Karen is an experienced inter-disciplinary teacher and course designer, researcher, cultural strategist and grant writer with over twenty years’ professional experience in the creative industries and publishing sectors. She is engaged as a Lecturer in Creative Industries.
Karen’s research focuses on the social and political aspects of the creative industries, publishing and arts sectors, taking a dual scholarly-industry approach to exploring some critical issues facing the sectors. Between 2017 – 2019 she was the Associate Publisher of Griffith Review, where she published twelve editions of Australia’s leading quarterly journal of ideas and writing, and produced the ‘In Conversation’ events at Queensland Conservatorium that were broadcast on Radio National.
Karen has written and taught into undergraduate and post-graduate communications, media, arts, humanities, and literature courses and is a highly-regarded teacher, recently being a member of an online teaching team that was regarded as a national performance leader (OUA). Karen is a peer assessor for Arts Queensland
Awards and Fellowships
- Griffith University’s Women in Leadership Mentorship Program, 2019
- Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation Women’s Academic Fund – Carer Funding to present research at conferences, 2016
- Griffith University Cultural Social Research Centre international travel bursary to present research findings at conferences in Antwerp and Paris, 2011
- Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship for Higher Degree by Research Study, 2010 - 2013
Professional Social Media
Research areas
- cultural policy
- Australian publishing
- creative industries
- Hands, Karen 2015 “The Royal New Wave: Aubrey Mellor and Queensland Theatre Company 1988 – 1993”, Queensland Review, vol. 22 no. 2.
- Hands, Karen 2015 “A space of possibles: artistic directorships and leadership in Australian performing arts companies" Doctoral thesis, Griffith University Brisbane.
Karen Hands specialist area of knowledge includes Australian publishing, creative industries, cultural management, cultural policy and cultural leadership.