معرفی
Laura Onions is a Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Wolverhampton, working within the Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences. She is also a practicing artist based in the West Midlands and serves as Programme Assistant at Grand Union, a contemporary art gallery in Birmingham. Her academic work is deeply intertwined with her artistic practice, focusing on the intersection of art, education, and social engagement.
Her educational background includes:
- MA Arts and Education from Birmingham City University
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Post Graduate Certificate in Post Compulsory Education (M Level)
- BA (Hons) Fine Art from the University of Wolverhampton
Laura's research explores feminist approaches to education, new models for art writing and practice, socially engaged practice, and histories of printmaking. Her work often uses archival material and collected imagery to consider spaces created for ourselves and others, particularly through gender and feminist lenses. She employs a painterly approach to printmaking that navigates between abstraction and figuration while challenging traditional printmaking processes. Recently, her practice has evolved to incorporate environmental concerns, examining how art and ecological conservation can merge in post-industrial landscapes.
Her extensive publication record reveals a consistent engagement with alternative pedagogical models, feminist methodologies, and community-based art practices. Her work demonstrates a trajectory from traditional art education concerns toward more socially and environmentally engaged practices, with increasing focus on ecological issues and community stewardship. The integration of printmaking with social practice appears as a consistent thread throughout her career.
Among her professional recognitions:
- Shortlisted for Lecturer of the Year in the student union awards (2017)
- Recipient of a Micro-bursary award for travel to Kassel, Germany (2017)
- Artist/researcher for the AHRC-funded 'Maker Centric' community project (2017)
Laura maintains an active role in both academic and community settings, serving as Co-Director of Eagle Works Studios in Wolverhampton and collaborating with organizations like Multistory and the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust. Her current 'Nature Stewardship' program with the Wildlife Trust represents a significant expansion of her practice into environmental conservation. She documents these experiences through her Substack newsletter, creating a dialogue between her artistic practice, academic work, and ecological engagement.
Her work with community groups like 'Life in the Community' and the 'Bangladeshi Women's Association at Tipton Muslim Center' demonstrates her commitment to accessible, community-centered art practices that address local environmental concerns.
