Image - Emma Byrnes 2024 - Lethbridge, Victoria (Email) sthompsonart1@gmail.com (PH) 0429 487 721

Samantha Thompson Biography

Samantha Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist and regional arts advocate based in Golden Plains Shire, Victoria, Australia. Her practice operates at the intersection of contemporary art and craft, with a sustained focus on printmaking. Through these mediums, she interrogates the cultural conditions of play in adulthood. Characterised by a vibrant and deliberately playful aesthetic, her work engages feminist discourse through the reactivation of “feminine-coded” modes of making. Thompson’s materially diverse and often upcycled works extend beyond object-based outcomes, translating into performance and public art contexts. Central to her practice is an investment in intergenerational knowledge, particularly the transmission of craft through familial and informal pedagogies. This mixture of conceptual inquiry and academic research underpins her recent series, Relationship to Play, which examines the social and psychological conditions that shape adult engagement with play, advocating for its renewed integration into everyday life.

Born in Sydney in 1978 to parents from America, Thompson attributes her early immersion in a family-run fashion business as foundational to her development as an artist. She initially worked across product styling and design campaigns for an international fashion label while maintaining an independent studio practice. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Studio Textile Design from RMIT University (2009), majoring in Print and Weave, and a Graduate Certificate in Visual Arts (2021) and Master of Contemporary Art (2023) from the Victorian College of the Arts.

Since 2003, Thompson has presented 24 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions across Australia and internationally. Her print-based works have been included in major national prizes, and she maintains an active commitment to community engagement through the delivery of widely attended printmaking workshops across Australia. Her work is held in both public and private collections.

Education
2010 - Diploma of Arts (Studio Textiles and Design), RMIT
2015 - Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy, Victorian Fitness Academy - Geelong
2021 - Graduate Certificate in Visual Art, Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne
2023 - Masters of Contemporary Art, Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne
2025 - Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, Deakin University

Acquired works in Major Collections
Geelong Gallery
Hobson Bay Council Art Collection
Print Council of Australia
Deakin University Art Gallery
Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum

Community Arts-Culture Projects/Grants/Residencies
2026 Sept - Grampians Brushes​ - workshop facilitator - Grampians Art, Victoria
2026 April - Artist Residency and workshops facilitator - Cannery Art Centre, Esperance, Western Australia
2026 Feb - Lake House Residency and workshop facilitator - Port Macquarie, NSW
2025 June - Wildflower Print Project, Grant funded community art festival over two days in Golden Plains Shire, Lead Artist
2024 June - Playsuits - BEINGS after dark, In partnership with RISING, ACMI, Melbourne
2024 April - Invited Artist to present “Stop/Think/Play” Public Art Performance, MPravillion, University of Melbourne
2024 March - Recipient of Q Bank Gallery Artist residency, Queenstown, Tasmania
2023 Oct/Nov - Recipient of TEST PROJECT (Public Art grant), Melbourne City Council, Melbourne
2023 Oct - Invited Artist to facilitate workshop, Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat, Victoria
2023 July - Invited Speaker, “Project Vic(Toria)”, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
2023 May - EDGE -Art Camp on the GreenWay, Residency and art activations, Inner West Sydney
2023 All year The Place to Make initiative, Residency, Geelong Art Centre, Victoria
2023 April - Lead artist, Workshops with Golden Plains Shire/Geelong Regional Library Corp
2023 April - Lead artist, Recovery through the arts, Moorabool Shire Council/Vic Emergency
2022 Nov - Invited Artist to facilitate workshop for all staff day Geelong Regional Library corp, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
2022 Aug/Sept - Creative Producer for Tastings held at the George Paton Gallery, University of Melbourne
2022 March/May - Creative art/school holiday workshops for Dandenong Council
2021/ 22 - Creative Collective Memory Arts project for Geelong Regional Library
2021 Aug - Youth online art workshops for Golden Plains Shire Council
2020 April - Binary Code Project, Creative response with The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre, Geelong Design Week
2020 Jan – Lead artist,  Individual Art Therapy with Helping, Hero’s Therapy Services
2020 April  - Lead artist, Youth Week projection art exhibition with Golden Plains Shire
2019 Dec – Selected Artist, 12 Days of Christmas windows, with Ballarat Council
2019 June – Selected artist, Winter Art trail Winter Arts festival with Ballarat Council
2019 -2026 - The BOP Arts co-op annual Art Exhibition and yearly workshops

