Elena Thomas
email elenathomas.art@gmail.com
Website www.elenathomas.co.uk
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elena-Thomas-Art-and-Textiles/123618094363659?ref=hl
Personal blog Threads: https://www.a-n.co.uk/blogs/threads or also available at https://elenathomas.co.uk/blog/
Artist’s Recent Biography
2022
Fronteer Gallery Sheffield, Open Exhibition judging panel
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Members and Associates Exhibition 2022
Radio Public
Social art festival on Dudley High St in conjunction with CoLab and Workshop 24
West Midlands Open
selected works at The New Art Gallery Walsall
2021
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Members and Associates Exhibition 2021
Black Country Radio Xtra
Drawing Songs Interview with Bill Laybourne
Beautiful Freak
Big City Radio (Birmingham) and Hive Radio UK (Manchester)
Collective Brum
ArtRooms Kings Heath and Red Brick Market, Digbeth, Birmingham
Drawing Songs
Exhibition, Performances and Workshop
General Office, Stourbridge
Associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Candidates Exhibition 2021
The Drawbridge
Exhibition by members of the Facebook Group
Drawn In
Glitterball Showroom Online solo exhibition
Enköping, Sweden
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Friends Exhibition 2021
Drawing Songs
Arts Council England funded project
General Office Stourbridge
Winter Open Exhibition Online - Highly Commended
Adventitious
Daphne Francis Gallery Online Group Show
2020
Adventitious Daphne Francis Gallery (online exhibition)
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Selected work in Prize Exhibition - Highly Commended
Drawing Songs
Arts Council England funded project
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Friends Exhibition Online
Connections Daphne Francis Gallery Birmingham
2019
Cause and Effect (solo show) General Office Studios and Gallery
Cause and Effect (podcast) General Office Studios and Gallery
Drawing Your Space does The Big Draw General Office Studios and Gallery with Sarah Goudie
Drawing Your Space General Office Studios and Gallery with Sarah Goudie
PoArtry Collaboration with poet Leah Atherton
Textile Workshops:
Text and Textiles,
Ostentatious Mending,
Pockets are a Feminist Issue
General Office Studios and Gallery Stourbridge
Art Digbeth Group Show Custard Factory Digbeth Birmingham
Birmingham Weekender Cobalt Blue group show and Sitting Room performance
2018
Black Country Radio The Sitting Room feature spot
The Sitting Room at No Covers Club, Newhampton Arts Centre, Hexagon Theatre, Arena Theatre Wolverhampton, The Platform, Tower of Song, Kitchen Garden Cafe
CD artwork for Joe Bayliss
General Office Monthly Open Crit sessions for artists
Studio Workshops Text and Textiles; Lyric Writing, Ostentatious Mending
General Office Drawing your Space (with Sarah Goudie)
General Office “Body of Work” Inaugural exhibition of studio artists
Artist teacher mentoring scheme with Carol Wild
2017
Artist Teacher Scheme Birmingham City University and New Art Gallery Walsall - Tutor
Alternative Portraits Group Exhibition, Access Gallery, Sheffield
Regeneration Open Exhibition ArtistsWorkhouse - Highly Commended
Nine Women ArtistsWorkhouse Studley Warwickshire - solo exhibition and performance with Dan Whitehouse
Text and Textiles: an exploration of memory and narrative ArtistsWorkhouse - Artist talk and workshop
Circle on the Road Arena Theatre Wolverhampton - "The Sitting Room" performance
Wolverhampton University New Art Gallery Walsall - PGCE Arts Tours
2016
Open Weekend Old Library Studios Stourbridge - Exhibition and performances with "The Sitting Room"
Family Workshops New Art Gallery Walsall
Wolverhampton University New Art Gallery Walsall - BEd. Arts Tours
a-n Professional Development Bursary
Junction Festival of Contemporary Art Wolverhampton Art Gallery - Group Show
The Life of a Song (made at mac) mac Birmingham - Featured Artist
Practice Imperfect Symposium for Artist Educators at Birmingham City University - Event Organiser
AWE1 Artists' Workhouse Studley Worcestershire - "The Sitting Room" inaugural performance
Artist Teacher Scheme Birmingham City University and New Art Gallery Walsall - Tutor
2015
Life & Other Art Forms ArtSpace Dudley - Group exhibition
Artist Teacher Scheme Birmingham City University School of Art - Lead Tutor
Mouth and Music Boars Head Gallery Kidderminster - Performance of songs from Nine Women with Dan Whitehouse
Nine Women ArtSpace Dudley - Arts Council England funded project
WORN 3rd on 3rd Gallery Jamestown New York USA (Elements from Nine Women)
ARTMobile Vasteras Sweden (Elements from Nine Women)
From the Grass Roots - Emerging Strategies for Art and Design Education Symposium Birmingham School of Art Birmingham City University - Invited speaker
2014
- “The Send Off” First World War commemorative exhibition of contemporary art, Knole House, Kent - for The National Trust
- Artist Teacher Scheme, Tutor, Birmingham City University, in conjunction with New Art Gallery Walsall
- “Colonize Revisited” Arena Gallery, Liverpool, (Biennial Independents programme)
- “United States of Art” Custard Factory, Birmingham.
