Dr Dan Wollmering

Position title

Senior Lecturer
Course Coordinator MVA, BFA, BVA & Double Degrees
Coordinator (Acting) Sculpture Studio

Qualifications

BA(Visual Arts) St. John's
MA(Fine Arts) RMIT
PhD Deakin

Statement

Dan Wollmering has worked across mixed media practice and installation - exploring unorthodox materials such as bread, recycled plastic and in recent times, to more conventional mediums: synthetic & natural wood products, silicon bronze, steel and stone. His particular research interests include 3-D abstraction and the 'affected' through the autonomy of sensation and transformation. Investigating new ways to find meaning in historical and contemporary abstract sculptural forms, he is engaged in hypothetical projections of beauty and the 'familiar' through ongoing studio research. Paralleling these pursuits, he has continually maintained a strong engagement with public art through documentation and commissioned public sculpture projects.

Dr. Wollmering has an extensive teaching history predominately in 3-D disciplines including Secondary Schools, State Teacher College, Institutes of Advanced Education and Universities. He believes that Sculpture is the ultimate challenge, whereby the intellectual and conceptual have to merge with the physical in difficult and demanding circumstances - in the pursuit of excellence. He says, "teaching both undergraduate and supervising Higher Degree candidates is tremendously rewarding; the energy, inventiveness and dedication never fails to impress each semester." He goes on to say, "aim high, be dedicated and develop resilience - attributes that will you will need to be successful in the sculpture world."

Research/Professional activities

Awards

2008 Contempora Sculpture Award
Docklands, Melbourne
Nomination Award
Beijing Olympic Park Sculpture Design Competition 2006
Toorak Festival of Sculpture
Special Commendation - 2004 & 05
Dame Elizabeth Murdoch Sculpture Award.
Contemporary Sculptors Association 2002.

Conference papers and Symposiums

2008 ‘Public Leisure and Play: The Art of Place’,
International Scientific Conference for the Centennial of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo, Egypt.
2008 ‘Cracks in the Spectacle: Public Art in New Urban Spaces’,
RMIT University, Artlab, Docklands, Melbourne.
2007 ‘Talking Sculpture, Art as a Mirror of Now’,
McCelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Frankston, Victoria.
2006 ‘Community Space: Inclusive Navigation’,
Reinventing the Medium AAANZ Conference, Faculty of Art and Design, Monash University, Melbourne, 2006.
2006 ‘Rediscovering the Future: Education – Research – Practice’ Sculpture Symposium,
Monash University, Faculty of Art and Design, Melbourne, 2006.
2004 'The Height of Aspiration' Present Pasts - Present Futures Conference.
Art Association of Australia and New Zealand, The University of Auckland NZ.
1999 'Public art: Sculpture - Post-style at the end of the Millennium' 'Pre/dictions: The Role of Art at the End of the Millennium Conference.
Art Association of Australia and New Zealand. Victoria University of Wellington, NZ.

Exhibitions

Dan Wollmering has a prolific exhibition profile - with 25 solo sculpture exhibitions and participation in over 40 group shows in China, Japan, USA, Canada and Australia (Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland). His work has been reviewed and written about in major newspapers, journals, catalogues, and books and featured in the media: ABC Radio, 3RRR, TV Channels 10, 9, & 31. His work is included in private and public collections including Regional Galleries, Universities and Major Corporations.

Wollmering is represented by Flinders Lane Gallery Melbourne and BMGArt Adelaide.

Research Projects/Grants

2009 Solo Exhibition (work in preparation for Oct.) Flinders Lane Gallery, Melb.
2009 Sculptor in Residence (scheduled June& July) Rimbun Dahan Arts Centre, Hijjas Kasturi Architectural firm, Selanger, Malaysia.
2007 Concept Proposal (select short list) 370 Docklands Drive Commission, Docklands, Melbourne
2007 ‘Natural Selection: New Sculpture’ (solo exhibition) Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne.
2007 Artist/Sculptor in Residence, The Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Minnesota, USA.
2008 Olympic Park Sculpture Competition: Project submission, Beijing
2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Design, China: Project submission
2007 'Contempra 2' Docklands Festival of Sculpture, Docklands, Melbourne: Research, design and fabrication of sculpture
2005 Solo Exhibition Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2004 Monash University Small Grant: 'Collaborative Links Between Eastern and Western Cultural Practices: Generating New Forms and Traditions of Sculptural Towers and Cultural Land Markers'.
2003 Ninth Yuzi Paradise Sculpture Symposium
Guilin China. (Sculpture Commission for Shanghai)
2002 Moreland City Council Arts Grant: 'Neighborhoods - Cultural Space: Meeting Place' (Public Sculpture)
2000 Monash University Small Grant : 'Public Sculpture: Cultural Responses to Location and Home'. (Public Sculpture)

Other

Invited Examiner
(PhD, MFA and Doctorates) Latrobe, RMIT, Deakin Universities and VCA
Visiting Guest Artist/Lecturer

(USA)
- Central Missouri State University (Art Dept.) (Lecture)
- Kansas City Art Institute. (Lectures and workshop)
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Lectures)
- St. Cloud State University, Mn. (School of Art and Education) Lecture
- St. John's University, Mn. (Art Department) Lecture
- University of Minnesota (Art Department) Lecture
- Virginia Commonwealth University (Sculpture Department) Lecture and HDR crit. session
(Australia)
- Latrobe University, TAFE Division, Visual Arts Dept. Mildura Campus
- Melbourne University (Institute of Art Craft Education);
- RMIT (Fine Arts Department);
- The South Australia School of Art;
- University of South Australia;
- Deakin University ( School of Visual, Performing and Media Arts);
- Phillip Institute (Art Education Dept.)
- Chisholm Institute (Sculpture Dept.)

Links

Staff Profile

Contact details:

p: +61 3 9903 1574
f: +61 3 9903 2759
email Dan