Solo Exhibitions/Fairs
2025 Jan - The Other Art Fair, The Timber Yard, Melbourne, New work
2024 March - Q Bank Gallery, Queenstown, Tasmania, Not a Tassie Devil
2023 Apr - The Memo, Healesville, Victoria, Relationship to play
2023 Jan - Garnar Lane Light Boxes, Dandenong, Melbourne, Rampaging Critters
2022 Oct - Platform Arts, Craft Contemporary 2022 / Satellite Program, Victoria, Geelong The take over
2021 Jun - Brunswick Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne, 2 Face Series
2021 Jan – Creative Arts Napier, Napier, New Zealand, 2 Face Series
2020 Jun - Walker Street Gallery, Dandenong, Victoria, Luna
2019 Sep - Knox Immerse, Knox City, Victoria, Solitaire
2019 Aug - Tacit Galleries, Collingwood, Victoria, Hypnosis
2019 Mar - Barn Gallery, Montsalvat, Eltham, Victoria, Recent Works
2018 Apr - Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan, Object Impressions
2017 Mar - Unicorn Lane Gallery, Ballarat, Victoria, Object
2015 Oct - Fire Station Print Gallery, Armadale, Victoria, I dream in colour
2014 Oct - Little Creatures, Geelong, Victoria, Recent works
2012 Oct - MAD Gallery, Victoria, MOD
2010 - Samantha Thompson Studio, Geelong, Victoria, Love and tragedy under the big top
2010 - The White Room Gallery, Brunswick, Victoria, Retrospective
2009 - The Convent Gallery, Daylesford, Victoria, Light and Dark
2008 - Collective Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Recent works
2008 - Territories Colours Gallery, Darwin, Northen Territory, Colour Me
2007 - Fringe Festival, Melbourne, Victoria, Pastels and Pearls
2005 – Samantha Thompson Gallery, St. Kilda, Victoria, Postcards from Hawaii
2003 - Brunswick Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, A Star is Born

Selected Group Shows

2026
May - Exhibition of tiny art , BOP Arts co-op, Inverleigh, Victoria
April/May - Bound by thread Naarm Textile Biennale, Glen Eira Gallery, Melbourne
April - Artist Book Prize, Firestation print studio and gallery, Armadale, Victoria

2025
Oct - A Royal Exhibition, Portraits of a new king, The GOAT Gallery, Natimuck, Victoria
Oct - Walter Hopps Exhibition, Platform Arts, Geelong, Victoria
Oct - Face to Face/Revisited, Deakin University Art Gallery, Burwood, Melbourne, Selected Finalist
Sept/Oct - Social fabric, Naarm Textile Biennale, FortyFiveDownstairs Gallery, Melbourne
Aug - Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award, Fremantle Art Centre, Western Australia, Selected Finalist
June – Golden Spaces exhibition, Bannockburn Cultural Centre, Bannockburn, Victoria
May - 4th Biennial National Monoprint Prize, Firestation Print Studio, Armadale, Melbourne, Selected Finalist
March – Tangle/Detangle, Naarm Textile Collective, Glen Eira Gallery, Melbourne
Jan – The Other Art Fair, Packing Yards, Port Melbourne

2024
Nov - SAMPLE, Exhibition at Neon Parlour, Thornbury, Melbourne
Aug - Walter Hopps Exhibition, Platform Arts, Geelong, Victoria

2023
Nov - Graduation Exhibition, Masters of Contemporary Art, Southbank Compass, Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne
Oct - Stitching Change Exhibition, Forty Five Downstairs Gallery, Melbourne, Selected Artist
Aug - Masters 2nd Year Exhibition, VCA Gallery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
March - Threads, Coal Creek Community Park and Museum, Korumburra, Victoria

2022
Sept - Radical Self Care, George Paton Gallery, University of Melbourne (Parkville)
Sept - Stitching Change Exhibition, Naarm Textile Collective, Assembly Point, Melbourne
May - When you think about feminism, what do you think?, George Paton Gallery, Melbourne
May - New works, The Other Art Fair, Meat Market, Melbourne

2021
Oct - Stitching Change Exhibition, Forty Five Down stairs Gallery, Melbourne, Selected Artist
Oct/Nov - Printmakers Exhibition, Shearers Arms Gallery, Geelong, Victoria
March - Make a Fuss exhibition, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, Melbourne, Selected Artist

2020
April - May - F A C E Unframed, Belconnen Arts Centre, , Canberra
May - Human Emotion Print Exchange and Exhibition, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff, Victoria, Selected artist