- New Art Gallery Walsall - Freelance Researcher and Education Team
- Artist Teacher - Our Lady and St Kenelm Catholic Primary School
Teaching Art to Key Stage 1 and 2, curating permanent and temporary displays, organisation of events such as The Big Draw, Arts Week and delivery of multi-disciplinary activities and workshops including staff development sessions. (From April 2004 - May 2014) - One(2) ArtSPACE Dudley, joint exhibition with Bo Jones
With open studio events - “COLONIZE” Group exhibition with SCIBase in Jamestown, New York. The residency included artist talks and workshops.
- “Collaborate” Artist talk and presentation at Mitchell Arts Centre Stoke on Trent, for a-n and Appetite Stoke
- Artist in Residence, Artspace Dudley (From Feb to present)
- “Collaboration” workshop with Bo Jones at Ikon Gallery Birmingham, in conjunction with Birmingham City University School of Art.
- Junction 5 Joint show at Wolverhampton Art Gallery
- Text and textiles one-day workshop at Newman University
2013
- “ONE” Joint exhibition with Bo Jones, a one year collaboration exploring the relationship between pixel and stitch. Ledbury, Herefordshire
- Member of Department for Education Expert Advisory Group for Art and Design (2013-2014)
- Artist talk and weekend textile workshop at Canford Independent School, Wimborne, Dorset
- St Laurence School Northfield Birmingham
Staff inset training "Art and Display" and "Arts Week" - Embroidery workshop at Craftswomen's Club for Arts on Our Doorstep, Rural Warwickshire
- NSEAD National Annual Conference, Artist/Teacher presentation
- Our Lady and St Kenelm's Arts week, Event organiser.
Delivery of ceramic and textile workshops. - LOAF 13 Arts and Music Festival, Stourbridge.
Event organiser and contributing artist - Junction Festival of Contemporary Art, Chapel Ash Wolverhampton,
contributing artist and steward.
2012
- Forge Forward Dudley - An empty shops gallery project
- Junction Festival of Contemporary Art - Featured Artist
- This Doesn’t Add To The Debate But - MA Exhibition, School of Art,
Birmingham City University - National Gardens Scheme - Shed as retreat, gallery and performance space. Cutnall Green, Worcestershire
- Social Media and Arts Manager for Hub Stourbridge
- Event organiser, curator of LOAF - Life and Other Art Festival - Coach House Arts Centre, Stourbridge (Featuring my life drawing group and the Rebellious Quilters and a programme of live music)
- Shed installation featured in “My Cool Shed” by Jane Field Lewis published in April
- Poetry reading and music performance at Mouth and Music - Boars Head Gallery, Kidderminster.
- Inside Tracks - WCRFM Radio - interview about my work and the importance of music in my work and life.
2011
- Junction Festival of Contemporary Art – Residency
- Trailer for My Cool Shed with Plum Pictures for Channel 4 TV
- Worcester Open Arts Exhibition
- The Hankie Show, London Print Works
- Life and Other Art - Life drawing exhibition, Shed installation and live music event - artist, curator and event organiser
- Krasif Aid Charity event, Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton - Installation of Shed as performance space
Qualifications
2012 MA Art Practice and Education - Birmingham City University School of Art
2009 BA (Open) Open University
1994 Cert Ed (Further, Adult and Higher Education) University of Wolverhampton
