Over twenty ANU School of Art alumni will be featured in a presentation that focuses on the career paths of graduates at the 2015 ANU Open Day.

From business, startup and design awards, Australia council grants, traveling scholarships, and International residencies and exhibitions, the achievements of these graduates show the diverse range of careers an art school degree can foster – from practicing artists, curators and gallery directors to teachers, editors and DJs.

Included in the showcased alumni are Sculpture workshop graduates Dr Jay Kochel, who received a 2014 Asialink residency at Kyoto Arts Centre, Japan; Anne Brennan, who is now a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Art History and Art Theory, ANU School of Art; and Sabrina Baker, practicing artist and gallery manager at Canberra Contemporary Art Space.

From the glass workshop, notable alumni include Melinda Willis, who has participated in residencies in New York and Scotland, and Assistant Director (acting) of Canberra Glassworks, Aimee Frodsham, who was previously the planning manager at Tate, London.

Photography and media arts graduates include Dr Anna Madeleine, practicing artist and arts writer; Phil Preston, co-founding director of Red Robot Industries; and DJ Rush, director of Rush Photography, who works for clients including G-Shock, Puma and Bell Shakespeare.
Business success is also highlighted with textiles alumni Dimity Kidston, who has started a prominent homewares business Dimity Kidston Artefacts.

ANU’s painting workshop has seen success from artists including Gregory Hodge who has work held in private collections across Australia and overseas; Marie Hagerty, whose work is collected in regional, state and national galleries across Australia; and PhD candidates Claudia Chaseling and Tiffany Cole.

Featured practitioners from the ceramics workshop include Craig Edwards, Associate Principle and specialist art teacher at Gungahlin College; Avi Amesbury, CEO and Artistic Director of Craft ACT; and Carole Epp, editor of online blog Musing About Mud.

Two careers in curatorship are also showcased - Dr Anthea Gunn, who studied Art History and Curatorshop, is now the curator of Art and the Australian War Memorial, and Dr Lucinda Ward, graduate from the Painting workshop and Art History and Curatorship, who is currently the curator of International Painting and Sculpture at the National Gallery of Australia.

Gold and Silversmithing artists Phoebe Porter is now represented by Bilk Gallery in Canberra and e.g.etal gallery in Melbourne, and Oliver Smith is Head of Department at Sydney College of the Arts.

These twenty graduates, among others, will be showcased in a poster display at ANU School of Art on Open Day, 29 August 2015. Associate Professor Denise Ferris, Head of ANU School of Art will be speaking about the careers of ANU School of Art graduates in Your Brilliant Career: Life after Art School in the Haydon-Allen Building, Saturday 29 August, 11:30am.