Pedagogical Projects

Nadia Odlum is a passionate arts educator, viewing education as a form of artistic practice. In particular Odlum is interested in the importance of play in contemporary pedagogy, and creates educational offerings that focus on open-ended engagement with materials, or that include games as a central activity.

In Australia, Nadia has worked as an educator for a variety of large and small organisations, including Parramatta Artists' Studios, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Kaldor Public Art Projects and the Art Gallery of NSW.  Internationally, Nadia has worked as an educator at the New York Transit Museum, creating and leading programs exploring the history of public transportation in New York City. Further international experience includes an Education Fellowship at the Wassaic Project in upstate New York in 2018. 

Nadia has been commissioned for numerous artistic projects that hold teaching and learning at their core. In 2022 they created a workshop series titled 'Interpret This' for Rivus, the 23rd Biennale of Sydney. This program bridged drawing and dance to create new methods of communicating through symbols and the body. In 2019 Nadia was commissioned by Kaldor Public Art Projects to create a large-scale interactive installation and workshop series for Kaldor Public Art Projects in the 'Kaldor Studio', a dedicated education and learning space in the survey exhibition 'Making Art Public: 50 years of Kaldor Public Art Projects' at the Art Gallery of NSW. 

Most recently, Nadia collaborated with Lleah Smith, Curator of Programs and Learning at the Biennale of Sydney and Artistic Associate at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Their project 'Hidden Lessons' works with highschool girls in Parramatta to explore the changing face of education. Nadia is also a research assistant on the Australia Research Council funded project ART/PLAY/RISK, led by Dr Sanné Mestrom. 

For any education opportunities or collaborations, please feel free to get in touch.

Hidden Lessons

A student-led, pedagogical project that encouraged learners to interrogate their own educational experience: who we learn with, where we learn, and what we learn with in the wake of Covid-19, incorporating objects of everyday life from the collection of The Powerhouse Museum. Developed in collaboration with Lleah Smith, Artistic Associate for The Powerhouse Museum and Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta.

View publication here 

Slippery Directions

Slippery Directions was a workshop series and public artwork commissioned by the City of Parramatta Council for Sydney WorldPride, 2023.

Across four workshops held at community centre PHive Parramatta, Nadia invited local Parramatta community and council members to engage in a series of playful games. Using embodied memory of urban space and communication through symbols, workshop participants created an installation of re-imagined street signs. This installation was then interpreted in an improvised piece by a contemporary dancer.

Interpret This

An education program created for Rivus, the 23rd Biennale of Sydney.

Local Imprints

An urban mapping and moving workshop for PACT Centre for Emerging Arts

p.u.b.l.i.c.s.c.h.o.o.l

In 2021 Nadia Odlum joined with a group of artists, curators and educators to form the pedagogical collective p.u.b.l.i.c.s.c.h.o.o.l.

All possible combinations

An interactive installation and workshop series created for the Kaldor Studio at the Art Gallery of NSW. Commissioned by Kaldor Public Art Projects. 

Correspondence

Workshops and collaboration with the 'Future Makers', an initiative for young Dancers in Western Sydney by Dance Makers Collective.

Art Scouts

A four part education program created for the Wassaic Project in New York.

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