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About



Eugene Howard is an independent artist and arts worker, he is Artistic Director and CEO of Residency Projects Inc., a Not-for-profit arts and cultural organisation he founded with artist Kate Hill in 2017. Eugene works across various mediums looking into ideas around care, custodianship and place. Eugene has been involved in numerous inter-disciplinary projects as both an artist, administrator and producer.

He has been developing contemporary arts projects since 2012, often revolving around a 'residency' model. Through his organisation he has worked in partnership with the Victorian State Government, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Parks Victoria, and various Local Government Authorities. He is currently developing a major new multi-use, permanent arts and cultural center on the outskirts of Melbourne, the 'Garambi Baan (Laughing Waters) Residency Centre', launching in 2020.

Alongside development of the new 'Garambi Baan Residency Centre', Eugene has most recently been working with Maudie Palmer AO, founding Director of Heide Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), developing a comprehensive plan for an internationally significant 'Birrarung Cultural Precinct', to interact directly with Melbourne's new North East Link, whilst enshrining protections for a significant tract of parkland and building a new Birrarung Meeting Place, accommodating artist studios, conference spaces and performance/exhibition space. This has occured in collaboration with Senior Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO.

Eugene sits on the Testing Grounds Board, appointed by Creative Victoria in 2016, and since 2017 has sat on Nillumbik Shire Council’s Arts and Cultural Development Advisory Committee, steering the development and delivery of the Council’s Arts & Cultural Strategy (2018-2022). He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts (University of Melbourne), RMIT University and has undertaken scholarship with the New York Studio School in Italy. As an artist, Eugene has exhibited internationally and is held in both private and institutional collections including RMIT, Maroondah City Council and Abbotsford Convent Foundation, amongst others.

Eugene specialises in developing ‘place’ through nurturing the union of art, architecture, community, landscape, culture and plant form. Eugene's ongoing works include open air watercolour painting projects looking at specific sites across Victoria and video documentation archiving collaborative projects and events. 2017 saw Eugene deliver an ambitious rural artist-in-residence program in partnership with the State Government of Victoria, utilising a dis-use State Government primary school in NE Victoria. 



Writing commissions



Eugene has written professionally for artists and organisations since 2016. He has been involved in successfully securing both Federal, State and Local Government funding, as well as a wide range of philanthropic support for a range of projects including infrastructure, programming, exhibition, professional development, scholarship, residency and organisational funding. Most recent successful projects include:

  • Marten Bequest, administered by the Australia Council for the Arts
  • Creators Fund, Creative Victoria (multiple)
  • VicArts Grants (Creative Victoria)
  • Australia Council for the Arts Project Funding (multiple)
  • Australia Council for the Arts Emerging Leaders program
  • Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras/ANZ Community Fund (SGLMG)
  • Helen McPherson Smith Trust
  • National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)/Mecca M-Power Women’s Scholarchip shortlist
  • Leadership Victoria
  • The Besen Family Foundation