About
Dr. Cherie Driver is a Lecturer in Art Theory and Associate Head of the Belfast School of Art at Ulster University, with over two decades of experience in fine art practice, critical theory, and creative education. Her work bridges Jungian depth psychology, philosophical alchemy, and socially engaged art, focusing on female subjectivity and the materiality of painting.
- BA (Hons) Fine Art, First Class (Ulster University, 2000)
- MA in Social Anthropology (Queen’s University Belfast, 2001)
- PhD in Fine Art (Ulster University, 2005)
- PG Cert in Higher Education Practice (Ulster University, 2012)
Her research interrogates the intersection of art and psychoanalytic theory, particularly through the lens of the abject, the uncanny, and Lacanian concepts of the Real. She has curated significant exhibitions addressing the invisibility of female artists, including the 2020 Penumbra exhibition.
Recent publications and exhibitions include Penumbra: Painting Materialising in the Almost-Shadow (2020) and 25 Years of Catalyst Arts (2018), emphasizing art’s role in trauma, memory, and peacebuilding. Current projects include a summer module on restorative justice for New York University (2026).
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy
- External Examiner, Liverpool Hope University (2020–)
- External Panel Member, Gray’s School of Art (2023–)
As an educator, she has developed curriculum around 'Socially Engaged Art Practice' and 'Empathic Encounters: Trauma, Memory and Effect, the body and art', while facilitating open space technology sessions for organizational co-design. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education.
Research fields
