Staff Spotlight
Heather Bashar
What is your role at QACI, and what subjects do you teach?
As a teaching artist at QACI, my role is to create the space, time and provocation for artistic growth. I teach Visual Arts across Years 10, 11 and 12, where my focus is helping students craft work that is deeply personal and purposeful. I also have the privilege of guiding students through CAS and leading a vibrant Connect group—both of which remind me daily of the richness of the IB experience beyond the studio.
What inspired you to become a teacher, and what do you love most about working in the IB program?
I was a practising artist before I became a teacher. I actually completed a Master of Education to gain skilled migration status for Australia—yet what began as a practical decision turned out to be a life-changing calling. Teaching took me on an extraordinary international journey, with chapters in the UAE, Uzbekistan, Thailand, and now Australia. What I love most about the IB is its global-mindedness. It fosters genuine dialogue between cultures, encourages artistic risk-taking, and constantly asks: "How does the art we make connect with the world we inhabit?"
How do you bring real-world connections into your teaching? Any exciting collaborations or projects?
My current PhD at QUT is centred on practice-led research that explores how the visual arts can amplify the voices of Third Culture Kids—those who grow up between cultures. Working with a collective of QACI students, we've exhibited annually at QUT’s Frank Moran Gallery, showcasing deeply personal expressions of identity. This collaboration between research and teaching is something I value deeply. I was honoured to present this work at the The Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) national conference, and I’m looking forward to my paper being published later this year. These real-world intersections between art, research, and youth voice are where the magic happens.
Can you share a memorable teaching moment or student success story?
There are so many. Every Year 12 exIBit opening is a crescendo moment—an emotional, powerful culmination of two years of experimentation, doubt, triumph and vision. It’s particularly moving to watch students realise the dream that brought them to QACI in the first place. Last year, I was especially proud of Angela Warr’s Creative Generations success and her Excellence Award. Seeing her work soon to be exhibited at GOMA is a huge moment, not just for her, but for our whole artistic community.
What’s something unique about QACI’s learning experience that sets it apart?
There’s an electric current running through this place—a mix of aspiration and authenticity. Our students are passionate, articulate, and incredibly driven. Our staff bring not only expertise but deep care. It’s a community where young artists feel seen and supported, and where their ideas are taken seriously. Within the art department, I try to cultivate an environment where students are both grounded and free—to explore, to fail gloriously, and ultimately to soar.
Do you have any interesting career highlights, achievements, or passions outside of teaching?
Artistic practice is central to who I am, and I feel it is important to engage with artistic audiences and maintain a relevant practice beyond my teaching. I believe it’s vital to stay engaged and continue to learn. I regularly exhibit and contribute to group shows, and most recently had the opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the Webb Gallery at Griffith University. It showcased works developed throughout my PhD, and was an important moment of reflection and direction-setting for the next phase of the project.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give students for their future?
Chase what sets your soul alight. Work hard, dream wildly, and don’t be afraid of not getting it all right the first time. There’s growth in the gaps. And besides, the journey is often more rewarding than the destination.
Which IB Learner Profile Resonates the most and why?
Open-mindedness, without question.
By being openminded, I’ve travelled to amazing places like Nepal, Iran and Turkey, to view the world through a kaleidoscope of cultural perspectives. I’ve taken jobs in Sharjah, Tashkent, Bangkok and Dubai. I’ve travelled to see art, not in books, but works that have been touched by the hands and brushes of the masters I admire. And importantly, I’ve met artists whose lives reshaped how I see my own. As a consequence of such ‘irresponsible behaviour,’ I have inadvertently fostered the other attributes, becoming more knowledgeable, principled, caring and a risktaker.