Associate Professor Alison Alder
Biography
Alison Alder is a visual artist whose work blurs the line between studio, community and social/political art practice. She has worked within community groups, research institutions and Indigenous organisations. Her research is focussed on empowering communities through the visualisation of common social aims and re-presenting history.
Alder is an Australian Parliamentary Library Associate and the outcomes of her research are on exhibition at Parliament House in Canberra. Her artwork is exhibited in major Australian exhibitions including Know My Name at the National Gallery of Australia, Making It New: Focus on Contemporary Australian Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), Roads Cross: Contemporary Directions in Australian Art at the Flinders University Art Museum and Gallery (Adelaide & touring) and See you at the Barricades at the Art Gallery of NSW. Internationally her work is held in the Centre for the Study of Political Graphics (USA), the Interference Archive (USA), New York Public Library Print Collection (USA), the National Normal Taiwan University and the Yilan Museum of Art (Taiwan).
In Australia Alder's work can be found in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, most State galleries, numerous regional galleries, the Australian War Memorial and several private collections including the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art which is housed at the University of Western Australia.
Researcher's projects
The Next Eight: Australian Prime Ministers 9–16. Australian Parliament House Library
Still Waiting for Tomorrow: Gender Institute, ANU
Two Way Project
Future Feminist Archive: A Contemporary Art and Feminism research project (ongoing)
One To Eight: The First Eight Prime Ministers at the Museum of Australian Democracy
The News Network Project: Research collaboration between artists based in New Zealand, the ACT and Victoria (ongoing)
Fellow: Australian Prime Ministers Centre, Museum of Australian Democracy
Picturing Politics: Symposium and related events, ANU School of Art
The Uniform Project: Art Monthly project with Megan Hinton and Dan Edwards
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (last 5 years)
2023 Australia's First Prime Ministers. Australian Parliament House, Canberra
2018-19 Newscrap. Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra
2017-21 One To Eight. Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra
2015 Death of a Broadsheet. Megalo Gallery, Canberra
2014 Carcass. Canberra Mueum and Gallery, Canberra
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS (LAST 5 YEARS)
2023 Portrait 23: Identity. National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
2023 Out of the Everywhen. Plimsoll Gallery, University of Tasmania
2022 Techniques of Persuasion - Second Strike, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
2022 Sustaining the Art of Practice, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA
2022 Newsroom, Gallery 25, Edith Cowan University, WA
2021 Paper Cut, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, WA.
2021 Newsroom, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne
2021 FROM AUSTRALIA: An Accumulation, La Trobe Gallery and touring
2021 First, Firsts. Cross Art Projects, Sydney
2020/21 Know My Name. National Gallery of Australia
2020 Let all the birds fly: the hybrid print. Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2019 Geelong Acquisitive Print Prize. Geelong Art Gallery, VIC
2019 The Way We Wear. Australian Embassy Gallery, Washington DC, USA
2019 Future Feminist Archive - Live! in Wollongong. Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW
2019 Hi-Vis: Australian Political Posters 1979-2019. Interference Archive, USA
2018 State of the Union. Potter Museum. Melbourne University. Vic
2018 Propaganda. Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery, Vic.
2018 The News Network II. Forrester Gallery. Oamuru, New Zealand
2018 The News Network. C3 Gallery, Melbourne
2017 Unfinished Business: Perspectives on art and feminism. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
2017 Kinmen International Printmaking Exhibition. Kinmen, Taiwan
2017 Widening the Gap. Cross Art Projects, Sydney
2017 Aura: Repetition, reproduction and the mark of the artist. Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, ANU School of Art and Design Gallery
2016 The Uniform Project. Craft ACT, Canberra.
2016 MCA ArtBar. Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
2016 Broadcast: The News Network. RMIT Melbourne
2016 Innervisions. International Print Centre New York. USA
2016 Future Feminist Archive. Cross Art Projects, Sydney
2016 Too Hot to Handle. Centre for the Study of Political Graphics, USA
2015 Fremantle Print Award. Fremantle Art Centre, Fremantle, WA
2015 Late Edition. Dunpin Gallery. China Art Academy, Hangzhou, China
2015 Yilan International Print Exhibition. Yilan Museum of Contemporary Art, Taiwan
2015 See you at the barricades. Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2015 Some Posters/Local Positions. Cross Art Projects, Sydney
2014/15 Interchange. Silpakorn University, Thailand; ANU School of Art Gallery, Canberra; Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, NSW and ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, ACT
AWARDS/COMMISSIONS/PRIZES (last 10 years)
2022 City Commissions - artsACT, ACT Government
2021 Parliamentary Library Associate, Parliament House Australia
2020 ANU VC/Clare Burton Award for Excellence in Equity and Diversity
2019 Finalist, Geelong Acquisitive Print Prize
2019 Commission: Future Feminist Archive
2018 Commission: Australian War Memorial – Propaganda
2016 Commission: Art Monthly Australasia –The Uniform Project
2015/16 Fellow: Australian Prime Ministers Centre – The First Eight
2015 Commission: National Gallery of Australia – The Known World
2015 Finalist, Fremantle Print Award
2013 Highly Commended, Fremantle Print Award
2010 Winner, Alice Prize
RESIDENCIES
2015/19 Future Feminist Archive. Wollongong Art Gallery & Wollongong University Archives
