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Valerie Coffin Price

Cardiff
An artist‐letterer working in response to the poetic resonance of language and its connection to the environment and cultural identity, involving an immersion in the landscape through walking.

As a sculptor, walker and lettering artist working with issues to do with the environment, language and cultural identity, a sense of place is fundamental to my work. The poetic resonance of language and its connection to the environment drives my work, which explores ideas of mapping in relation to a sense of place, as well as an understanding of community and landscape. In recent projects I have been exploring ideas of mapping in relation to a sense of place, as well as an understanding of community and landscape, looking at the relationships between the human and natural, or man-made, environment. This involves the act of journeying itself. To journey is to explore and discover cultural traces embedded in the land. These traces include fragments of objects, memories, history and remnants of text and sound. It is these 'unseen paths' that connect us to nature, to the liminal, to the invisible world of currents, winds, ideas and language. I tend to work, in blocks of 5-10 years, towards an overall subject matter, existing within this overarching focus are a number of streams of inquiry, or practice. My current area of practice, Intimate Cartographies, involves research into internal and external human geographies, the use of language and their connection to an interior sense of self. The first stage of this work explores the poetic responses of various writers to the landscape and looks into the diversity of languages that we use to connect to our internal and external human geography. By exploring elements of cultural and national identity, my presence in the landscape acts as a link in an ongoing tradition where the artist bears witness to the history of the changing landscape.

 

Solo exhibitions 

2020 - Berlin Water, StAnza Poetry Festival, Byre Theatre, St Andrews

2015 - The River Next Door, Oriel y Bont, Pontypridd

2015 - A Fold in the River, Booth Books, Hay-on-Wye

2011 - Intimate Cartographies, Oriel Canfas, Cardiff

2007 - Distant Voices, Newport Museum & Art Gallery, Newport

2003 - Territoires, Centres des Migrations, Montmagny, Québec, Canada

1996 - Vessels of Sound, Brecnock Museum, Brecon

1995 - The Grave Stanzas, Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay

1995 - The Grave Stanzas, Prema Arts Centre, Uley, Gloucestershire

Group exhibitions

2025 - Lines of Enquiry, Hardwick Gallery, University of Gloucestershire

2024-5 Postcards for Perec, Bower Ashton Library, UWE

2024 - To & Fro, Bath Artists Studios, Bath Fringe Festival

2024 - The Ground Beneath Our Feet, on tour: Dorset Arts Week, West Bay

2024 - Field Walking, Corinium Museum, Cirencester

2024 - Meeting of Minds, ArtCentral, Barry

2023 - The Ground Beneath Our Feet, GroundWork Gallery, King's Lynn, Norfolk

2023 - Sculpture Cymru, MOMA, Machynlleth, Wales

2023 - Postcards for Perec, Waverley Library, Sydney, Australia

2023 - Postcards for Perec, Special Collections Library, University of Essex, Colchester

2023 - Letters to the Earth, Rogart Mart, Sutherland / New Glasgow Society, Glasgow

2022-3 - Postcards for Perec, Special Collections Library, Cardiff University

2022 - Thinking, Courtyard Gallery, Hereford

2022 - The Outposted Project, Three Storeys Gallery, Nailsworth, Gloucesterhsire

2022 - Postcards for Perec, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, USA

2022 - Postcards for Perec, Design & Architecture Festival, Istanbul, Turkey

2022 - Postcards for Perec, The Street Gallery, Locksbrook Campus, Bath Spa University

2022 - Paper Exchange, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China

2021 - Printed Poetry Exhibition, Bower Ashton Library, UWE, Bristol

2021 - 2021: Sculpture Cymru at 21, Aberystwyth Arts Centre

2021 - Postcards for Perec, Bower Ashton Library, UWE, Bristol

2021 - Postcards for Perec, Winchester School of Art Library

2021 - The Outposted Project, online mapping exhibition https://twitter.com/outposted1

2021 - Thinking, Aberystwyth Arts Centre | Courtyard Theatre, Hereford

2020 - Butetown Artists, BayArt, Cardiff Bay

2020 - Cartographic Imaginaries, Y Senedd, Cardiff Bay

2019 - Ghost Mills, SVA, Stroud

2019 - Line & Form, Oriel Canfas, Cardiff | ArtCentral, Barry

2019 - Confluence, Museum in the Park, Stroud

2019 - Cartographic Imaginaries, Oriel Davies, Newtown: National Library of Wales:  Swansea Museum

2019 - Open Books, Art Central, Barry

2019 - Paper Exchange, BayArt, Cardiff

2018 - Fields of Vision, Boundary Art, Cardiff Bay

2018 - Welsh Sculptors at Work, Bleddfa Arts Centre, Wales

2017 - Library of Pilgrimages, Trowbridge Arts

2017 - Open Books, Jaipur, India

2016-17 - Place, NT Dyffryn Gardens, Wales

2016 - Open Books, LAC Ottawa, Canada

2014 - The Art of Walking, Museum in the Park, Stroud

2013 - RiverMap, Museum in the Park, Stroud:  exhibition and seminar

2013 - River-Water, Ruskin Mill, Gloucestersire 

2013 - River-Water, The Exchange, Stroud

2012 - Earth, Water, Wind, Sky, The Old Passage, Arlingham, Gloucestershire

2012 - Shades of Grey, Craft in the Bay, Cardiff Bay

2011 - Beyond the Comfort Zone, PhotoStroud, Ruskin Mill, Gloucestershire

2011 - Flood, The Guildhall, Gloucester

2011 - Poetry & Place, Ivor Gurney Conference, Churchdown, Gloucestershire

2011 - WaterWay, The Old Passage, Arlingham, Gloucestershire

2010-11 - The Moment Privacy Has Passed, Usher Gallery, Lincoln

2006 - Distant Horizons, The Gate, Cardiff

2006 - Residues, Llantarnam Grange, Cwmbran

2006 - Shadows, The Senedd, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff

