Mary Ann Hunter

I am a Senior Lecturer in Arts and Education at the University of Tasmania, Australia.  I facilitate a Creativity and Arts Teaching and Research Group and I’m an Honorary Research Advisor with the School of English, Media Studies and Art History at the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane.  Before joining UTAS, I was a Drama and Performance Lecturer and a Research Associate of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.  I’ve also worked extensively in Singapore and in cross-cultural contexts. I do action-based and case-study research and I engage actively in partnerships with community organisations. My interests focus on the role of arts and creative practice in education and applied settings. I have been involved in initiating and evaluating arts-based programs that support social transformation and contribute to the development of innovative aesthetics in this field of work.  These programs include meenah mienne, an arts-based mentoring and literacy program involving Aboriginal Elders and artists supporting young people in the justice system in Tasmania, and the Australian Artist in Residence program which is fostering young people’s engagement and resilience in their learning and community life.  I have also had ongoing involvement in the Acting Together project coordinated by the International Centre for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Brandeis University, Boston. http://www.brandeis.edu/ethics/peacebuildingarts/actingtogether/.