I was born in Darwin in 1971. My family left after Cyclone Tracey, and I grew up in a small town in the Southwest of Western Australia called Pemberton. As a young adult I lived in Perth and then travelled around Australia before moving to South Gippsland in Victoria in 1995, where I lived and studied for 7 years. I completed a Diploma in Visual Art at the Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE in 1998 and BA studies in Visual Art at the Gippsland Centre for Art and Design, Monash University Gippsland in 2000.
After completing undergraduate studies, I moved to Melbourne where I lived and worked as an Artist for over 10 years exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions. I completed a Diploma in Education at Melbourne University and taught secondary students Art at Billanook College in the outer east of Melbourne for 7 years. In 2012, I made a ‘tree change’ to the Central Highlands of Victoria and the transition to Primary Art Specialist. I taught at St Francis Xavier Primary School in Ballarat East for 2 years and at Aitken Creek Primary School in 2015. I then helped people with disabilities for a number of years to participate in gardening in more informal and social settings. In 2022 I became Garden Specialist for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program for Winters Flat Primary School in Castlemaine and in 2023 for Delacombe Primary School in Ballarat.
When moving to the Central Highlands in 2012 my goal was to work in my local community to build lasting and meaningful connections as an Artist and Teacher. Since 2015 I have responded to requests from communities in my region and beyond to support people of all ages and abilities to weave in diverse environments. For example, I help families weave lavender wands at harvest festivals so that they engage with each other to celebrate an event. I also teach adults how to make baskets at community centre’s and since 2015 there has been an increasing demand for these workshops. I have been teaching basketry to adults at Creswick Neighbourhood Centre since June 2015, Friends of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne since 2019, Newstead Arts Hub since 2021 and Centre for Rare Trades in Ballarat since 2022.
“I suggest the appeal of weaving and basketry is that it allows me and the people I teach to slow down and experience the satisfaction of creating something hand made.”
Jodie Goldring 