Trained as a painter, printmaker and art historian, Joan has maintained a consistent art practice throughout her career at Edinburgh College of Art, exhibiting work regularly in solo and group exhibitions in the UK and abroad.
She explores cross-overs with other specialist subjects as a way of creating new knowledge, and is a member of the research group, the ‘Bones Collective’, based in Social Anthropology in the University of Edinburgh, and the art/science research group, ‘Fusion’ as well as the ‘Narrative’ research cluster in the School of Art. Joan is a professional member of the Society of Scottish Artists.
Recent collaborative projects have enriched her practice while contributing to others’ research. In ‘Smugglerius Unveiled’ (2009) Joan collaborated with anthropologist, Dr Jeanne Cannizzo, making work inspired by the important ecorche cast known as Smugglerius and the project culminated in an exhibition at the Talbot Rice Gallery. The exhibition gained extensive press coverage. Later collaborative projects included working with the School of Veterinary Medicine (including the PTAS funded ‘Where Art Meets Science’ research and ‘Bone Library’ exhibition at Summerhall in 2014) and Anatomy in the Medical School (including her ‘Skull Colour Chart’ which Joan has been working on since 2017). From 2016 – 2019 Joan was part of an international research project, ‘Dead Images’ (part of the Horizon 2020 funded TRACES project www.traces.polimi.it), which explored contentious collections through Creative Co-Production between artists, anthropologists, and others. As well as contributing to the artistic and conceptual research behind Dead Images, Joan co-curated the ‘Dead Images’ exhibition at Edinburgh College of Art, project managing the complex installation and line managing a Research Assistant and Exhibitions and Exhibitions Intern to help run educational events. The exhibition and related conference were internationally recognised, gaining excellent feedback.
In 2018 Joan worked with fellow artist, Susie Wilson, on research in to the photographic archive and journals of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in the First World War. This research resulted in an exhibition with accompanying publication, ‘Field Notes’, shown at Surgeons Hall Museum in Edinburgh. Opening in November 2018 it was part of the WW1 centenary commemorations.