Shelley Hannigan is a visual artist, art educator and is also a trained and experienced creative arts therapist. Her artistic practice of over twenty-five years has explored issues of place, identity and persona - often focusing on the personal results of social and cultural influence and construction of identity. She has recently completed her PhD that investigated her practice and those of four other artists to understand artist's definitions of place and identity that emerge from their practices. Her interest in personal effects of Place and identity has extended in the past to her art therapy practice with clients suffering from brain injuries and psycho-geriatric conditions in hospitals. She has been an art educator for over ten years and has worked as a lecturer in an ongoing part-time position in Deakin's School of Education, since 2008.