I have been working in the visual communications industry for over 25 years as a graphic designer, artist and educator - both in the community and tertiary environments. I have lectured in Design Studies at the University of Otago and in the Bachelor of Fine Arts undergraduate program at the Dunedin School of Art. In 2013 I was awarded a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Kennesaw State University (formerly SPSU), in Georgia. Here I taught graphic design and new media art. I have just recently returned from a three month visiting lecturer position in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. Here I worked with senior students at the University College Sabah Foundation mentoring and teaching in storytelling, visual communication and film, while directing/producing a short documentary on the giant Rafflesia.
My arts practice includes collaborations, producing and supporting fora for discussion, networking between disciplines, mentoring emerging artists, providing marketing and logistical support for artists and events, independent curatorial projects, and writing. I have governed on several artists trusts including the Blue Oyster Art Project Space and Aotearoa Digital Arts Network. I am currently an Arts Access Aotearoa mentor.
I have undertaken several art residencies; the William Hodges Southland Residency, Invercargill, NZ (2008); the inaugural Platform China Art Residency, Beijing, China (2010); and in 2012 the Un Litro de Agua project at Casa Tres Patios (C3P) in Medellín, Colombia. This later project involved traveling an exhibition of ten New Zealand artists work, and working with non-government organisations facilitating workings with marginalised communities suffering from internal armed conflict.
Alongside my teaching and arts practice I am a freelance graphic designer. For two years I lived and worked in Vanuatu (2008-09). Here I was employed as Visual Communications Adviser working with NGO Wan Smolbag Theatre. My position involved training several local counterparts in graphic design and communication while developing all educational materials to compliment and support the theatre's associated workshops for teachers, communities and students. In August 2011 I returned to Vanuatu for a second project. This time a 6-month assignment working with an agronomist co-editing, illustrating and designing a farmers manual for growing and processing vanilla while training staff in marketing, developing educational materials and graphic design. In 2017 I returned again and worked as a marketing advisor with Malampa Travel Centre and the Vanuatu Tourism based in Lakatoro, Malekula. This assignment focussed on working with counterparts in developing a communications strategy, including website and social media comms. These three assignments were with VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad).
Working in Borneo, China, Vanuatu, Colombia and the USA have been invaluable in terms of professional and personal development, informing both my design practice and learning and teaching work through the diverse cultural interactions and exchanges.
I have been working a learning and teaching specialist with Te Pūkenga: Otago Polytechnic since August 2018. In this role I work with teachers in supporting and building academic capability including best pedagogical practice and e-learning tools and methodologies. I passionately advocate for visual literacy as a necessary 21st century capability for all disciplines in tertiary teaching. This is informing my ongoing research on visual literacy and its impact on learning and teaching with regard to accessibility, inclusivity, and enhancing learning.
My arts practice includes collaborations, producing and supporting fora for discussion, networking between disciplines, mentoring emerging artists, providing marketing and logistical support for artists and events, independent curatorial projects, and writing. I have governed on several artists trusts including the Blue Oyster Art Project Space and Aotearoa Digital Arts Network. I am currently an Arts Access Aotearoa mentor.
I have undertaken several art residencies; the William Hodges Southland Residency, Invercargill, NZ (2008); the inaugural Platform China Art Residency, Beijing, China (2010); and in 2012 the Un Litro de Agua project at Casa Tres Patios (C3P) in Medellín, Colombia. This later project involved traveling an exhibition of ten New Zealand artists work, and working with non-government organisations facilitating workings with marginalised communities suffering from internal armed conflict.
Alongside my teaching and arts practice I am a freelance graphic designer. For two years I lived and worked in Vanuatu (2008-09). Here I was employed as Visual Communications Adviser working with NGO Wan Smolbag Theatre. My position involved training several local counterparts in graphic design and communication while developing all educational materials to compliment and support the theatre's associated workshops for teachers, communities and students. In August 2011 I returned to Vanuatu for a second project. This time a 6-month assignment working with an agronomist co-editing, illustrating and designing a farmers manual for growing and processing vanilla while training staff in marketing, developing educational materials and graphic design. In 2017 I returned again and worked as a marketing advisor with Malampa Travel Centre and the Vanuatu Tourism based in Lakatoro, Malekula. This assignment focussed on working with counterparts in developing a communications strategy, including website and social media comms. These three assignments were with VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad).
Working in Borneo, China, Vanuatu, Colombia and the USA have been invaluable in terms of professional and personal development, informing both my design practice and learning and teaching work through the diverse cultural interactions and exchanges.
I have been working a learning and teaching specialist with Te Pūkenga: Otago Polytechnic since August 2018. In this role I work with teachers in supporting and building academic capability including best pedagogical practice and e-learning tools and methodologies. I passionately advocate for visual literacy as a necessary 21st century capability for all disciplines in tertiary teaching. This is informing my ongoing research on visual literacy and its impact on learning and teaching with regard to accessibility, inclusivity, and enhancing learning.
