Projects
Zouwer Projects
January 2017 - PRESENT
I founded Zouwer Projects to provide TQI approved teacher-training and specialised art education program design and delivery for schools, community groups and cultural institutions. Clients include: the Australian National University, National Gallery of Australia, Dept. of Education, Ainslie School, the National Museum of Australia, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Historic Places, Haig Park Experiments (City Renewal Authority), Belconnen Arts Centre, Australian National University, Drill Hall Gallery, St Vincent De Paul, Hands On, The Parliament House, Craft ACT and internationally in Finland education company Ralla and the University of Jyväskylä. See some of my projects below.
Photo: 5 Foot Photography
Design Canberra
Designing Futures - November 2022
Designing Futures was a paper installation made by children that developed over the duration of the DESIGN Canberra Festival. Children were asked: How might Canberra’s buildings and spaces look in the future? Children were guided through a user-centred design process to create fantastic paper maquettes to make a collaborative installation.
Rangers Project
The ACT Parks and Conservation Service have worked with local Artist Naomi Zouwer to develop a set of fun and creative activities to deliver to children at community events or during school holidays. The activities will provide a fun way for staff to interact with the public and give us an opportunity to communicate some essential messaging about our nature reserves. We want to educate and most importantly influence community attitudes and behaviours towards our nature reserves. We think communicating to adults through children is one way to do this. We want children to love their nature reserves and know how to look after them.
The programs are designed for adults and children to enjoy separately or together using sustainable materials and processes. All programs are scalable, extendable, portable and educational - messaging about how to live in harmony with the land and wildlife.
Beyond the Verbal
Art beyond words: creativity to empower sustainable learning ongoing International collaboration with the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and Wiradjuri Preschool at the University of Canberra exploring ways children in the Early Years can learn positive social behaviours through art making.
Through Children’s Eyes at National Museum of Australia
The Endeavour Voyage, Through Children’s Eyes / National Museum of Australia
Between 2018 and 2020, in collaboration with the exhibition curators, Naomi co-designed, developed and delivered a suite of art workshops for children in Canberra, La Perouse, Sydney and Cook Town, Queensland to generate artistic responses to the Endeavour expedition in 1770. These responses were included as the children’s voice in the Exhibition.
The Australian Parliament House
Children and adults creative engagement project
In 2022 Naomi designed and developed a suite of programs for community engagement with the House and the memorial collection including the children’s Holiday Programs and Adult workshops for the Enlighten Festival.
Photo: 5 Foot Photography
Haig Park Experiments
Naomi has worked with Professor Cathy Hope from the University of Canberra and City Renewal on the reactivation of Haig Park since 2019. I designed and delivered community art events in Haig Park including; christmas crafting, makers table, drawing forest dwellers, drawing to music, drawing with ink and stick, drawing with bubbles and things that go pop!
Creative in Residence - Ainslie School
Working with teams to infuse creativity across the curriculum and boost literacy and numeracy outcomes. Building capacity in teachers skills in creative and critical thinking.
National Museum of Australia - Drawing the Collection
Drawing workshops at the National Museum of Australia
Hands On, Ainslie School and the Drill Hall Gallery ANU
Hands On Studio is a creative and inclusive art program that provides people with varying disabilities and psychosocial skills. As well as tutoring into the program, Naomi collaborated with Hands On and children from Ainslie School and the Drill Hall Gallery to make collaborative public art works and hand printed T-towels.
Ralla, Finland
Online Education Designer and Producer
International partnership with Education Company Ralla to design and produce a Elearning course for teachers ‘Powering up Children’s creativity’. This course has been translated into Finnish.
Historic Places
Intergenerational programs for Lanyon Homestead and Mugga Mugga
Since 2019 I have designed and delivered intergenerational art activities for Historic Places (Mugga Mugga and Lanyon Homestead). Creating tailored programs that engage the community with each other and the Museums collections.
Clemente Program
St Vincent De Paul and The Australian Catholic University
Naomi has a strong interest in accessibility. In 2019 and 2020, she worked with the Clemente Program which provides education for people who have experienced a setback in life. Naomi designed and delivered ‘Objects and Identity’ and ‘Vanitas Still Life Painting’ – painting and drawing programs designed for students from diverse backgrounds including mental illness, disabilities, long term unemployment and houselessness.
Community Inclusion Program
St Vincent De Paul
The Community Inclusion program aims to help participants to make optimum choices, enhance their skills and confidence, gain access to mainstream services, and shape and influence their community. In 2021, I developed and delivered an intensive drawing workshop for the participants.
Cross-disciplinary collaborations with RMIT and NGA
Pictured is the outcome of a cross-disciplinary collaboration at the National Gallery of Australia and gallery education specialists Leanne Waterhouse and Dr Olivia Hamilton from RMIT in the James Turrell installation space-'within/without'. The workshop was part of the annual 3-day NVAEA-24 conference for arts educators from around Australia.
The 90-minute workshop explored the influence of space on learning and thinking like an artist in the classroom through discussion, attunement exercises and fast, creative and collaborative construction of an apparatus that amplified their sensory perception of the surrounding environment.