Curriculum vitae

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Education

2022-26 PhD student RMIT University, Melbourne Australia. Project: Voices to Sing: people living with psychosocial and neuro-diverse disabilities singing up radical political defiance 

2021 Masters Fine Art by Coursework RMIT, Melbourne

2017-2020 BA Fine Art (Honours) RMIT, Melbourne, Received Dean’s Award for Excellence.

2016-2020 Short Courses: Yvette Coppersmith, Celeste Chandler, Nic Ploughman, Sara Tomasetti, Fran McNeil, Merryn Trevethan, Godwin Bradbeer. 

2016-2020 Longer Courses: John Wilson, Jo Bertini, Idris Murphy and Ross Laurie.

2017  RMIT Photography Tour in Munich, Kassel, Paris, Arles. Self-directed Venice Biennale, Barcelona, Madrid and London.

2018  RMIT in Florence at SACI Uni, painting. Self-directed- travel through Italy.

Group Exhibitions  

2023 The Seashell is not the Seashore, DADAA Gallery, Fremantle 10 Feb – 12 April, curators Billie Bushby and Alisa Blakeney, Songs of my Adventures, 3 sculptural paintings & Sticks and Stones will Break my Bones but Words can Totally Destroy my Mind, curator Joel Stern, videographer Carmen Sibha Keiso. 

2018 Disability Pride Mural, 201 Nicholson Street, Footscray, facilitator Larissa McFarlane.

2018 postcard show, Linden New Art, Melbourne.

2018 small works, Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne.

2018 Hiraeth, Tacit Studio, Melbourne.

2017 Redmond Treehouse, Artists Guild, Melbourne, Australia (sold)

2016 Constellations, Tactile Arts, Darwin, Northern Territory.

2016 Funk to Junk, Darwin Visual Arts, Darwin, Northern Territory.

University (Student) Exhibitions

2022 RMIT Gallery, Archives of Feeling (Big Anxiety) Commissioned to select works from Cunningham Dax Collection for display alongside my own self-portrait and poem. Writing songs in response to CDCollection to perform on closing night, 10 Dec.

2020 Death in a Box, Emergency Artists Collective, online, Melbourne.

2020 RMIT Graduate Exhibition, three videos, Connection… each 10.23 mins

2018 SACI University Florence, Graduate Exhibition. Florence, Italy. 

2017 Selfie, RMIT Vice Chancellor’s Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

Site-Specific Installations

2021 Neuro-diverse Groove, Melbourne Design Fringe, Linden New Art, Melbourne.

2020 Education Hub, Alfred Hospital, Horse Sense & Polyvagal Body Song, videos.

2018 Facebook Me, Gasworks Park, Melb, Australia.

Performance: Melbourne Fringe Festival

2021 Living Live. Digital on demand and live performative/video event, 60-45 mins

Norma Richardson Hall, Woodend Anglican Church, 15 & 16 October, 7pm. 

Commission: songwriting and singing

2023 The Sea Shell Is Not the Sea Shore, DADAA Gallery, Fremantle, WA, performance of new Songs of my Adventures: vivid sense!, each song has a videos, 10 Feb - 12 April.

2023 Outcome Unknown sang Maylands Yacht Club, 18thFeb.

2022 Songs of Unknowing: a musical tribute of five hand-written songs to the patient archives of the Cunningham Dax Collection.

2022 Sticks & Stones Will Break My Bone But Words Will Never Hurt ME!, Blindside Sound Series. with Liquid Architecture. 6-23 April 2022

Residencies

2020 Out of Site at Home, First Site Gallery, RMIT, Melbourne. 

Awards & Prizes

2022 hillscene LIVE awarded artists position to write songs with others living with disability, record and produce our music. Performance 26 Nov

2022 Scholarship Arts Australia Orchestra to attend Tarraleah 10 day workshop in Tasmania.

2020  RMIT Liquid Architecture Graduate Prize for Sound Art.

2020  Deans Award for Excellence, BA Fine Art (Honours)

2016 Williamstown Harbour, Highly Commended, Hobsons Bay Rotary Art Show, Melbourne

Speaking Engagements  

2023 Outcome Unknown YouTube interview Feb 2023

2023 RTRFM interview The Seashell is not the Seashore with Bec Bowman, 10th Feb 20232022 AAANZ conference, Demonstrating, presenting: Embodied Consciousness

2022 Artistic Courage reimagining ambition, equity and work in the arts: RMIT symposium, presenting Capitalism: survival of the fittest

