Slide 2: About Me

Slide 2 Script: About Me

Script: I discovered Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA) with Heather Dawson in 2014 while pursuing my PhD in the Philosophy, Art & Critical Thought (PACT) program at EGS. Welcomed into the Arts, Health & Society (AHS) family, I developed a dual passion for both PACT and EXA. I'm a tech enthusiast, focusing on topics that genuinely interest me. I earned my Master of Education in 2010, with a thesis on Critical Online Pedagogy inspired by Paulo Freire's work. By 2015, I completed EXA practice modules and achieved ABD status in PACT. I eventually finished my PhD at the University of Victoria, blending theories from both programs. This earned me a faculty research award and a nomination for the Governor General’s Award. Currently, I am a sessional instructor at Thompson Rivers University, guiding MEd students through their capstone projects, and an adjunct faculty member at EGS. I have over a decade of experience working with M.A. thesis students and supervise three doctoral students conducting groundbreaking research in EXA. My dissertation, "Ontological Play: Reinventing (Machinic) Arts-Based Research in the Posthuman Era," integrates philosophical insights from PACT with EXA and ABR methodologies from AHS, paying tribute to Paolo Knill’s concept of the Magical Underworld. This work explores how ontological play can revolutionize arts-based research in our evolving posthuman world.

Ethico-Aesthetics: The Expressive Arts and AI

Dr. Richard Wainwright has been a  member of the Expressive Arts team since 2014, beginning as a thesis advisor and now serving as an adjunct faculty member and dissertation supervisor for three PhD students. His journey at EGS began within the PACT division, where he discovered a profound passion for Expressive Arts through Heather Dawson mentorship. This led to an award winning arts-based research dissertation at the University of Victoria, where he blended theory from both PACT and EXA.

His work earned him the UVic faculty research award in 2022. Dr. Wainwright also teaches in the Master's Program at Thompson Rivers University and has led EXA seminars at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute and the San Diego Expressive Arts Institute. He is known for his expertise in navigating complex research designs.

After addressing issues with 21 students using AI inappropriately, Dr. Wainwright developed successful interventions and discovered unexpected successes using EXA theory-informed approaches. He believes that now, more than ever, is the time to integrate ethics and aesthetics. Mostly he wants students to use technologies in exciting ways.

Anthropocene Project:

• Stevens, S., & Wainwright, R. (2020). A review of ‘The Anthropocene Project’: Treachery in images. Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal, 5(2), 567-584. Retrieved from [Anthropocene.pdf]​​.

Shady Figures and Shifting Grounds:

• Stevens, S., & Wainwright, R. (2019). Shady figures and shifting grounds for re/truthing: Channeling McLuhan’s posthuman. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 34(3), 108-121. Retrieved from [Shady Figures and Shifting Grounds.pdf]​​.

Mashup at the Vancouver Art Gallery:

• Wainwright, R., & Stevens, S. (2017). MashUp at the Vancouver Art Gallery: ‘In review’ [onto]riffologically. Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal, 2(1), 166-184. Retrieved from [Mashup at the Vancouver Art Gallery.pdf]​​.

Posthumanizing McLuhan:

• Wainwright, R., & Stevens, S. (2020). Posthumanizing McLuhan’s curriculum: Riffing on city as classroom. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 17(2), 55-66. Retrieved from [Rev4 Wainwright_R.E._Phd_2022.pdf]​​.

Ontological Play: Reinventing (Machinic) Arts-Based Research in the Posthuman Era:

• Wainwright, R. (2022). Ontological play: Reinventing (machinic) arts-based research in the posthuman era (Doctoral dissertation). University of Victoria. Retrieved from [Rev4 Wainwright_R.E._Phd_2022.pdf]​​.