Contemporary Music has established a reputation for producing some of Australia's leading musicians and musical directors, and our artists have also achieved success at a national level."

The month-long event kicks off with live music performances by final-year students in the Bachelor of Contemporary Music. The concerts will include performances by individual vocalists and bands across a range of genres from jazz to rhythm and blues, rock, pop, fusion and funk, with both original compositions and cover songs.

The performances are all free and open to the public and will be held at Campus Central on Monday, October 24 to Wednesday, October 26.

A Media Showcase will be held on October 27, providing examples of video documentaries, animation, digital images, music videos and journalism and radio features. A highlight of the showcase will be guest speaker Vanessa Gorman, filmmaker and author.

For art lovers, collectors and potential students, the Exit 05 visual arts exhibition, featuring the work of forty students, will be held from November 4 to 11 (closed Sunday). The exhibition, which is the largest regional showcase of emerging artists, will include paintings, sculptures, prints and ceramics, with all works for sale.

"Our visual artists have produced stunning works. For anyone thinking about purchasing art works by artists on the brink of launching their careers, this is a perfect opportunity. The exhibition will have something to suit all tastes, from the contemporary through to the more traditional styles.

"We are very excited about this year's Exit 05 and the calibre of the work on offer and would encourage the community to come along and help celebrate the students' achievements," Professor Davis said.