Draft:Mike Hewson

Mike Hewson is a New Zealand visual artist specialising in public installations. Hewson has experience in structural engineering and heavy-civil construction. He received a bachelor of engineering from the University of Canterbury in 2007 and later, a master of fine arts (MFA) from Columbia University in 2016. Hewson has completed projects in Aukland, Makaurau, Melbourne, Sydney, Ashburton, Wollongong, New York, Moscow, Christchurch, Pilbara, and Dunedin.

Early Life
Hewson was born in 1985 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Education & Career
On August 5, 2022, Hewson gave a TED talk for TEDxSydney titled Playing with risk: The dangers of thinking safe. Hewson discussed his philosophy on risk-taking, arguing that risk and exploratory behaviour should be encouraged in a public setting. He explains how he incorporates this idea in his playground designs.

In 2024, Hewson joined the Newington College Artists Residency Program. He worked closely with visual arts students of the college and featured artworks at the Turning Lessons: With Heads and Hands exhibition, hosted by Concordia Art Gallery. The opening night of the exhibition took place on March 21, 2024.

Crown Street Mall (2018)
Illawarra Placed Landscape is a public artwork in Wollongong. It features a 17-metre tall 'palm pole'.

St Peters Fences (2020)
St Peters Fences playground is a playspace and public artwork in Simpson Park, St Peters, Sydney. The playground was opened in late 2020. The cost of the project was $320,000.

Rocks on Wheels (2022)
Rocks on Wheels is a public artwork and playspace located at Southbank Boulevard in Southbank, Melbourne. The playground was inspired by the photograph with the same name by American photographer Diane Arbus. The installation features several large Victorian bluestone boulders, together weighing over 300 tons. The playground has been considered to challenge conventions of playground design, allowing visitors to embrace risk-taking.

Accident & Disaster Response

 * See 2011 Christchurch earthquake.