Global Perspectives on Australian Teaching Artists: Insights from International Leaders in Teaching Artistry

The title teaching artist is most commonly associated with North America; however, the practice is far more global, attracting various practitioner titles according to geographical location, art form, program aims and objectives, and participants. While not novel in Australia, the relatively recent growth in adoption of the title teaching artist belies the substantive precedence in Australian practice of the role and has led to incorrect assumptions that the field is in its early stages and possibly underdeveloped. This article establishes that the Australian teaching artist is extant and positioned strongly in the international arena. By drawing on interviews with international leaders in the field of teaching artistry an understanding and definition of the practice of the Australian teaching artist is reached.