Kerry Argent, Annette Bezor, Aleks Danko, Mandy Martin, Leslie Matthews, Trevor Nickolls, Ken Orchard, Josephine Starrs & Leon Cmielewski, Catherine Truman, Angela & Hossein Valamanesh, Gerry Wedd and Ian Kidd Design

Orbit, the second exhibition organised by the Art Museum to celebrate the University of South Australia's tenth anniversary, considers the historical and contemporary success of one of Australia's foremost and oldest art schools, the South Australian School of Art (SASA). Established in 1851 as the School of Arts, from its earliest days the school has claimed a distinguished reputation for launching artists of quality and influence into long-term 'orbit '.

Orbit features the work of some exemplary SASA educated artists and designers of our time, whose practice and accomplishments have earned them national recognition since graduating, and who have continued to make dynamic contributions to contemporary visual arts practice. The exhibition represents many of the diverse disciplines and philosophies pursued at the School in recent years.

Art schools are exciting places of change. They enjoy a growing, if controversial, cultural influence. They are grappling with an expanding educational brief and new institutional circumstances, while rethinking the once-singular role of preparing artists for their unusual and difficult careers. Strong evidence of community interest in the visual arts, along with the huge capital investments still being made, nationally, in "top–end" art museum infrastructure, suggest opportunities and a continuing demand for visual arts education. Against this backdrop of significant challenge affecting all Australian art schools, Orbit provides a valuable benchmark of high achievement in fine art and design.

A University of South Australia Art Museum exhibition. Curated by Erica Green, Professor Ian North and Olga Sankey. Catalogue essay by Professor Ian North.