Life Member (Former President) - Steve Marks

Creativity has always played a central role in how I explore the world and express myself. From a very young age art appealed to me as a language for communicating my thoughts and feelings with others. Whether it was drawing from my imagination or laying down thick impasto paint, I was in my element when making art. This has only heightened through the years and I have enjoyed sharing my art online and through exhibitions.

On leaving school, I was very much interested in making a difference in the lives of young people and assisting them in finding ways to make sense of their world – this is what lead me to teaching as a profession. I have worked in education for over ten years and have had the privilege of working at a range of levels within the system from schools to the state education department.

I held a part-time position at Princes Hill Primary School (PHPS) as the Atelierista (specialist of the studio) in the grade 3/4 learning neighbourhood. Here I assisted students in deepening their understanding through many different forms of communication. We purpose built spaces at PHPS which allowed students to develop their authentic voice and form natural approaches to inquiring about themselves, others, and the world. It goes without saying, art spaces are my favourite part of learning environments.

I held a role as a sessional educator at the National Gallery of Victoria where I reveled in leading students through our most celebrated galleries and assisting them in making connections with the collections.

Additionally, I worked on the council of Art Education Victoria for four years and found it to be a place of empowerment and growth as it allowed me to work with some of the most inspirational people and in the most amazing places. I am grateful for the opportunities that it provided and I appreciate the community that it supports.

I would like to continue to contribute my big picture thinking to the visual arts education sector and establishing strategic approaches to ensure that we stay a dynamic support for visual arts educators of all settings and locations. I am greatly excited by the ways the visual arts can support critical and creative thinking. I am most passionate about the possibilities that can come about when we collaborate.

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