Devon Ward is an educator, designer, and artist who works across multiple creative disciplines including interactive media, print design, and experimental art. His research explores the concept of the expanding field of design, a design approach that is interdisciplinary and future-focused and inclusive. He serves as Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Auburn University where he teaches Interactive Media and Biodesign. He has exhibited internationally in Australia, China, Japan, Ireland, UK and the United States.
Education
Master of Biological Arts, The University of Western Australia, AU
Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Florida, US
Selected Exhibitions
2025 Creative Showcase, Jule Collins Smith Museum, Auburn, US
2024 Satellite: The Artist and Educator as Orbital Connector, MACAA Gallery, US
2022 Defining the Undefined, MACAA Virtual Gallery, US
2021 Biodiversity-Cultural Diversity, Hugh N. Ronald Gallery, Portland, US
2021 Ball State Faculty Triennial, Gloria Griner Gallery, Ball State, Muncie, US
2020 Designs for Different Futures, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, US
2020 Faculty Biennial 2020, University Galleries, Illinois State, US
2020 Urban Screening, Melbourne Design Week, Melbourne, AU
2019 Designs for Difference Futures, Philadelphia Museum of Art, US
2019 Urban Screening, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth, AU
2019 Growing ZHI, Zhi Art Museum, Chengdu, CN
2019 Gnawing Fields, The Lobby, Perth, AU
2019 Quasi-Nature, Hyundai Motor Studio, Beijing, CN
2019 Growing, Chronus Art Center, Shanghai, CN
2019 The Tempering, Cool Change Contemporary, Perth, AU
2018 Dark Skies Ahead, Paper Mountain, Perth, AU
2018 Fake, Science Gallery Dublin, Dublin, IE
2017 Fremantle Biennale: High Tide, Fremantle, AU
2017 This is Not Art (TiNA), Critical Animals, Newcastle, AU
2017 Transart, Roe St Footbridge, Perth, AU
2017 Co•–st•–l W•–ve Tr•–nsl•–tor, Elizabeth Quay, Perth, AU
2016 Scrapped (curation), Aartlab, Perth, AU
2016 Protistopia and Posthuman Mythologies (curation), Aartlab, Perth, AU
2015 Futile Labor, John Curtin Gallery, Perth, AU
2015 Busied & Bruised with Looking, Perth Centre for Photography, Perth
2014 Nerves in Patterns on a Screen, Paper Mountain, Perth, AU
2014 Repetitions of Observation, ArtLaab, Perth, AU
2013 Marqeu d’ironie, Light Locker, Perth, AU
2010 Tales of a Man-myth, Reitz Union Gallery, Gainesville, US
2010 Musical Chairs, Eleanor Blair’s Studio, Gainesville, US
2010 Ligature 19, Focus Gallery, Gainesville, US
2009 Proof of Unicorns, WARP Gallery, Gainesville, US
2009 Made in Japan, Design Festa Gallery, Tokyo, JP
2008 Ligature 17, Focus Gallery, Gainesville, US
Publications + Conference Presentations
2024
Ward, Devon “Mycography and Biodesign Pedagogy: Concepts and Methods for Creating Living Posters” Interdisciplinary Practice in Industrial Design, Vol. 144, 2024, 38–45
2023
Ward, Devon “The Art of Environmental Personhood and the Possibility of Environmental Statehood” In: Pau Alsina & Andrés Burbano (coords.). “Possibles”. Artnodes, no. 32. UOC. https://doi.org/10.7238/artnodes.v0i32.411208
2023
Zeigler, Eric; Gaskins, Whitney; Scarpelli, Andy; Sheth, Nandita; Carpenter, Brian and Devon Ward “Culturing Biodesigners: Pedagogical Approaches to Biodesign” In 17th International Conference on Design Principles an Practices. Lisbon Polytechnic.
2022
Ward, Devon “The Conversational Approach to Design” In Watershed: Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) 2022. Maryland Institute College of Art: Maryland, US.
2022
Ward, Devon “In Sight of Allo-States: Tracing the Path from Environmental Personhood to Agentials, Performances of Personhood and Other Artworks on the Agency-Personhood Continuum (APC)” In 27th International Symposium for Electronic Art. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya: Barcelona.
2022
Ward, Devon and Kirill de Lancanstre Jedenov. “Education in the Expanded Field of Design: Biological Design” In Proceedings of the 37th National Conference on the Beginning Design Student. Ball State University: Muncie.
2022
Ward, Devon. “The Expanded Field of Design: Speculative Biodesign” In Defining the Undefined: 2022 Mid- America College Art Association Virtual Conference. Slippery Rock University: Slippery Rock
2021
Ward, Devon. “Vital Signs: Representations of agency and the art of nonhuman personhood.” In Vitality: Conference for Society for Literary, Sciences and the Arts 2021. Michigan University: Detroit.
2019
Ward, Devon, and Kynan Tan. “Dislocated Agency: Methods for Web-Based Sound Generation.” In Signal Culture Cook Book, Vol. 2, edited by Jason Bernagozzi, 122-145. Owego: Signal Culture. 2018-jul Ward, Devon, “Wave Translator.” In Proceedings of the First Digital Naturalism Conference. edited by Andrew Quitmeyer, 146–149. Koh Lon: Digital Naturalism.
2017
Ward, Devon, Robert Cameron, Loren Kronemyer, and Kirill de Lancanstre Jedenov. “Biological Systems: Outcomes in Architectural Design Studios.” In Back to the Future: The Next 50 Years: 51st International Conference of the Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA). edited by Marc Aurel Schnabel, 343–355. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington.
2017
Robert Cameron, Kirill de Lancanstre Jedenov, Devon Ward and Loren Kronemyer. “Responsive Systems and Electronic Spatial Interfaces: Outcomes in Architectural Design Studios.” In Back to the Future: The Next 50 Years: 51st International Conference of the Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA). edited by Marc Aurel Schnabel, 743–752. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington.