Penny Harris

Dr. Penny Harris is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts at the University of Wollongong, where she teaches in the School of the Arts, English and Media within the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. She has held this position since 2021 and previously served as a member of the University's Academic Senate from 2018-2019. Her academic journey includes a Doctor of Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong completed in 2001.

Dr. Harris's research centers on sculpture and metal casting, with a distinctive focus on material mimicry and archaeological motifs. She has developed innovative approaches to casting found objects and textiles using lost wax processes, creating what she describes as 'fragmented poetic wall stories' that reinterpret postmodern narrative strategies. Her work often explores pseudomorphism—the process where textiles absorb mineral salts from buried copper objects—as both a technical process and conceptual framework. Much of her recent work connects with dementia education through the DARE (Dementia knowledge, Art, Research and Education) project, which uses art to help children understand dementia.

Her most recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate a consistent focus on dementia education through art, particularly for children, with an emphasis on blending traditional and digital technologies in educational settings. These works also highlight her interest in university-school-community partnerships and the development of third-space collaborations for innovative educational practices. Her creative works continue to explore materiality, transformation, and narrative through sculpture and installation.

Dr. Harris has supervised numerous higher degree research students across various visual arts disciplines, with current supervision including projects on voice as agency in patriarchal systems and object-prosthetics in sculptural assemblage. Her supervision history spans topics from contemporary Iranian art to dementia representation in portraiture.

Her research has been supported by several internal grants at the University of Wollongong, including the Global Challenges Seed Funding for the DARE project (2016), a Small Grant for 'A petrified poem' exhibition (2011), and International Links Grants for projects like 'Fabric as an inter-sensorial language' (2008).

Dr. Harris exhibits her work in both Canada and Australia, maintaining an active creative practice that directly informs her research and teaching. Her approach consistently bridges artistic practice with educational theory and social impact, particularly through projects addressing dementia awareness and education.