Kelly Hussey-Smith is an artist living and working in Narrm / Melbourne, Australia. Her practice and research interests focus on collaborative methodologies in contemporary art, the politics of aesthetics, and relational ethics. She practices at the intersection of visual art, investigative journalism, and expanded documentary and believes these practices still have much to offer public discourse. She regularly undertakes social history projects in collaboration with activists, community groups, public institutions, and non-government organisations, in addition to ongoing collaborations with Alan Hill.
— Kelly Hussey-Smith

ACUADS Innovative Teaching Award
Dr Kelly Hussey-Smith
November 2019

Congratulations to Dr Kelly Hussey-Smith who was awarded an ACUADS Innovative Teaching Award in November and has implemented a ‘student as partner’ (Matthews et al 2018) model through the establishment and delivery of two key projects: Photo Futures Lab, an off-campus community site where students develop projects with community sector employers and not-for-profit agencies; and Doing Visual Politics, a New Columbo funded multi-disciplinary study tour to Nepal that includes students from Australia, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The Doing Visual Politics project is a 3-week international intensive symposium+Workshop+Festival which simultaneously immerses students, professionals and academics into a collaborative series of projects that result in publications and a public festival.

The Photo Futures Lab operates as a collaborative community project exploring photography as a socially engaged practice and connecting undergraduate students with alumni, community partners and local organisations. In a commissioned feature article, Professor Alasdair Foster identifies the project as a new model for art education through its focus on “…outward-looking collaboration, encouraging active listening, a respect for the diversity of experience and a recognition of the value of these shared connections”.

Dr Kelly Hussey-Smith is a lecturer in photography and a co-leader of the CAST Social Practice Research Area.

Read more:
Vanishing into action: Art beyond the contemporary, Artlink 2019