2021 Melbourne University Communication and Technology symposium Powerpoint Presentation What is Mental Health?

2021 Femmes & Thems Symposium, RMIT, What is Mental Health?

2019 Vic Mental Awareness Conference, Listen Up Louder, presented as Peer Support Royal Commission into Mental Health Report

Writing Achievements: On Radio

2020 Dear Granny, ABC radio 774 Brain Nankervis & Jacinta Parsons, Friday Review, 28th Aug, Melbourne. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/thefridayrevue/postcard-jenny/12608018

2018 Death Becomes Us All, SynNation Radio, RMIT, Melbourne, 13 Sept. 

1992 Fill My Cup,radio play, Flinders University, SA.

Published

2022 Family Disabling, under peer review, International Journal of Mad Studies

2022 Contributor: Decentring Australian Art, with Grace McQuilten (RMIT), Antony White (Melbourne University) & Tristan Harwood (The Monthly). Personal Chapter + methodology.

2019 ‘Connection: Knowing like Breathing’, Our Own Words, Collaborative Project Inside Out & Assoc.

2019 ‘Psychology of Sex’, in Medium Online, Internat. https://medium.com/@jennyhickinbotham/the-psychology-of-sex-5a9c1909d5

Volunteer Experience

2010-2015 Founded a charity organization called Household Relief Fund, raising money to support women and children escaping family violence:

Sought pro-bono legal support

Established board of ‘responsible’ persons, became Secretary

Raised funds: grant applications, events, acquitted all grants.

Australian Research Trips

I take photographs, video, write; I learn by listening, looking, smelling, touching, tasting, sensing this country, how I love it. This love informs my identity, my agency & my creativity.

2016 Drove with dogs and a tent from Melbourne, via Adelaide to Darwin, NT.

2019 Drove with dogs to Knockrow, Byron Bay Region, Queensland, NSW

2020 Drove to Johanna, Victoria

2021 Houseboat on the Murray River, Mildura, Victoria.

2021 Drove to University of NSW Fowler’s Gap Research Station, NSW. 

Earlier Trips

1973-4 High School Exchange, Saratoga, California, home via UK and Singapore

1978 Working holiday Europe

1988 Japan and Hong Kong

1994 Holiday Europe, Uruguay

Working Experiences

2014-15 Swinburne University SMART project subject, ATAPS Consumer Reference Group, Melbourne University CORE Project consumer participant. Collaborative ICT Interface & eHealth Committee

2019 Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (part time)

Team Leader Peer Support Royal Commission Engagement

Team Leader Phoenix Project, supporting people’s sexual exploitation in medical settings. 

2010-15 cohealth (part time)

Various Consumer Support Roles: Werribee, Footscray Panorama, D2DLiving Programs, Moonee Ponds Consumer Consultant Team. Co-design and collaboration imperative. 

Facilitated Panorama Research Assessment with Ethics Approval. Facilitated three Hearing Voices Groups, mentored Boomerang and Mixed Nuts consumer led Initiatives.

2009-14 Williams Defense Community House (part time)

Coordinator: Managed Play & Music Groups, Tai Chi & Yoga Groups, Biggest Morning Tea, community connections with other facilities. Wrote $100K grant application, managed expenditure & acquitted to Dept of Defense

2009-12 Women’s Health West (casual)

Taught PowerOn for women experiencing mental health issues. 

2008-09 Mental Illness Fellowship (part time)

Communication Coordinator: Presented Mental Health Awareness lectures and workshops to paying participants such as State Trustees, Facilitated Speakers Bureau with people recovering from mental health. 

2007-08 Try Youth & Community Services & Indigenous Gathering Place (part time)

Grant Writer: find suitable projects, maintain calendar of suitable grant opportunities, write and acquit grants.

2004-08 Women’s Health West (part time)

Administration: Women’s Crisis Accommodation Service

Raised over $100K in grants for the refuge

2004-07 Salvation Army Crossroads Program (part time)

Administration: travel and manage administration and accounts for five sites. 

1998-2004 YWCA, Volunteer, Accounts Assistant

1990-1996 RMIT Certificate of Creative Writing

BA English and Drama at Flinders University, SA

Graduate Diploma in Information and Library Studies at University of SA, SA. 

1980-1990 Hickinbotham Winemakers, Mt Anakie and Williamstown

Vineyard manager, Production and Marketing Manager.