Making it happen. Connector. Likes feral rabbits.#
Melissa is a Project Manager at the School of Cybernetics based in the Futures team.
Melissa comes from a creative arts vantage point and still prefers books with pictures. Melissa currently makes small animals from clay, using pure gold leaf, faux silver leaf and spray paint - in a nod to her Grandfathers skills in ceramics, signwriting and gold leafing ceilings.
Melissa completed an Associate Diploma in photography in 1987 and a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 1994, both at the Canberra School of Art. Melissa finally found a Master program she was willing to pay for, and graduated in 2007 with Master of Sustainable Heritage, Development & Management, ANU. In 2009, Melissa moved to the Kingdom of Tonga, spending 3 years as a cultural heritage management advisor. She was hosted by the Tonga Traditions Committee, established by Queen Salote in 1954. Melissa focused on creative and sustainable capacity building activities with local counterparts and working with projects aimed at cultural continuity.
Melissa has worked in the cultural sector forever – in Canberra, Sydney, New York, Hong Kong, Tonga and San Francisco – including UNSW Art & Design and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Sydney), the Museum of Jewish Heritage – a Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC), Canberra Contemporary Art Space and National Gallery of Australia (Canberra).
She loves having rabbits on campus.