I was named a recipient of the 2016 Wilmington Educational Foundation Educators Explorers Grant!
This grant provided me the opportunity to study abroad in the country of Australia during this past summer where I explored the vast array of different types of art and compare and contrast the differences between the ancient forms of Aboriginal art to the modern culture of Street Art that has become increasingly popular in Australian cities. Contemporary Aboriginal art is a vital part of the world's oldest continuous cultural tradition. Today’s Australian artists continue the long traditions of their ancestors with a creative new modern edge. It is also one of the most brilliant and exciting areas of modern art. This art form has become a focus of the new Massachusetts Visual Arts Curriculum Framework.
I visited some key art sites, including the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the National Gallery of Victoria as well as other sites in Victoria for a traditional and contemporary experience of this ancient land. In addition, I “hit the streets” to explore, photograph and document many of the amazing street art that is located (legally) throughout the city of Melbourne which has become the leading street-art mecca of the world. I toured with one of the most phenomenal street artists working today as well as having spent time in a working art studio in the hub of the CBD!