CV of Sarah Muir-Smith
Sarah Muir-Smith | Designer
sarah.muirsmith@gmail.com
Melbourne, Australia
www.snakebirddesigns.com
Professional Profile
Hardworking, curious and multi-skilled designer / artist working towards circular practice and designing for the more-than human world. With education in advertising and professional experience in communications, later half of career has seen the building of a business (Snakebird Designs) and art practise in ceramics and teaching. Well practiced in exhibiting work, collaborating on innovative projects and applying an ecological lens to the crafts sector. Currently studying for a Masters of Regenerative Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London as part of the 2024-2026 cohort of global students via online learning.
Core Skills
- planning and delivery projects that engage and inspire
- teaching and sharing of ideas that span disciplines
- communication- particularly written and visual (use of Adobe Suite)
- material testing and finding application for waste materials
- technical skills across various crafts- particularly ceramics and basetry
- systems and process mapping
- exhibiting work
- public speaking
- life cycle and systems mapping
Employment / Internships
2020-Present
Founder/Teacher- Snakebird Designs
www.snakebirddesigns.com | @snakebirddesigns |
Developing and teaching creative workshops/term courses with exclusively five star ratings.
2021-2022
Arts & Community Internship Program - Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre
Developing and delivering an arts/community development project (arts exhibition with accompanying community ink making workshop). Developing marketing collateral for community events
2016-2022
Communications Officer for the Sustainability, Safety and Wellbeing team
Developing multi-media training packages, maintaining the staff intranet, disseminating key health communications, planning and delivering of engaging events for staff.
Chair of Sustainability committee and active member of the Health and Wellbeing and Disability committees, and the COVID Response team.
2015- 2016
Event assistant for the Orientation and transition Team / Communications assistant for the Student Services team
Organising social events for new students, managing advertising relationships and creating marketing collateral
Collaborative Projects
2024 Creative Practice Panel Chat / Meet the Maker- facilitation of talks with artists/makers to foster
community and develop the professional practice of local craftspeople- in partnership with the Coburg Maker’s Market
2024 Material consultation for the development of artificial habitat structures as Fergus Davidson’s Honours thesis at RMIT university (ceramics and biomaterials)
2023 Bulk Buy - interactive speculative exhibition/pop up shop at Testing Grounds by the Alternative
Ceramics Supply team (Georgia Stevenson, Claire Ellis, Amelia Black and Sarah Muir-Smith).
Various industrial “waste” streams were investigated for their application in ceramics. Findings were shared with the community through material processing demonstrations, test tile display and provenance mapping. Standard ceramic material packaging was reimagined to include safety considerations and supply chain clarity that is unfortunately not the norm at present.
2022 Testing Oven
- constructing a brick kiln, hosting workshops and community firings in a team of Veronica Tran, Gabriela Garcia, Julia Bertolaso and Sarah Muir-Smith as part of Fringe Festival at Testing Grounds Public Art Park
Exhibitions
2024 Salt Lake Seat - speculative design project exhibited at Linden New Art Gallery as part of Melbourne Design Fringe. A chair made from material gathered at the Salt Lake in West Gate Park to explore if more-than-human world were to have a seat at the table in our collective decision making
2024 Nothing New, self directed research project and solo exhibition at Smith & Gertrude Gallery-refraining from purchasing any new materials for my arts practice for one year, exploring potential material applications of garden detritus, found objects and “waste” through woven forms and textiles
2023 Seed Pot included in Design Fringe exhibition at Linden New Art- a living clay form with embedded seeds to question- what if the objects we made gave life instead of taking it?
2022 In Plain Sight, solo exhibition at Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre- a collection of ceramics, textiles and paintings incorporating household materials such as pharmaceuticals, kitty litter and cement
Panel Talks / Presentations
2024 Artist talk and demonstration at the Art that Treads Lightly community market day at Louis Joel Community Arts Centre
2024 Artist talk accompanying Nothing New
2023 Panelist for Meet the Designers discussion for Melbourne Design Fringe at Linden New Art Gallery
2023 Panelist for Tread Lightly- on sustainable arts practice at Louis Joel Community Arts Centre
Teaching
2022-Present, Snakebird Studios
6-Week Beginner and Intermediate wheel throwing courses
Try the wheel workshops
Playing with Plants - a gentle introduction to place-based basketry
Found and Foraged workshops
Built by Hand Workshops
Relaxed, sensory “Clay Play” sessions
2022 Natural Ink Making workshop at Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre
2022 Making a Mark- Free public workshop as part of Testing Oven
2021 Try the wheel workshops and private tuition from home studio
Education
2024 Present Master of Regenerative Design, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London
2024 Habitat Conservation and Management Course- Darebin Creek Management Committee & LaTrobe University
2022 Studio Program at the School of Clay and Art, Melbourne, two years
2016 B.A Communication (Advertising) with Distinction from RMIT University, Melbourne,
2016 Arabic 1 Language Short Course at Centre for Adult Education
2016 Website Design Short Course, RMIT University
2013 Certificate III of Hospitality and Tourism
2013 VCE/Year 12, Sacred Heart Girls College, Oakleigh- graduating with an ATAR of 96.8
Voluntary Experience
2024 Member of Thursday Volunteer Crew for the Darebin Parklands Management Committee (local parklands)
Weeding, propagation and water testing
2019
Phone operator for local community radio station PBS FM
Adding and renewing memberships over the phone, answering customer queries.
2018
Skateboarding Instructor for non-profit SkatePal - empowering young people in Palestine through skateboarding
Facilitating skateboarding workshops for young people in the West Bank. Planning and delivering fundraising event raising over $4000.