2024 Fellows

The George Alexander Foundation Fellows

GAF Fellows

Alexander Dowthwaite

Reviving Heritage and Artisan Building Skills

Heritage and artisanal architecture and building crafts are living repositories of building knowledge that have been refined through centuries of use and reuse to offer sustainable, diverse, and adaptable solutions to the challenges of building to last in the 21st century. This fellowship will acquire specialised artisan skills in heritage architecture and building arts that are fast-disappearing in Australia, but which are being increasingly rediscovered and reapplied around the world as industry reevaluates how we can use traditional knowledge to build more meaningfully and sustainably for communities today.

Beatrice Jeavons

Rewiliding and Conservation in the Arts and Cultural sector

Through this Fellowship, Bea endeavours to learn more about how the arts and cultural sector can advocate for and fund the restoration and protection of nature.  By immersing herself in real-world examples, seeing best practices in action, workplace immersion and participating in workshops, Bea aims to further her knowledge of nature-based solutions and circular design to acquire practical skills to apply rewilding and regeneration to her work in the Arts and Cultural sector in Australia.     Bea also aims to build connections with partners in the field to foster broader cross-industry collaborations that will accelerate the live performance sector's ability to amplify global conservation and rewilding efforts.

Danielle Measday

New Skills for endangered specimens: Best practice in the conservation treatment and re-colouring of historic taxidermy

Dani will explore international best practice in the conservation treatment and re-colouring of historic museum taxidermy. Dani will connect with preparators, conservators and researchers who have been developing new and innovative restoration techniques in significant international collections with an aim to address a gap in the skills, knowledge and education opportunities for conservators working on taxidermy.

Emma Dacey

Developing photographic conservation skills for preservation and access

Emma’s Fellowship will focus on conservation of photographic materials; the prevalence of valued but vulnerable photographic items in public and private collections is unmatched by the current gap in photographic conservation training in Australia. Emma will aim to address this disparity by strengthening networks and collaboration with international specialists, visiting photograph conservation centres where she will develop skills and knowledge via hands-on training and discourse. She will apply the findings of her research as caretaker of significant image collections and in continued advocacy for accessibility, sustainability, and skills growth in the Australian conservation community.

Georgie Brunmayr

Evolving landscape of material design

Curio Practice founder Georgie Brunmayr aims to revolutionize knitted upholstery. Passionate about sustainable crafting, she sees untapped potential in Australian machinery and envisions pushing sustainable fibers beyond global standards. Georgie's technical proficiency and hands-on experience make her uniquely positioned to explore advanced techniques crucial for this endeavor. Her skills in local manufacturing and deep understanding of sustainable materials lay the foundation for innovative solutions in the knitted upholstery sector. Georgie's objective is clear: to harness her skills and knowledge to drive transformative change and set new standards in sustainable knitted upholstery.

Mason Family Trust Fellows

Joshua Searle

Indigenous goldsmithing & sculptural

practices in Colombia

A research trip to examine Colombian Indigenous goldsmithing and sculptural practice through meeting artisans, curators and visiting museum collections. Indigenous Colombian cultures have an extensive and highly skilled tradition of goldsmithing and sculpture. The Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) in Bogota has an extensive collection of objects crafted by the diverse Indigenous tribes of what is now known as Colombia. The artist’s maternal family originates from Colombia with links to Indigenous groups. This research project would enable further connection to cultural knowledge and skills

James Lemon

Advancing expertise in heritage glaze finishes and ancient throwing techniques

Lemon's Fellowship proposal is centred on enhancing his expertise in traditional glaze finishes, ancient throwing techniques, and brick and tile making and glazing. He aims to explore traditional glazing methods gradually vanishing from the global fine art and craft industries. The significance of Lemon's research lies in preserving ancient techniques and bridging them with contemporary practices. These skills, increasingly in demand, are not readily accessible in Australia. Lemon seeks to expand his artistic journey and contribute to the preservation and promotion of traditional craftsmanship.

Mason Family trust fellows

VSA VET International Practitioner Fellows

VSA Fellows

Carole Petchell

Apprenticeships Opportunities for Victorian Prisoners

My Fellowship will provide the opportunity to build connections with organisations in the United Kingdom that are many steps ahead of Australia in piloting apprenticeships for incarcerated people. Their experiences and insights can be applied when I am back in Australia to move forward the possibility of introducing apprenticeships into prisons in Victoria. In addition, Victorian prison education is built on a model that is best practice in Australia and better than many other countries. There are both opportunities for me to learn from others and others to learn from our experience in Victoria.

