Mary Jane Hackett is a current PhD candidate in Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology where, through a sculptural practice, she examines and maps the forces involved in forging processes. Hackett completed a Master of Fine Art with distinction at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2011, was granted a Master of Fine Art Graduate Award and placed on the Vice-Chancellor’s List for Academic Excellence in that year. She teaches silversmithing and jewellery design at Melbourne Polytechnic and is a founder of Blacksmith Doris, a blacksmithing group just for women. Hackett began as a metalsmith in the early 1980’s, expanding her interest to sculpture over the last six years. She has been invited to exhibit and present papers on her sculptural practice and research throughout Australia and internationally.