Biography
Catherine Keenan’s fascination with hot glass began while studying at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, graduating in 2006. At the International Glass Centre, West Midlands she specialised in glass blowing techniques of colour application and refined cold working processes; in particular carved lens patterns. She then continued to develop her practice in glassblowing through working with accomplished master glassblowers throughout the UK and Denmark and also at Northlands Creative Glass Centre, Scotland. In 2011 she completed an Artist’s Access to Art Colleges Residency at the University of Sunderland and most recently undertook the ‘Non-Printmaker’ residency at the Belfast Print Workshop. She is currently Resident Artist at Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart.
Catherine Keenan is a recipient of the Anna Cheyne Award for Visual Arts in Northern Ireland, and also first prize in the Glass category at the National Craft Competition in Dublin. Keenan’s work is also in major national collections including the Ulster Museum, the National Museums of Ireland, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland.
Solo Exhibition
2015 Seeing Stripes, Belfast Print Workshop, Belfast, NI
Selected Group Exhibitions
2016 Surface, Colour, Description, Kunsthuis Gallery, Yorkshire
2016 Design Ireland, Heal’s Store, London
2015 Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, Tent: London Design Festival
2015 Create, Brown Thomas, Dublin
2015 Portfolio: Glass, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin, Ireland 2015 Spring Exhibition, Blue Egg Gallery, Wexford
2015 Focus on Glass, Craft in the Bay, Wales
2014 Black Swan Arts Open Exhibition, Frome, UK
2014, 2013 Portfolio, Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin
2014-2012 Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition, Dublin
2014 Contemporary Glass Society Exhibition, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, UK
2014 Irish Craft Portfolio Exhibition, Capital Club, Beijing, China
2013 Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition, Dublin
2013 Making It ’11’ , Group exhibition, Seacourt Print Workshops, Bangor, NI
2013 ICON, Crafts Council of Ireland Exhibition, Brown Thomas, Dublin
2013 Hot Glass: New work from the Furnace, Contemporary Applied Arts, London
2013 Perspective: Inspiration Unveiled, Craft Centre, London
2012 Engaging with Glass, Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA, USA
2012, 2009 Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition, Ulster Museum, Belfast, NI
2012 Work in Progress, Craft NI Gallery, Belfast, NI
2012 Reverie, Leinster Gallery, Dublin
2012
Art@Craft Europe 2012, Koroska Art Gallery, Slovenia
2012 Talente 2012, International Exhibition of Applied Arts, Munich, Germany
2011 Galleri Uggerby, Lonstrup, Denmark
2011 Design Tree, Irish Design Week Exhibition, Dublin
2011 Engaging With Glass: Survey of Contemporary Irish Glass Art, Solstice Ctr, Navan
2011 National Crafts Competition, RDS, Dublin, Ireland
Irish Craft Portfolio, The National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
2010 Inspired by…, Craft and Design Collective Annual Exhibition, Belfast, NI
2010 Irish Craft Portfolio, The National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
2009 Designers and Makers 2009, F. E. McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge, CO Down, NI
2009 Bloom; Sculptural Crafts, Crafts Council of Ireland, Phoenix Park, Dublin
2008 Breaking Out, The Crafts Council of Ireland Gallery, Kilkenny
2008 Next Big Thing, The Red House Glass Cone, Stourbridge
Awards
2012 RDS National Crafts Competition Awards, National Crafts and Design Fair of Ireland Award
2012 RDS National Crafts Competition Awards, 1st Prize Glass
2012 Support for the Individual Artist Award, Arts Council, Northern Ireland
2011 Shortlisted for Talente 2012 International Award in Applied Arts
2011 RDS National Crafts Competition -Crafts Council of Ireland Purchase Award
2011 Selected for Craft NI ‘Making It’ 2 year business and studio assistance.
2011 Support for the Individual Artist Award, Arts Council, Northern Ireland
2009 Anna Cheyne Visual Arts Award
2009 Travel Award, Arts Council, Northern Ireland
2009 RDS National Crafts Competition Awards, National Crafts and Design Fair of Ireland Award
2009 RDS National Crafts Competition Awards, 2nd Prize Glass
2009 RDS National Crafts Competition Awards, IACI Murial Gahan Scholarship Nominee
Collections
2015 Causeway Coast and Glen Council, Northern Ireland
2015 Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland
2014 The Arts Council of Northern Ireland
2013 Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland
2012 Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland
2012 Business to Arts, Dublin
2012 Arts Council, N.Ireland
2011 Ulster Museum
2011 Crafts Council of Ireland and National Museums of Ireland Purchasing scheme.
2009 Lisburn Borough Council