Daniel Bodnarcuk

AUDIO EDU-CONNECT: Bridging Global Practices for Enhanced Sound Production Training

Daniel Bodnarcuk will observe training methodologies and interview educators/program coordinators at creative technology-based institutions in Europe and Australia with a focus on Audio Engineering and Sound Production. The goal is to gain insights into global approaches to training, challenges faced, and how institutions and trainers adapt to fast changing industry and technologies. Daniel will attend the 2024 Audio Engineering Society European convention at Universidad Politécnica De Madrid to facilitate this research. This will be followed by visiting a number of European institutions for the purposes of observing training and interviewing educators and program leaders. The insights gathered aims to be integrated into the curriculum at Melbourne Polytechnic. Additionally, Daniel plans to disseminate findings through relevant forums including the Audio Engineering Society, allowing VET and Higher Education Audio and Sound Production educators to collaboratively explore enhancing training methods to meet evolving industry needs and technological advancements

Jyoti Sharma

Migrant-Centric language Training: Bridging Skills and Opportunities

Jyoti Sharma is an English as an additional language (EAL) teacher, and she aims to investigate better and effective ways to integrate migrant English students into the workforce through effective and contextualized language training. She aims to look at various language training models that facilitate career transitions and integration into industries facing skills shortages in Victoria. Jyoti is planning a trip to Europe to learn about language for work and linguistic integration of adult migrants (LIAM) project which is run by the Council of Europe, which includes the UK, Germany, France, and Sweden.

Leigh Dwyer

Using artificial intelligence (AI) for VET curriculum development

This Fellowship aims to produce clear guidance for curriculum designers about how to effectively use AI when developing high-quality and compliant learning and assessment resources for VET, with specific focus on how AI generated content can incorporate employability skills and real industry workflows as expected in the VET sector. With many TAFEs experiencing a demand for high-quality learning and assessment resources, there is a potential for far-reaching and cost-saving impact across the TAFE network and VET sector. The Fellowship will also consider more broadly, AI’s suitability in the design of VET curriculum including learning, assessment, support, and syllabus.

Oksana Razoumova

Co-designing the case-based pedagogy and assessment in vocational teacher training

The aim of Oksana’s Fellowship is to explore how vocational practitioners can collaborate with industry partners in co-designing teaching and learning cases to enhance the quality of teacher preparation. It is worth investigating to which extent and how industry partners can contribute to the process of co-designing cases as effective training and assessment resource and developing competencies that align with workplace expectations. With industry partners actively involved, it is not just an opportunity to immerse future educators in real-world scenarios, it is a way of preparing them for the dynamic working environments they will encounter in their careers.

Australian VET Sustainability Fellow

VDC Fellow

Lisa Piller

Innovation and systems change towards circularity in textiles and clothing

Lisa intends to build on research that examines circular economy and product stewardship in the clothing and textile supply chain. Through this Fellowship, Lisa will investigate successful international initiatives and collaborations across stakeholder networks, predominantly from the European Union, that tackle textile waste. In gaining a broader understanding of these sustainable solutions on a global level, Lisa will be well-positioned to determine sustainable pathways for the reshoring of clothing manufacture that are adaptable to the unique geographical and industrial Australian landscape. In turn she will address how the VET sector may drive sustainable transformation in the clothing and textiles industry.

Italian Australian Fellowship

IAF Fellows

Alida Milani

How can we learn from the Italians to preserve and develop speciality fashion skills in Australia?

Alida consults to the fashion industry leading projects to create positive business outcomes. She intends to enhance her practice through exploring how Italy continues to be the world’s leader of textile and fashion craftsmanship, researching how historic artisanal skills are evolving alongside innovation, modernisation, and technology. This includes observing what is happening on the ground now and exploring how they intend to preserve specialised skills into the future. Through understanding the most innovative and thoughtful approaches in Italy, Alida aims to support the evolution of our artisan industry potential.

Martina Ponzoni

3D Fashion Archives: how digital tools can make fashion heritage more accessible for educational and research purposes

Martina, co-founder of "d_archive," seeks a Fellowship to enhance her expertise in digital archiving of fashion heritage using advanced 3D techniques. Her aim is to integrate innovative and traditional preservation methods to improve the accuracy and accessibility of fashion archives for educational purposes. By collaborating with established institutions and specialists in textile conservation and fashion curation, she will complement her 3D expertise with knowledge in digital curation, historical costume pattern making, and education methodologies. This Fellowship will promote best practices in digital archiving, establishing new standards for educational and research applications in Australia.

Raphael Karanikos

Reviving Tradition: Mastering Italian Mosaic Art and Heritage Restoration

Raphael Karanikos will travel to Italy to undertake a fellowship in mosaic making, tile production, and heritage mosaic restoration. Italy's rich history in these crafts offers unparalleled learning opportunities unavailable in Australia. The Fellowship will take him to renowned schools, workshops, and historical sites in Ravenna, Rome, Florence, and Sicily. Learning from Italian masters, Raphael aims to bring back invaluable skills and knowledge, enriching his practice and contributing to Australia's mosaic and heritage restoration communities.

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2024 Fellows

The George Alexander Foundation Fellows

Mason Family Trust Fellows

VSA VET International Practitioner Fellows

Australian VET Sustainability Fellow

Italian Australian Fellowship

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