Kate Coleman

Dr Kathryn S. (Kate) Coleman is Associate Professor in Visual Arts & Design Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. She holds a Bachelor of Art Education from the University of New South Wales (1994) and a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary). Coleman completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne around 2016, focusing on a/r/tographic inquiry. A visual artist, researcher, and educator, she has worked across education sectors in Australia and the United States, promoting digital pedagogies including ePortfolios and open badges. Her career includes roles in digital spaces and contributions to arts education organizations such as previous Vice-President of Art Education Victoria and service on the AAEEBL Board of Directors. At Melbourne, she teaches in the Arts Education specialisation within the Master of Education, utilizing purpose-built studios for practice-based learning in making, responding, creating, and curating through the arts.

Coleman's research centers on arts-based educational inquiry, exploring community, creativity, identity, digital creativities, speculative a/r/tography, and pedagogical responses to climate collapse. She co-leads the Speculative Wanderings in Space and Place (SWISP) Lab with Dr Sarah Healy, an interdisciplinary living lab addressing complex futures through co-creation with young people. As Co-Director of the Melbourne UNESCO Observatory of Arts Education and UNTWIN’s Arts Education Research for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, she fosters international collaborations for innovation in social understanding and tolerance. Coleman serves as Chief Investigator on the SSHRC-funded ‘Learning with the Land’ project and is Principal Contact for the Journal of Artistic and Creative Education. Her publications include the edited volume Learning Through Art: Speculative Pasts and Pedagogical Imaginaries (InSEA, 2025), with chapter contributions such as ‘Position/ing – imaginary menagerie: Speculative a/r/tographies for the long now’ (2025); ‘Mapping the Nomadic Journey of Becoming in Digital Portfolios: Digital wayfinding in art education’ (2018); and TAP to TAP2: Research Report (2017). In 2023, she received the MGSE Award for Excellence in Graduate Researcher Supervision, shared with colleagues. Her work influences digital scholarship, arts pedagogies, and speculative practices in education amid environmental challenges.

Professional Email: kathryn.coleman@unimelb.edu.au