Dam Thi Thu Huong (Joni)

MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice

2025

Joni is an artist and arts educator based in Singapore. She has built a diverse portfolio of experience across the arts sector, including managing artists, curating exhibitions for both galleries and her own independent art space and organising medium to large-scale art events and music concerts.

Driven by a deep passion for the arts, Joni works across various roles such as being a multimedia visual artist, researcher and collaborator with artists from diverse disciplines. Since 2014, she has been teaching visual arts in art studios and as a private tutor.

Joni continues to practice and teach art, with a focus on creative collaboration and community engagement.

https://www.instagram.com/jonidam.art

jonidam.art@gmail.com

Work

Teaching philosophy and research interests

As an arts educator, I believe that education is a path to liberation that empowers individuals to think critically, feel deeply and express authentically. My teaching is rooted in creativity and experimentation, where the process of art-making becomes a space and ritual for discovery, vulnerability and growth. I encourage students to take risks, challenge assumptions and embrace failure as a vital part of learning.

I view the classroom as a collaborative and inclusive environment where resilience is nurtured through reflective practice and continuous inquiry. Just as we learn, we must also unlearn habits, biases or fixed ideas that no longer serve us. This tolerance for unlearning allows students to stay open, adaptable and engaged with the world around them.

Ultimately, I aim to guide learners not just in mastering techniques, but in developing a voice and vision that reflects their unique perspectives and contributes meaningfully to their communities.

Click here to add in Fav

Thesis abstract

Extended reality and traditional figurative drawing practices: A qualitative investigation into their role in shaping artistic self-representation among primary school children and artist-educators in Singapore

This thesis explores how emerging technologies like virtual and extended reality (VR/XR) intersect with traditional drawing to shape artistic self-representation among primary school children and artist-educators in Singapore.

Through a series of drawing sessions, participants reimagined the self-portrait as a space of dialogue between the tangible and the virtual. The study reveals how conventional materials often evoke restraint and technical anxiety, while XR tools open playful, multisensory environments that invite curiosity, embodiment and new forms of authorship. Within these immersive spaces, children and educators alike discovered expanded ways of seeing and being; where identity becomes fluid, performative and plural.

The research proposes that VR and XR can coexist with traditional methods to create hybrid pedagogical models that value experimentation and self-discovery. This models emphasise personal narratives as a cornerstone of creative learning, encouraging educators to cultivate spaces where discovery unfolds collaboratively.

Work experience

2014–present
Private tutor of visual arts

2023–present
The Drawing Mint
Arts educator

2021–2023
Artgrain
Arts educator

2019–2021
Ota Fine Arts
Gallerist

Design by Adaptive Theme