Helen O'Shea
Textile Artist
Artworks using waste plastic
CV
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Awards
2022 Individual Artist Bursary Cork City Council Arts Office
2021 Agility Award Arts Council Ireland
2019 Future Makers Awards and Supports, DCCOI
2018 Faculty of Business and Humanities Postgraduate Scholarship 2018. CIT Crawford College Art and Design
2017 Best Honours Degree Student 2017. CIT Crawford College of Art and Design
Shortlisted for RDS Crafts Award
Lavit Gallery
Morgan P Doyle Award
Cork Craft Design
Longlisted Visual Arts Award RDS
2015 Arts Council Travel and Training Grant
2014 Long Note Award CTN
2013 Highly Commended, Textile Design Braintree District Museum UK, Curated by Mary Schooser.
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Selected exhibitions
2024
COLLECT 2024, DCCI at Somerset House London Curated by Maire McLintock
2023
FOR THE SAKE OF.. Artecetera Tielrode Belgium Curated by Sofie Lachaert
RÉVÉLATIONS: the International Biennial of Crafts at Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris curated by WCC Europe.
MASTERS OF THE FUTURE. CRAFTS AND DESIGN IN EUROPE. Castle of San Jorge, Seville. Curated by Jean Blachaert
CREATIVE NATURE BeCraft Mons Belgium
2022
NEXT OF EUROPE Homo Faber Event Venice Curated by Jean Blachaert and Stefano Boeri
COLLECT 2022, DCCI at Summerset House London Curated by Alice Stori Liechenstine
WE ARE THE MAKERS: Irish pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai, Curated by Lynn Scarf and DCCI
2021
ARTEFACT The Contemporary Craft Fair with Ting-Ying Gallery at Design Centre London
CONJURING FORM. PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection Doneralie House Curated by Alice Stori Liechenstine, and Kilkenny DCCI
CRAFTING A DIFFERENCE represented by Ting-Ying Gallery at SoShiro Gallery London Curated by Brian Kennedy.
2020
BALANCING RELATIONS James Barry Exhibition Centre MTU
LAND OF SOME OTHER ORDER Lavit Gallery Curated by Paul McAree
2019
THREAD: Contemporary Textiles Rheged Center, Penrith, Cumbria
ART IN THE ANTHROPOCENE Long Hub Room Trinity Dublin
SEAFEST Cork, Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority
2018
DIALOGUES THROUGH TIME contemporary craft in the context of the 18th Century Wildt’sches Haus in Basel. Curated by Brian Kennedy
IDENTITY Westival Westport
20 Triskel Church Cork
MYTH Gallery Noorus, Tartu Estonia
2017
DISCOVERY Tresor Contemporary Craft Fair Basel Switzerland.
SKIN NAHK ODA Travelling exhibition Tartu Estonia, Cork Ireland and Vilinus Lithuania.
CROSSOVER Project Boras Sweden.
EMERGE Cork Craft Month Wandesford Gallery.
FLEDGELINGS Lavit Gallery Cork.
RDS Craft Awards.
2016
PLAY Cork Craft Month Wandesford Gallery Cork.
2015
TEXTÍLSETUR ÍSLANDS, Icelandic Textiles Center Gallery, Blónduós Iceland.
MENTORING residency with the Crawford College of Art and Design - Exhibition at the Wandesford Gallery Cork.
SCYTHIA 7th Mini Textile Exhibition Ukraine.
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Publications
2023 Embroidery Plastic Fantastic by Liz Cooper
2022 Crafts Magazine New Plastic Artisans article by Peter Smisek
Irish Craft Heroes 50 Makers x 50 Years. Design and Crafts Council Ireland
2021 Crafts Magasine interview with Malaika Byng
Atelier d’Arts Magazine #155 Dec 2021 cover image
2018 Irish Arts Review Spring 2018 p 62
2017 Crafts Magazine for Contemporary Craft Nov/Dec 2017 p.23
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Education
2019 – 2021. Masters of Arts by Research MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Cork
2016 - 2017 Contemporary Applied Art BA Honors Degree MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Cork,
2009 - 2012 Fine Art Textiles Crawford College of Art and Design Special purpose award,
2007 - 2008 Professional Arts Course Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa FETAC 7,
2006 - 2007 Creative Textiles Course Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, FETAC 6,
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Prior to this date, I initially trained as a Chef then I worked for the City of Cork Vocational Education Committee as an Arts and Crafts tutor for 20 years.
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Residencies
2017 Cill Rialaig Artists Village, Ballinskeillig Co. Kerry
2015 Textílsetur Íslands, Icelandic Textiles Center
2014 Crawford College of Art and Design
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Professional memberships
Backwater Artists Member
Cork Textile Network
Design and Crafts Council of Ireland
Visual Artists Ireland