Our Creative Practice
DunnART recognizes the power of the arts to speak to diverse populations about critical issues such as wildlife conservation. When audiences engage in any art-form and put themselves in a position of suspended disbelief, they can accept anything may happen. Bettongs can become animals we identify with; the guinea-pig-like Stick-nest Rat can be cute and adorable; a child can learn what it's like to be dunnarts or numbats - and, by extension, what these animals need for secure ecosystems. There is great potential to generate understanding and empathy for the characters we see in performance or any artwork, and even translate those into positive environmental behaviours in post-performance.
At DunnART, we apply our innovative storytelling skills into compelling art-forms for young audiences; and educate them on wildlife biology, a critical issue facing Australians today. We are on the verge of losing so many ecosystems, and believe the major challenge is increasing environmental literacy. We aim to foster a necessary curiosity and concern for the environment. In particular, we want to generate awareness about under-represented species using memorable storytelling, which is how our human brains often best process and retain vital information.
At DunnART, we apply our innovative storytelling skills into compelling art-forms for young audiences; and educate them on wildlife biology, a critical issue facing Australians today. We are on the verge of losing so many ecosystems, and believe the major challenge is increasing environmental literacy. We aim to foster a necessary curiosity and concern for the environment. In particular, we want to generate awareness about under-represented species using memorable storytelling, which is how our human brains often best process and retain vital information.
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Our approach to teaching environmental conservation through the arts!
We feel the responsibility of communicating to protect wildlife and habitat is best addressed through increasing environmental literacy - teaching young audiences how to identify with the ecosystems of Australia.
At DunnART, we advocate a three-pronged approach to encourage environmental literacy:
We believe through this approach, we can make a tangible, positive impact on audience environmental literacy and pro-environmental behaviours, sparking greater support for conservation efforts nation-wide.
As the famous quote by Maya Angelou goes, ‘When you know better, you do better.’ And we believe that through the arts, we can help audiences do better.
At DunnART, we advocate a three-pronged approach to encourage environmental literacy:
- We will aim to foster a sense of empathy for native Australian wildlife, particularly under-represented species, through our creative productions;
- We connect with environmental educators to develop safe, interactive, and educationally accurate learning experiences through artistic mediums;
- We work with schools and teachers to develop a range of curriculum-connected materials for students based on both art and wildlife encounters, with a balance of accessible activities and challenging materials to suit a variety of age ranges and learning styles.
We believe through this approach, we can make a tangible, positive impact on audience environmental literacy and pro-environmental behaviours, sparking greater support for conservation efforts nation-wide.
As the famous quote by Maya Angelou goes, ‘When you know better, you do better.’ And we believe that through the arts, we can help audiences do better.
Our founder...
They say never work with children or animals, but multi-creator Gigi Pinwill does just that everyday in pawsome productions through founding and directing DunnART Productions! Born out of her passion for educating children (and adults) about rare and endangered Australian wildlife, Gigi's vision birthed DunnART Productions as a unique collaboration of art and live indigenous animals, thanks to wildlife experts and creatives uniting to offer the wildest art you'll ever see!
“Growing up on an Australian farm, we’d fall asleep listening to dingoes and wake to find diseased native animals during our morning chores, which we’d love back to health and freedom. I’ve felt connected to animals my entire life and always wanted to know more about lesser-known Aussie fauna, our unsung heroes. As a Wildlife and Science Presenter and a professional creative with decades of experience, I feel ideally placed to bring the stories of Australian animals to life on national stages, digital-platforms, and even globally. The animals are excited to meet you all!” says Gigi Pinwill.
Gigi is passionate about giving back to our global community in diverse and innovative ways, like all DunnART stands for, and enjoys ensuring DunnART continues to offer national extensive internship programs for undergraduate, post-graduate, and PhD candidate students through University of Adelaide, Flinders University, University of South Australia, University of Sunshine Coast, and more.
See more about Gigi's training, experience, and latest endeavours at: gigipinwill.com
“Growing up on an Australian farm, we’d fall asleep listening to dingoes and wake to find diseased native animals during our morning chores, which we’d love back to health and freedom. I’ve felt connected to animals my entire life and always wanted to know more about lesser-known Aussie fauna, our unsung heroes. As a Wildlife and Science Presenter and a professional creative with decades of experience, I feel ideally placed to bring the stories of Australian animals to life on national stages, digital-platforms, and even globally. The animals are excited to meet you all!” says Gigi Pinwill.
Gigi is passionate about giving back to our global community in diverse and innovative ways, like all DunnART stands for, and enjoys ensuring DunnART continues to offer national extensive internship programs for undergraduate, post-graduate, and PhD candidate students through University of Adelaide, Flinders University, University of South Australia, University of Sunshine Coast, and more.
See more about Gigi's training, experience, and latest endeavours at: gigipinwill.com
Who we are...
DunnART is a collective of environmentally-focused creative artists, who draw from diverse artistic practices in delivering innovative audience-interactive creations and events. DunnART is unique by aiming to incorporate live animal interactions into its performances and workshops.
At the heart of each DunnART production is the question of how to increase environmental literacy, teaching young audiences more about Australian ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity. We are dynamic and experimental in presentation, accessible to a wide variety of learning styles, and leave young audiences asking how they can learn more about what it means to be an environmental steward!
At the heart of each DunnART production is the question of how to increase environmental literacy, teaching young audiences more about Australian ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity. We are dynamic and experimental in presentation, accessible to a wide variety of learning styles, and leave young audiences asking how they can learn more about what it means to be an environmental steward!
