Bundanon

Mary Kavanagh is a visual artist and Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Lethbridge, Canada.

She is a Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair, awarded for her work examining the material evidence of war and conflict. For nearly thirty years, Kavanagh’s artwork has been exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her decade-long investigation into the complex and veiled history of nuclear armament resulted in multiple bodies of work including an immersive travelling exhibition with publication, Daughters of Uranium, which encompasses drawing, sculpture, photography, moving image installation, and archival materials. With sustained projects in Canada and the US, she has been the recipient of peer-reviewed grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Arts and Humanities.

In Residence at Bundanon

During her residency at Bundanon, Kavanagh will interpret research findings related to the British Nuclear Testing Program carried out at three sites in Australia (1952-1963), part of the unfolding nuclear story that continues unabated. Building upon her previous research on the birth of the atomic age (Trinity Site, New Mexico, 1945), Kavanagh will consider the broad and lasting impacts of the Cold War Atomic Testing Program (1946 – 1993), including high yield weapons development carried out by nuclear nations around the globe. Time in residence will be used for review, reflection, and investigation as she develops an exhibition project with manuscript.