Staff Profiles

Areas of Expertise

Curriculum Development, Syllabus Development in the Visual Arts and Design, Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts and Design, Creativity, ARTEXPRESS.

Teaching Areas

Curriculum in Art, Design and Education, Practices of Research in Art, Design and Education, Creativity in Art, Design and Education, Issues in Contemporary Design Education.

Current Research Activity

Kerry Thomas's current research investigates creativity as an exchange of symbolic capital in the transactions between art teachers and their senior students. Following Bourdieu's theories of the habitus and symbolic capital, the study mounts a challenge to more conventional views of creativity which is often viewed as a dispositional trait, talent or creative process. The research mounts the case that the micro-history and peculiarities of a cultural context and the linguistic exchanges between art teachers and students at moments of creative origination are highly significant to how creativity is conceived of and valued.

Conference Papers

Thomas, K. (2005). My inspiration'? The collective denial of the art teacher's agency in the authoring of senior art students' creative artworks. NAEA convention, (NAEA, Boston, USA.

Thomas, K. (2004). A Misrepresentation of Practice For Art Education: The Draft NSW Teaching Standards and the Virtuoso Art Teacher. AARE Conference and web publication, (AARE, Melbourne, VIC.

Thomas, K. (2003). Misrecognition of the Art Teacher's Agency in the Artworks Made by Senior Art Students. ACSA Conference and electronic publication, (ACSA, Adelaide, SA.

Thomas, K. (2002). Creativity as the Exchange of Symbolic Capital in the Transactions between an Art Teacher and his Senior Art Students. AARE Conference and electronic/CD-ROM publication, (AARE, Brisbane, QLD.

Thomas, K. (2002). Creativity as a Kind of Deception in the Transactions Between a Visual Arts Teacher and his Senior Students. InSEA Conference and CD-ROM publication, (InSEA, New York, USA.

Thomas, K. (2001). Creativity as Symbolic Gift Exchange between a Visual Arts Teacher and his Senior Students. AARE conference and electronic/CD-ROM publication, (AARE, Fremantle, VIC.

Thomas, K. (2001). Creativity as Symbolic Gift Exchange between a Visual Arts Teacher and his Senior Students. NAEA Convention, (NAEA, New York, USA.

Brown, N.C.M. Thomas, K. (1999). Creativity as Collective Misrecognition in the Relationship Between Art Students and Their Teachers. InSEA Conference and InSEA Conference Papers CD-ROM publication, (InSEA, Brisbane, QLD.

Professional Associations

Board of Studies New South Wales

Department of Education and Training New South Wales, including ARTEXPRESS and Centre for Learning Innovation

Educational Services at State Galleries and Museums