I pay my respects to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Turrbal and Yuggera Peoples, their Ancestors and Elders, on whose unceded lands my practice has unfolded. I recognise the care, knowledge and community that First Nations People have nurtured across generations, lands and waterways, and continue to sustain today. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
Dr Jacina Leong 梁玉明 works across cultural, education and social impact spaces. With 18 years of experience spanning organisational leadership, transdisciplinary research and creative practice, her work focuses on how people and institutions navigate periods of transition, complexity and change in uncertain times. Her interests include the intersection of climate crisis, burnout and arts labour; the politics and ethics of care; and thinking with meridians, breath and composting as pedagogic devices.
Selected Work.
From 2023 to 2024, Jacina was Acting CEO/Director of Next Wave, where she led organisational strategy, partnerships and long-term planning for a not-for-profit organisation with longstanding commitment to supporting early-career practitioners. Her work included developing cross-sector collaborations with A Climate for Art and CAST (Contemporary Art and Social Transformation) RMIT, and securing organisational infrastructure to support sustainable practice and growth.
Her earlier roles span governance, leadership, curatorial and public engagement across a range of cultural and educational contexts, alongside sustained work in higher education as a researcher, educator and postgraduate supervisor.
Selected Partnerships and Collaborators.
Jacina is currently lecturing within the School of Art, RMIT University, and also serves as Chair of the School’s Industry Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Darebin Council Art and Heritage Advisory Panel and a research associate on the ARC Linkage Project Museum Digital Social Futures. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) and Masters by Research from QUT, and PhD from RMIT University. Jacina lives in Narrm/Melbourne with her dog Soda.
LinkedIn / Substack.
Pay the rent.
Selected Work.
From 2023 to 2024, Jacina was Acting CEO/Director of Next Wave, where she led organisational strategy, partnerships and long-term planning for a not-for-profit organisation with longstanding commitment to supporting early-career practitioners. Her work included developing cross-sector collaborations with A Climate for Art and CAST (Contemporary Art and Social Transformation) RMIT, and securing organisational infrastructure to support sustainable practice and growth.
Her earlier roles span governance, leadership, curatorial and public engagement across a range of cultural and educational contexts, alongside sustained work in higher education as a researcher, educator and postgraduate supervisor.
Selected Partnerships and Collaborators.
Jacina is currently lecturing within the School of Art, RMIT University, and also serves as Chair of the School’s Industry Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Darebin Council Art and Heritage Advisory Panel and a research associate on the ARC Linkage Project Museum Digital Social Futures. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) and Masters by Research from QUT, and PhD from RMIT University. Jacina lives in Narrm/Melbourne with her dog Soda.
LinkedIn / Substack.
Pay the rent.