The Glasgow School of Art

Dr Lisa McDonald is Post-Doctoral Research Associate with One Ocean Hub – a five-year collaborative research programme that aims to transform approaches to integrated and inclusive ocean governance. Based at the School of Simulation and Visualisation, Lisa is also responsible for management of the project’s Deep Emotional Engagement Programme (DEEP) Fund and art projects by makers based in Africa and the South Pacific.

Lisa completed her doctoral studies with the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the University of East Anglia. Her thesis explored the relationship between contemporary art and kastom (custom) in Port Vila, Vanuatu. She has held curatorial and collection management positions with museums and galleries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand; academic posts with universities in the United Kingdom and Aotearoa New Zealand; and, development roles with government agencies and civil society organisations in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

Research and teaching interests:
Pacific art, with particular focus on Melanesia
Visual, material and intangible cultural heritage
Anthropology of art
Socio-cultural anthropology
Curatorial studies
Postcolonial studies
Participatory research methods

Qualifications:
Doctor of Philosophy (Art History), Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, University of East Anglia
Master of Art Curatorship, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Arts (Art History and English Literature), University of Melbourne