Curriculum Vitae;
The Course of One's Life

QUALIFICATIONS

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• B.A.(Hons) Geography, University of Hull, UK

• Advanced Diploma in Art and Creativity (NZQA Level 7 - B.A. equivalent in the UK), The Learning Connexion Art School, New Zealand.

• Graduate Diploma in Psychosocial Studies, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

• Diploma in Professional Interior Design, National Design Academy, UK.

• Certificate in Counselling and Family Therapy, Human Development and Training Institute of New Zealand. 

• A Levels: English, Geography, Social Biology.

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2023 

GRANTS:

• Arts Council England Develop Your Creative Practice Grant for Geographies of Inclusion: Mapping Ways to Integrate Sustainable Creative Practice, Indigenous Models, and Health. Covers 12 month period to July 2024.

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POSITIONS:

• Advisory Board Member/Trustee for Broken Grey Wires.  From December 2023.

• Member of Intercultural Roots practitioner network from 1st Sept.

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RESIDENCIES:

• Artist in Residence with Slumgothic at x-church, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. April to December 2023.

• Micro research residency with Deveron Projects, exploring ways in which the community have been engaged in stories of place and belonging. Huntly, Aberdeenshire, November 6-12

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WORKSHOP FACILITATION: 

• Moving with Nature in collaboration with DanceFree. Funded by Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Community Fund, managed by Lincolnshire Community Foundation. Sat 15th July.

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EXHIBITIONS:

• Group Exhibition: Nature Positive, Project Space +. University of Lincoln. November 13-17.

• Solo Exhibition: Moving with Rock, Decimal Place, Lincoln. August 2-31.

• Group Exhibition: Nature's Way, Patience Gallery (online) Feb onwards. 

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COURSES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED:

• The Winter Sessions with The Dark Mountain Project: (4 weeks/6 hrs).  Land-based creative practice developing stories of place.  2nd to 30th Dec. 

• Health and Wellbeing through Artmaking (10 weeks/25 hours).  University of the Arts, London (Central St. Martins). 3rd Oct to 5th Dec.

• Creating Stories and Atmosphere from the Body.  With Cai Tomos at The Bhavan, London.  27th Nov.

• Walk of Life movement workshops with Helen Poynor.  Devon/Dorset.  March 24th-26th, June 10th-11th and July 7th-9th.

• The Dance of Being Lab, Retreat, Wild Conference. January 20th-22nd. Copperdot Studios, Norwich

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2022 

• Awarded Advanced Diploma in Art and Creativity (NZQA Level 7 - equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts in the UK).  The Learning Connexion, Taita, New Zealand.  

• Publication of art essay In Search of Isatica online by The Dark Mountain Project.

• Selected as Featured Artist of the Month for October by Art.Earth

• Wild Writing course, Lincoln with Dr. Ruth Charnock (15 hours) - Embodied Writing (Attended in-person).

• Sentient Performativities: Thinking Alongside the Human.  June 26-30, Dartington, Devon.  Symposium investigating somatic (bodily) practices and their role in fostering ecological awareness and interspecies communication.  Curated by art.earth.  Attended in-person as participant.  

• Relocated from New Zealand to the UK (April)

2021 

• Volunteer Gallery Host: New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington. 

• Front of House Volunteer: Academy Galleries, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.

• Full-time Art Student: Level 6 Diploma in Creativity. Feb 2021 to Dec 2021. The Learning Connexion, Taita, New Zealand. Recipient of partial scholarship towards fees.

• Participated in 4 group exhibitions, Wellington, New Zealand

2020 

• Began making artworks full-time during the first lockdown

• Participated in 3 group exhibitions, Wellington, New Zealand

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2018/19

An Unfinished Woman 

A period of travel, exploration, embodied inquiry, personal rewilding, undomestication, and healing. Created my own curriculum of workshops and group encounters, following things that interested me whilst living and travelling in a small campervan.  It was a ritual year for the end of menses and a period of recovery from physical and mental ill health.