2014 Open Studio. Toronto, Canada
2013 Lanyon Homestead, Canberra. ACT Heritage, artsACT & ACT Museums and Galleries
2012 Alice Springs Art Foundation. Alice Springs NT
2010 Centre for Contemporary Prints. Connecticut, USA
PAPERS
2021. A Contemporary Revolution: Positivism as a Precursor for Change. Impact 11, Hong Kong.
2018 Posted Extravaganzas: the art of exaggeration and the political poster. Art History Association, Courtauld Institute, London (paper)
2017 Drawing Home. China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China (paper)
2016 Picturing Politics. ANU School of Art and Design, Canberra (convenor)
2015 Impact9. China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China (exhibitor)
2015 Death of a Broadsheet. Mildura Print Triennial, Mildura Vic (paper)
2011 Impact7. Monash University, Melbourne (round table convenor)
COLLECTIONS
New York Public Library Print Collection (USA), University of NSW, National Gallery of Australia, National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan), Yilan Museum of Art (Taiwan), Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery of WA, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Library, Wollongong City Art Gallery, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, NSW State Library, Kerry Stokes Collection, Powerhouse Museum, Wollongong University, John Curtin University, Centre for the Study of Political Graphics (USA), Araluen Art Collection, Cruthers Collection of Women's Art, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Museum of Australian Democracy, Australian Parliament House Library Collection, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Flinders University Art Museum and City Gallery, State Library of Queensland, Interference Archive (USA), Jessie Street Library, National Museum of Australia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Past student projects
Francis Kenna. Feeling Spaces: Grounding the Body in Architectural Atmosphere
Sandra Kelch. Changing Space: A Practice-Led Enquiry into Representations of the Urban
Publications
- Alder, A 2019, While the Billy Boils_Australia Burns.
- Alder, A 2019, These are the Issues: Treaty Time; These are the issues: Environment .
- Alder, A, Robinson, M et al 2019, 'Hi_Vis: Australian Political Posters 1979-2019'.
- Alder, A 2018, Portrait of the Artist as an Activist.
- Alder, A & Doughty, J 2018, 'State of the Union'.
- Alder, A 2018, Annotated News: USA Series (1-12).
- Alder, A 2017, 'Drawing Home', in (ed.), Being So: Artistry and Methods Research Studies, China Art Academy Press, China, pp. 58-65.
- Alder, A 2016, 'One to Eight MoAD (2016)'.
- Alder, A 2015, 'Death of a Broadsheet 2015 '.
- Alder, A 2014, 'Carcass CMAG (2014)'.
- Alder, A 2011, 'Dirty Water Suite CCAS (2011) '.
- Alder, A 2016, Term-O-Meter.
- Alder, A 2016, No 001 Barton.
- Alder, A 2016, No 002 Deakin.
- Alder, A 2016, NO 003 Watson.
- Alder, A 2016, No 004 Reid.
- Alder, A 2016, No 005 Fisher.
- Alder, A 2016, No 006 Cook.
- Alder, A 2016, No 007 Hughes.
- Alder, A 2016, No 008 Bruce.
- Alder, A 2016, The Prime Ministers Wives and Me.
- Alder, A 2016, Dear Honorary Secretary.
- Alder, A 2016, The Uniform Project (af Klint/Waller).
- Alder, A 2015, Death of a Broadsheet - Live.
- Alder, A 2015, #163.
- Alder, A 2015, Sleep of Doubt.
- Alder, A 2015, Death of a Broadsheet No 287 - 308.
- Alder, A 2015, Goodbye Sirius.
- Alder, A 2015, Real Estate.
- Alder, A 2015, Get Out Quick.
- Alder, A 2015, 'Bella Vista Man - The Linocuts of Peter Ward', Imprint: A journal about printmaking in Australia, vol. 50, no. 2, p. 11.
- Alder, A 2015, #268.
- Alder, A 2015, No. 276.
- Alder, A 2015, No. 287.
- Alder, A 2015, Death of a Broadsheet no. 261-286.
- Alder, A 2015, No. 0008: The Known World.
- Alder, A 2015, When They Close A Pit.
- Alder, A 2014, Intervention I.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass I.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass II.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass III.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass IV.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass V.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass VI.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass VII.
- Alder, A 2014, Carcass VIII.
- Alder, A 2014, Cut Out Drones 2.
- Alder, A 2014, Cut Out Drones 1.
- Alder, A 2012, Intervention IX.
- Alder, A 2011, The Dirty Water Suite: Nuclear Highway, Toxic Track, Black Mist, Fall Out, Untitled, Dirty Water.
- Alder, A 2007, Shopping Day.
- Alder, A 2008, artroom5, Alison Alder, Louise Flaherty, Christine James, Hermannsburg Potters, Kylie Waters, Laura Wills, artroom5, Adelaide, Australia.
- Alder, A 2008, New Social Commentary 08, New Social Commentary 08, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
- Alder, A 2008, The Alice Prize 2008, The 35th Alice Prize, 2008, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia.
- Alder, A 2007, Myself by Myself, Myself by Myself, Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, Australia.
- Alder, A 2007, Out There and Outback, Out There and Outback, Switchback Gallery, Monash University Gippsland Campus, Churchill,Victoria, Australia.
- Alder, A 2006, The Alice Prize 2006, The 34th Alice Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, Australia.
- Alder, A 2005, Alder_25X25 Megalo, 25X25: Celebrating 25 Years of Printmaking, Megalo Access Arts 1980-2005. A Museums and Galleries of NSW touring exhibition., Megalo Gallery, Watson ACT, Australia.
- Alder, A 2004, 'The Punttu portrait print project.', place made: Australian Print Symposium 2004, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra ACT Australia.