2019
Nov – Small Artwork Prize, EGAG WRAP, Bainsdale, Victoria
Nov - Printmakers exhibition, Shearers Arms Gallery, Geelong, Victoria, Peoples choice award
Nov - BMCAC Print Prize, Blue Mountain Printmaker Exhibition, Glenbrook, NSW
Oct - Buninyong Art Prize and Exhibition, Ballarat, Victoria
Oct - The Albert Park College Art Show, Albert Park College, Melbourne, Selected artist
Oct – Home, Firestation print studio RELIEF PRINT Exhibition, Melbourne, with WEA Sydney, Mount Gambia, SA, “NSW & Thumbprint Workshop Inc”
Sep - Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney, Represented Firestation Print Studio Artist
Sep - Solitaire, Knox Immerse, Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Selected artist
May - The Other Art Fair, Kensington, Melbourne
March - 2019 South West International Women’s Day Art Prize, F Project Gallery, Warrnambool, Victoria Finalist

2018
Oct - Parallax Art Fair, Chelsea, London
Sep - Tussock Upstairs Gallery, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Jun - Waverly Art Prize, Bondi, Sydney
May - FPS at II Bisonte, Firestation Print Gallery, Florence, Italy
May - Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan
Mar - Wyndham Art Prize 2018, Werribee, Victoria, Finalist

2017
Nov - Summer Salon 2017, Armadale, Melbourne
Nov - Hornsby Art Prize, Hornsby, NSW, Finalist - Honourable mention for Printmaking
Nov - 30x30 Art Prize, Art Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby, NSW
Nov - National Still Life Awards, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Finalist (work acquired by Gallery)
Oct - 42nd Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards, Gladstone, QLD, (Both pieces acquired by gallery)
Sep - Gippsland Print Awards, Sale, Victoria
Oct - Art of the Minds Exhibition, Beach Gallery, Aireys Inlet, Victoria
Aug - Flanagan Art Exhibition, Ballarat, Victoria, Finalist
Jul - Waverley Art Prize, Bondi, NSW, Finalist and Winner - Print Section
Feb – Dogs in Art, Backspace Gallery, Ballarat, Victoria
Jan – On water, Sally Walker Project Space, Geelong, Victoria

2016
Dec – Golden Spaces Exhibition, Bannockburn Cultural Centre, Bannockburn, Victoria
Sep - Bellarine Print Prize, Victoria
Aug - Remote Members Exhibition, Firestation Print Studio, Melbourne
Jun - Cardwell Art Prize, Cardwell Gallery, Queensland
Jun - Leonora Art Prize, JP Epis Centre, Western Australia
May - John Shaw Neilson Art Prize, Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival, South Australia

2015 to 2000
2015 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition, Derinya Primary School, Victoria
2015 - Collage Exhibition, Beth Hulme Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne
2014 – Summer salon, Firestation Print Studio, Melbourne
2014 - Fanboy vs ArtBoy - 7 Deadly Sins, Artboy Gallery, Prahran, Melbourne
2014 - FEDERATION SQUARE Exhibition, Firestation Print Studio, Armadale, Melbourne
2014 - Ficifolia Festival Art Show, Drouin, Victoria
2013 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition, Derinya Primary School, Victoria
2013 - St Joseph’s College Art Exhibition, Geelong, Victoria
2012 – Streets are alive, Wool Museum, Geelong, Victoria
2012 - Parallax Art Fair, Chelsea Town Hall, London
2012 - Art Expo Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
2012 – Group Exhibition, City Library Gallery, Melbourne
2012 – Art Exhibition, Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Queensland
2012 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition, Derinya Primary School, Victoria
2012 – Art Exhibition, St Joseph’s College, Geelong, Victoria
2011 – 2011 Art Exhibition, Pier 92, New York, USA
2010 – Icon, Art at Watergarden, Geelong, Victoria
2009 - Black and White, Shades of Grey, Pigment Gallery, Melbourne
2009 - R.M.I.T Group Show, R.M.I.T Brunswick Campus, Melbourne
2009 - Out of the Blue, Palm House Gallery, Sydney, New South Wales
2008 - Chairs for Charity, Caulfield Race Course, Melbourne
2008 - Guangzhou International Art Fair, China
2007 – Melbourne Art Show, Exhibition Centre, Melbourne
2007 - Out in the South, Kingston Arts Centre, Melbourne
2006 – Gifted, Kingston Arts Centre, Melbourne
2005 - She Who Inspires, Dandenong, Melbourne Finalist                              
2003-2008 – Postcard show, Linden Gallery, Melbourne
2001 – Art Contest, London, U.K - , Excellence Award
2000 - First Light Art Show, Napier Gallery, Napier, New Zealand