For the last five years, Science Gallery Melbourne has partnered with the Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD) to co-design and co-deliver transformational STEM education programs for Deaf learners.

But what sits behind this enduring partnership that has since grown to include Sunshine College, Expression Australia, and the Beth McLaren Smallwood Foundation?

People.

At Science Gallery, relationships are the heart of what we do – and it is these relationships with staff, teachers,  students, and supporters, that enable us to create authentic experiences for communities.

Working alongside the dedicated team at VCD has challenged us year-on-year to think about how the gallery can – and should – be a space for the Deaf community. So, five years in, what better way to do this than to hand over the gallery to the community.

After more than a year in the making, Science Gallery held its inaugural Deaf Arts Science Festival late last year in collaboration with Expression Australia, and supported by the Commonwealth Government, City of Melbourne and Beth McLaren Smallwood Foundation.

The co-design team, made up of representatives from VCD, Sunshine College, and Expression Australia, came together early in the year to determine the themes, programs, and activities for the day. What started as an initial idea for a ‘community takeover’ grew into a Deaf Art Science Festival that would have a more enduring legacy.

What emerged from this process were two essential ingredients that made the Deaf Art Science Festival possible:

  1. Co-design isn’t a phase – it's the foundation

    The day worked because we worked together from the outset – we communicated honestly and often. This was not a case of consultation, but one of joint participation to achieve shared outcomes.

  1. Language shapes the experience – it isn’t an add on

Auslan artwork labels and signage, Deaf-led tours, access to interpreters, and ways of interacting weren’t retrofitted — they defined how the festival and the gallery felt.

A number of people sit on a stage in front of an audience. One person is signing
Three people sit on a stage and person in middle signs

With those two things in mind, we exceeded our own expectations when more than 185 members and allies of the Deaf Community came together to celebrate all things Deaf Art and Science. Highlights included:

Auslan in the Creative Arts and Sciences Panel

Emceed by Ramus McRae, the panel included professionals working across arts and sciences, Chelle Destefano, Elizabeth Reed, Christopher Makin and David Parker, engaged in a lively discussion about why Auslan matters to them and their work – from ensuring consistent signs are used in the sciences, to language rights for creative expression.

Deaf Café

Staffed by hospitality students from VCD who worked alongside Atlantic Group, the Science Gallery Café became the unofficial meeting hub for the day – connecting people and providing a space for people to gather between sessions.

Auslan and Deaf Awareness and Communication Training

In a session led by Expression Australia, visitors to the gallery were invited to learn more about Deaf culture, while our own Science Gallery Educator, Tammy Jong, also taught an introductory lesson to Auslan that included our front-of-house staff.

A person with a Science Gallery t-shirt signs with another person in the gallery
A person stands holding a haptic mouse with computers around them

Deaf-led Tours and Auslan Artwork Labels

Across two packed Deaf-led tours, visitors experienced DISTRACTION, featuring digital animations created by VCD and Sunshine College students with prominent Deaf artist, Gonketa. Auslan videos scripted, filmed, and edited by these same students were also shown alongside DISTRACTION artworks – two outcomes made possible thanks to a Community STEM Engagement grant from the Commonwealth Government.

Haptic Experiences

Led by Speak Percussion, visitors to Silent Hand Catches Silver Bell at the Grainger Museum experienced an interactive tour that included a haptic musical artwork enabling visitors to get hands-on with sound.

I want to say big thank you for organising this truly inspiring event and for listening the members of Deaf Community, as well to co-designing the event with them.

– Member of Deaf Youth Australia

Thank-you for organising this festival!! Fantastic opportunity for Auslan student like myself and my daughter. It was also very inclusive for the deaf community. The kids workshop was fantastic with great instructors. It was a great introduction to electronics. There are not a lot of regular Auslan interpreted event in Melbourne and we do need them.

– Deaf Art Science Festival attendee

With our first Deaf Art Science Festival behind us, it’s what happens next that really matters. Building on the Museum and Collections Department’s D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Framework that shapes how we strive to create inclusive experiences for the Deaf Community, we’re looking forward to the second Deaf Art Science Festival later this year.

Five years of partnership is only the beginning.