2005 - One World, Many Voices, Artworks Wales, Cardiff

2004 - From There to Here, Swansea Museum, Swansea

2003 - Presence & Absence, Crawford Arts Centre, St Andrews:  touring Highlands & Islands

2003 - Voyage Out, Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness

2002 - Waterlines, Newport Museum & Art Gallery, Newport

2000 - Sea Garden, The Gallery, Stratford-upon-Avon Curated projects

2003 - Presence & Absence, Crawford Arts Centre, St Andrews

Residencies

2023 - The Ground Beneath our Feet, GroundWork Gallery, King's Lynn, Norfolk

2023 - WeavingWater @ Yarun, international virtual collaborative project / Yarun, Australia

2022 - Créations sur le Champ, Land Art Festival, Mont-St-Hilaire, Québec

2021 - Open Books Go Digital, virtual collaborative project:  Wales & Malaysia

2021 - The Meeting of the Waters, virtual collaborative project:  Belgium & Australia

2019 - AiR, Hosking Houses, Warwickshire

2017 - Creative Practitioner, Lead Creative Schools, Llanidloes

2016 - Connected Studio, BBC-Nesta digital innovation project

2007 - Community Art Project, Ty Dyfan, Barry, South Wales

2005 - aa2a Residency, Hereford College of Art & Design, Hereford

2005 - One World, Many Voices, Cywaith Cymru and Welsh Refugee Council, Cardiff

2002 - Sculpture Residency, Est-Nord-Est, Sant Jean Port Joli, Québec, Canada

1998 - Boréal Residency, Boréal Art/Nature, The Laurentians, Québec, Canada

1997 - Public Art Project, SUSTRANS and Cywaith Cymru, Bangor - Caernarfon

1995 - Public Art Project, Margam Sculpture Trust, Margam Sculpture Park, Margam Park

1994 - National Eisteddfod Residency, National Eisteddfod, Neath Community Education, Neath

1993 - Public Art Project, Gloucester City Council, Gloucester

1992 - Public Art Project, Margam Sculpture Trust, Margam Sculpture Park, Margam Park

Publications & Book Projects

2024 - place : identity, collaborative online publication, Space Place Practice

2022 - place : home, collaborative online publication, Space Place Practice

2021 - Troeon-Turnings, bilingual collaboration with Welsh language poet Cyril Jones and English language poet Philip Gross.  Published by Seren Books.

2018 - A Part of the Main, a ‘conversation in poetry’ by Lesley Saunders & Philip Gross, published by Mulfran Press

2017-19 - Digital Literary Atlas of Wales, Cardiff University Geography Department

2015 - A Fold in the River, a collaborative book with poet Philip Gross, published by Seren Books, working in direct response to each other and the work as well as  alongside one another and the River Taff.

2012-13 - Thinking Like a Wetland, a multi-disciplinary exploration of the wetland environment, with academics from Bristol, Cambridge and East Finland, for a special edition of the international and peer-reviewed Journal of Arts & Communities

Talks, Walks and Conferences

2025 - Lines of Enquiry, University of Gloucestershire

2024 - activateCHAT, University of Plymouth

2024 - Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology, Swansea Univ

2022 - online talk for Space, Place, Practice research group

2022 - online talk for Last Tuesday Cafe / Walking the Land 

2021 - Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival, Cardiff: with poets Cyril Jones & Philip Gross

2020 - StAnza International Poetry Festival, with poet Stephanie Green & sound artist Sonja Heyer

2019 - Cartographic Imaginaries, Swansea Museum

2018 - Walk & Draw workshop, Get Creative Festival, BayArt, Cardiff

2018 - Seren@Cornerstone Poetry Festival, Cardiff

2017 - LAN annual conference, Alan Baxter Gallery, London

2016 - Burnt Poetry conference, Cardiff University

2015 - Poetry Wales, A Fold in the River

2015 - Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, A Fold in the River

2015 - University of Gloucestershire, New Numbers, New Approaches

2014 - Philosophy Town, The Art of Walking

2014 - Double Dialogues conference

2013 - RiverMap conference

2012 - CRASSH, Cambridge University, Climate Histories

Grants

2020 - Wales Art International travel grant

2016 - Wales Art International travel grant

2014 - The Art of Walking, Walking the Land production/expenses grant

2013-4 - Arts Council of Wales:  River Next Door project

2102 - Tipping Point bursary

2004 - Arts Council of Wales:  Intimate Cartographies project 

2003 - Wales Art International travel grant

2002 - Wales Art International travel grant

2002 - Est-Nord-Est, Canada:  residency grant

1998 - