Elena Thomas

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