Social Engagement and Collaborations

Website: wundergym.co
Instagram: @Wunder_Gym

While studying at Victoria College of the Arts, University of Melbourne in 2019, I established a socially engaged practice called the Wunder Gym, which enabled me to design hybrid, experimental and public-facing learning and engagement models. Achieving over 40 successful interdisciplinary programs and events to over 400 participants to date, evaluation and reporting insights consistently confirm they have contributed by adding strategic value, considered cultural integration and sustained community impact.

Since establishing Wunder Gym, I have collaborated with program partners include working with the Science Gallery and broader collaborations with academic researchers, artists, cultural institutions and university partners including: Museums Victoria; ACCA; NGV; Ian Potter Gallery; Melbourne Fringe, and; local government cultural teams supporting their broader communities. As a living lab, the Wunder Gym has enabled me to design, develop and lead non-traditional research outputs that are integrated models, academically rigorous, operationally viable, and publicly meaningful.

“As the Arts Development Officer at Wyndham City, I had the privilege of collaborating with Annette Wagner over four years through the Wunder Gym programs, an initiative that significantly contributed to and continues to nurture the cultural vitality of Melbourne’s West. Annette’s leadership consistently delivered transdisciplinary programs that not only engaged artists and communities but also bridged local government, education, and major cultural institutions. Her ability to design and facilitate socially responsive, participatory programming led to outcomes that were both inclusive and strategically aligned with civic priorities. Annette brings exceptional skills in translating complex cultural and ecological themes into accessible and transformative experiences, and is a passionate advocate for the role of the arts and creative research in shaping just and connected futures.”
_{Trish Carlon, Grants Coordinator, Anthony Costa Foundation}

The Wunder Gym program is underpinned by a systematic evaluation framework that integrates qualitative and participatory methods to assess community engagement, learning, and creative outcomes. By documenting outputs, participant experience, and contextual impacts, this work adheres to recognised research evaluation standards and contributes evidence of its conceptual and social significance within interdisciplinary inquiry.

_{Above: Wyndham community qualitative survey results, 2024.}