This period of time had a profound influence on how I now work, which is why I have included it here.

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Workshops attended during this period included:

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Ceremony and Ritual:

• Making Ceremony. A week-long experiential immersion into ritual and ceremony, and the role of ritual tradition in contemporary living. Schumacher College, Dartington, Devon.

• Women Rising Rooted Eco-feminism Workshop. 5 days. Embercombe.  An immersive exploration with a group of 45 women into story, myth and indigenous practice. With author, mythologist and psychologist Dr Sharon Blackie and Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining), a Diné (Navajo) mother, grandmother, activist, artist, writer, ceremonial leader, and international speaker.

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Dance and Movement:

• Body as Voice: Restorative Movement Psychotherapy for Trauma. 4 days. Dance Studies Studio, University of Auckland, NZ. Module 1: Body Mind, Beginner’s Mind. With Dr Amber Elizabeth Gray.

• Conscious Dance Aotearoa Retreat. 4 days. Workshops on Contact Improvisation, Butoh, Authentic Movement, Open Floor dance, 5 rhythms dance.  ​​

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​Nature Immersion:

• Nature Journey/Pilgrimage to the meeting of the waters, following the Clutha River (South Island, New Zealand) from source to sea.

• Wildself  Voice Discovery. 3 days. Wild living, nature, wild swimming and natural voice discovery workshop. Wanaka, NZ.

• Wild Living Retreat. 5 days. Nature immersion, wild living, foraging, open-fire cooking, traditional bushcraft, storytelling and song. Otaki Gorge, NZ.

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Life Transitions:

• The Sacred Work of Grief. 3 days.  Equine-led healing workshop with a herd of horses. NZ.

• Life Transitions Retreat. 5 days. Mary MacKillop Centre, Auckland. With Mary Mackenzie, MA and Kathleen MacFerran.

• Awakening To Life Dyad Meditation Intensive. 7 days. Experiential immersion in dyads and groups. With Dr. Robert Gonzales and Robert Krzisnik, MSc Psych. 

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Bodywork:

• Sensual massage training and Tantric massage training (10 days total).

• Personal Bodywork sessions (25 hours).

• Attunement Therapy Practitioner Training. 5 days. A polyvagal theory-based holding therapy which supports the nervous system.​

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Conference:  

• Mataora: Encounters Between Medicine and the Arts. 1 day conference. Te Papa, Wellington, NZ. 

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2017/18

• Year-long course Voices of the Wells with author, mythologist and psychologist Dr Sharon Blackie. Exploring eco-feminism through Celtic myth and personal practice

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2015/16

Assistant Manager: Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre. Nov 2015 to Nov 2016.

Helped to set up and run The Flock, a national community arts and conservation project. https://shorebirds.org.nz/archives/3141 

Gave talks on shorebird conservation, guided groups and individuals to the shore and the bird-hide, managed the visitor centre and shop. This is a particularly liminal place and living and working there had a profound impact on me.

2012 to 2014  Festival Manager - Ecofest North: Kaipatiki Project Environment Centre, Auckland. Nov 2012 to May 2014 (Fixed term contract).  

Worked collaboratively with over 20 different community groups, the EcoWest festival team, small and large businesses, individual tutors, Auckland Council, and volunteers to create a programme of 100 sustainability events over a one-month period each year.  Interviewed for Homestyle Green Podcast 

2005 to 2007  Volunteer Management Committee member and native plant nursery volunteer: Kaipatiki Project Environment Centre, Auckland. 

2004  Emigrated from the UK to New Zealand.

1994 to 2008  Full-time Mother 

1972 to 1986

Twice weekly dance lessons and regular performances.  Ballet and contemporary. 

Music lessons, rehearsals, individual and orchestral performances.  Piano and Bassoon.

Cycle racing and touring (1982 to 1986).  Club training and weekly races. Slow travel. 

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