This installation of objects, drawings and audio-visual events reflects Frances' relationship with the 'tribe of Magpies' she sees everyday near her studio. Frances is interested in the combination of 'birds and sky' and in capturing the energy and dynamism in the New England landscape - the bounce of light, the drama of a stormy sky and the movement of living things in space.

Linguistic approaches restrict possible alternatives to engage audiences in other ways of knowing and include other communities of practice. Arts-based research allowed me to combine my roles as a researcher and artist to describe, interpret and make meaning of the mentors and my experiences as a critical friend from our work together during two participatory action research studies. Crossing the boundary to communicate knowledge production through a variety of visual arts media, "I see images", is a collection of artworks that reify my growing understanding, ongoing learning and identity development as a critical friend. Curated to explore the processes, context and influences that underpin the artworks, my exhibition, "I see images" provides an experience that engages the audience in visual, linguistic and auditory ways of knowing. Furthermore it provides the audience with a unique insight into my cognitive processes of material and symbolic use to create the artworks.

Imagining Space was a jointly curated exhibition held at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) that included 35 artworks chosen from the NERAM collections. Sculptures and installations were specially constructed for the gallery space and the exhibition explored different interpretations of artistic and mental space. The artistic material was divided into five sections: Delineating Space, Intersecting Space, Ephemeral Space, Inhabiting Space, and Psychological Space. An introductory didactic panel that outlined the ideas behind the five particular themes accompanied each of these five sections within the gallery space to encourage different ways of seeing. In examining how space is used artistically, this curated exhibition provided insight into the nature of artistic expression and an understanding of how artworks can redefine our perceptions of the world.

The Artplay project around the Subak exhibition developed a pioneering model for productive and sustainable relationships between Early Childhood programs and Art Museums. This model sought to celebrate not simply children's capacities for art making in response to encounters with gallery artworks, but to celebrate children as original thinkers and explorers, and demonstrate how art making can be integral to children's lives. In so doing, the program stimulates interest in the whole art making process, a process that to novice adult gallery visitors can be quite mysterious. Teachers and parents from a selected preschool in Armidale were invited to participate in this pilot project. They were encouraged to observe and record their children's participation, contribution of ideas, and subsequent responses at home and at school. An archive of this documentation was produced, which together with analysis from art educators became a valuable resource for the gallery and teachers working with young children and art museums. An exhibition was developed that aimed at raising public understanding about young children and artists so that children and families and teachers are encouraged to form lasting relationships with art museums. A documentary film maker recorded the interactions between the children, artists, teachers and families. The processes involved in engaging young children with art, artists and art museums in meaningful ways were recorded so that these recordings might become valuable resources for teachers and those working with young children and art museums. Supplementary material to the video can provide links to the Early Years Learning Framework. The preschool worked with NERAM and artists and arts educators Christine McMillan, Margaret Brooks over a five week period around an exhibition of these artists work. (Artist's exhibition date at NERAM April 6th - May 26th, 2012). The artists engaged the teachers, parents and children in explorations of their artwork, media and ideas so that they were able to experience first hand the huge potential and possibilities for working with young children and the arts. The arts are essential and integral to the way young children explore and make sense of their world. The program will focus on early childhood art education, the role of the family, teachers and community in the social, cultural and artistic development of the child. My artwork for the exhibition included drawings and two installations made specially for this exhibition.

The 2014 art exhibition featured a retrospective view of a decade of this unique art event. The exhibition offered a showcase of works by the winners (and runners up) representing each year that the exhibition has been held (first exhibition held in 2004). The retrospective exhibit included 20 works that were chosen by Dr Frances Alter (artistic director) and Ms Michelle Arens (UNE art curator) from amongst nearly 50 exemplary youth artworks currently placed in the University of New England's Art Collection. To mark the retrospective event the exhibition included a summary of textual information gathered in the course of research into the scope and reach of UNESAP as well as the life trajectories of the talented former winners of the UNESAP art prize who have since graduated from high school. A university funded research project undertaken by Dr Frances Alter in 2013 and 2014 titled, the Social Legacy of UNESAP, investigated the life experiences and careers of former winners and finalists aged 19 to 28 years of age. This research focused on assessing participants continued engagement with the Arts - specifically the visual arts. The findings of the research noted that in their post school years, a far higher percentage of former winners had undertaken tertiary Arts study and work in arts-based careers than is reported in the Australian national census data (2012) for study and career choices amongst 18 to 29 year old Australians.