University of Tasmania at the Hedberg

The Hedberg is a state-of-the-art building that takes the University boldly into the creative future, giving music, creative arts, and media students a world-class learning space, and bringing students, staff, industry and community together.

The Hedberg is one of Tasmania’s most ambitious cultural and arts infrastructure projects – a $110 million building being delivered through a collaborative partnership between the University, the Australian and Tasmanian Governments and the Theatre Royal.

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Recording in Australia's new home of music

The Hedberg equips University of Tasmania students with the agility needed for contemporary communication and creative careers and leadership. Teaching here reflects the way a convergence of music and image, stage and screen, and art and science is redefining creative careers.

Students can realise their creative vision from forming a concept and taking it to the audience through performance, writing or recording. Along the way, they engage with professional musicians, media commentators take part in internationally acclaimed festivals, and build a portfolio of work.

The Hedberg is also a catalyst for developing new and innovative curriculum. This has manifested already in the Making the Event unit offered to students from multiple disciplines across Media and Communication, Fine Arts, Music, and Theatre and Performance, culminating in a one-night-only immersive experience and micro-festival across four floors of The Hedberg.

The Hedberg is a gateway to numerous wider degree offerings, within the School of Creative Arts and Media and more broadly in the College of Arts, Law and Education, where the priority is to equip students with the distinctive capacities needed to deliver a good and just society in Tasmania and the world.

Take a virtual tour of the Hedberg

As an incubator for place-based creative practice, research, partnerships and engagement, the Hedberg provides world-class spaces for collaborating, rehearsing, performing and recording.

Take the tour

Venues and facilities

Ian Potter Recital Hall, Hedberg Building

The Ian Potter Recital Hall is a professional performance venue seating up to 289 patrons. Its variable acoustic system is one of a handful in the world capable of reproducing a reverberation field between 0.6 and 15 seconds. This technology recreates perfect sonic environment for the widest variety of performances and opens possibilities for space to form part of cutting-edge compositions.

The latest live streaming technology brings audiences from around Tasmania and the world inside virtually for performances, events and collaborations.

Research and industry

The Hedberg is a University-wide incubator for multi-disciplinary creative practice, research, partnerships and engagement. Interdisciplinary research and teaching at the Hedberg facilitates local and global exchanges.

Here industry can work with leading researchers and practitioners to research new solutions and innovations or to co-design cutting-edge practice-based performance pieces. Contribute to the development of the creative sector and the next generation of creative talent.

Being in the Hedberg means the University can invite Tasmania’s cultural and creative professionals into our spaces, opening more opportunities for work-integrated learning and for writing, performing and recording with the creative industries.

The Hedberg provides our partners with the opportunity to connect with students, researchers and world-class facilities. Creative Arts and Media at the Hedberg is part of a thriving community with a shared vision of promoting the creative arts sector in Tasmania.

Funding and philanthropy

The University of Tasmania secured $37 million in Australian Government funding for the Hedberg project. The Tasmanian Government provided $30 million in support through capital funding and property transfers. The remaining costs were funded by the University and philanthropic donations.

Several named spaces within the Hedberg acknowledge the generosity of those cultural leaders who have contributed to the vision of the University of Tasmania at the Hedberg and who wish to leave a legacy in terms of arts and cultural leadership.

Sir Ian Potter was a philanthropist with a keen interest in supporting the development of Australian cultural life. In 1964, Sir Ian Potter set up The Ian Potter Foundation to enable him to distribute funds for philanthropic purposes. The Foundation was established with a broad and flexible remit to support excellence and innovation across a range of sectors in the community.

Both Claudio and Lesley made a significant contribution to the state’s economic, artistic and cultural development. In Tasmania, Claudio is perhaps best known for founding the Moorilla vineyard in Berriedale. He also founded Silk and Textile Printers and was known through association with the Elizabethan Theatre Trust, and as founding Chairperson of the Australian Opera.

Dr Vanessa Goodwin was a criminologist, lawyer and former Attorney-General of Tasmania, Minister for Justice, Minister for Corrections, and Minister for the Arts. The first Tasmanian cultural policy was delivered during Dr Goodwin’s term as Minister for the Arts. A portion of a bequest received in 2018 from the Estate of Dr Goodwin was allocated to the Hedberg project.

Connect

The Hedberg is the latest addition to Hobart's creative precinct which includes the Theatre Royal, Federation Concert Hall, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and the University of Tasmania's Hobart campuses including the Centre for the Arts on Hunter Street.

University at The Hedberg events

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Enquires email Theatre Royal
venues@theatreroyal.com.au

Location

University of Tasmania
School of Creative Arts
and Media
27 Campbell Street
Hobart TAS 7000

Mail

University of Tasmania
School of Creative Arts
and Media
Private Bag 63
Hobart TAS 7001