Connections: Art, Teaching, Life

My art practice revolves around curating exhibitions, arts writing, art-making, and exhibiting my own artwork. As an artist-teacher, I continually engage in these activities while teaching, believing that creative expression is vital to my professional identity. I am currently lecturing in Arts Education at Melbourne University and teaching ESL at Cambridge International College. Additionally, I run my own creative enterprise, Purnima Creations, through which I provide self-publishing services for individuals in the creative industry and work as a contractor on curating, arts management, arts writing/editing, and education projects. My recent book, ‘Inspiration Wild,’ was published by the Wildlife Art Museum of Australia in October 2014.

As the Teacher Artmaker Project co-researcher for four years, I have found that this experience has provided me with an impetus to fully immerse myself in the world of art and education. I continually exhibit my artworks annually. Furthermore, my teaching skills contribute to my work as an art curator, arts manager, and artist – I see these two traditionally disparate disciplines as inseparable. These photographs reflect my interest in nature and culture. My art inspires my creative writing, reflecting my use of arts-centred pedagogy to develop students’ visual literacy skills.