Since 2017, Professor Tim Dunne has stewarded UQ Art Museum as part of his portfolio as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Deputy Provost. Next month, Professor Dunne will commence as Senior Vice-President of the University of Surrey. As we bid a fond farewell, we want to acknowledge the tremendous support that he has provided to the team, and to the Art Museum through the Kinnane Art Endowment.
Many of you have met Tim at openings and learning events, where he has spoken passionately about the unique role of university art museums as spaces where students are inspired to think critically and to ask the kinds of questions that can really change the world. Moreover, he has talked about UQ Art Museum as one of the last remaining physical spaces where people can unpack, interrogate, debate, and rumble with complex ideas, and live to tell the tale; here, the broader community can connect with the rich diversity of the University’s research through an arts lens.
Tim’s belief in the importance of the arts as a fundamental building block of a healthy society is underscored by his support for both UQ Art Museum and UQ School of Music, through donations to the Kinnane Endowment Fund. Through helping to grow this endowed fund that supports a range of student internships, scholarships, fellowships and regional capacity building initiatives in the arts, Tim’s contributions will continue to create a impact for students and communities.
Reflecting on why he chose to support the Kinnane Endowments for both the Art Museum and School of Music, Tim shared that "the Kinnane bequest always struck me as a generous and enlightened donation to the University to support the creative arts; I was keen to play a small part in contributing to the Endowment as I believe in the same educational purposes as the Kinnane family".
We are incredibly grateful for the vision and leadership that Tim invested in the arts throughout his time at UQ, and for his public commitment to our work through giving.
