Our Teachers
Our Teachers
Classes are written and taught by Ruby Chew, with the support of teaching assistants where necessary.
Ruby is an award winning practicing Visual Artist and experienced educator. Her own practice spans across painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking.
Ruby is driven by a passion to spark creativity in her students. She’s dedicated to tailoring personalised art experiences that cater to each student's unique talents and interests. With a focus on honing practical skills and nurturing conceptual understanding, Ruby empowers students to confidently express their creative vision through their art. Ruby's engaging, imaginative, and informative teaching style ensures an enriching and enjoyable learning experience for all.
Hello!
Photo: Rosina Possingham✧ Award winning, practising Visual Artist
✧ Arts educator with over 15 years experience
✧ Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hons.), Adelaide Central School of Art (2010)
✧ Further study at Florence Academy, Italy and Central Saint Martins, London (2015)
✧ Registered teacher with a Master of Teaching, University of South Australia (2023)
✧ Up to date training & clearances: First Aid, Australian and international police checks, Working with Children Check (WWCC), RRHAN training
✧Winner of the Ruth Tuck Scholarship, Helpmann Academy SALA Prize, Helpmann Academy + Hill Smith Gallery Travel Scholarship, finalist in Art prizes, recipient of numerous grants - Artist CV here
St. Ignatius' College Artist In Residence, Photo by Helen Orr
Past Teaching Projects
Past Teaching Projects
Below are some of the large scale teaching projects Ruby has completed as a Teaching Artist
Delivering Effective Arts Learning (DEAL)
DEAL was a professional learning program in arts curriculum for primary teachers in South Australian government schools (IED category 1–4). It connected professional teaching artists and classroom teachers to address and explore the Australian Curriculum: The Arts.
The program ran annually across two terms and comprised of a one day professional development (PD) intensive followed by a series of one on one deliveries in the classroom or further PD intensives with teaching artists. The teacher then lead a creative class project, applying their new learning supported by the teaching artist.
Ruby worked as lead artist for the Visual Arts portion of this program from 2020-22, delivering tailored educational experiences for 13 teachers across 6 different schools including regional areas. Outcomes from this program included teachers’ depth of knowledge, skills, techniques and confidence in Art and the Australian Arts Curriculum, development of teachers’ capacity to deliver engaging and challenging arts programs and overall, improved student learning outcomes.
Now adapted to the Artists in Schools program, Ruby continues to work regularly as a contractor for Carclew in schools across South Australia.
Children’s Artspace
Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre works with local visual artists who collaborate with children to create new artwork and unique experiences. Each exhibition provides young people with the opportunity to engage with diverse arts practices, learn new techniques, and ask challenging questions. The Children’s Artspace run both in-school and in-gallery workshops and produce curated professional exhibitions of children’s artwork.
In 2021, Ruby was the first artist to work on this program, delivering art experiences inspired by her own arts practice for students at Keller Road Primary School and Hackham West Primary School. These resulted in a final exhibition, Kaleidoscope: Playing with Colour, which opened in 2022 and was the first exhibition launching Adelaide Festival Centre’s new gallery, Children’s Artspace.
Funded by the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, Children’s Artspace is actively facilitating local, national, and international partnerships and is run in collaboration with Adelaide Festival Centre’s centrED program with support from the South Australian Department for Education.
Artist in Residence Positions
Ruby has completed numerous Artist in Residence (AIR) positions at schools across South Australia and overseas.
This includes AIR positions at Klemzig Primary School (2024), Ocean View College (2023), Warradale Primary School (2020), Concordia College (2018), for Marryatville High School’s Gifted and Talented Program (2012 & 2016), the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2012) and St Ignatius’ College (2011).
Each residency has been unique; differentiated to the needs and outcomes of each school and its students. Outcomes have included SALA and whole school exhibitions, public art creation and technical Painting, Drawing and Sculpture techniques.
Cabaret Life Drawing
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Pick up the charcoal, settle in with a sketchpad, and turn your gaze toward the stage; it’s the much-anticipated return of Cabaret Life Drawing. Created by Adelaide Cabaret Festival in partnership with Adelaide Central School of Art, this immersive, creative experience mixes the art of life drawing with the vibrant energy of cabaret!
Accompanied by live music (and perhaps a glass of something...) Ruby has written and taught this program over two festival seasons, guiding participants through a range of fun, experimental and technical drawing techniques to capture muses in the moment as they model the alluring forms and fashions of cabaret.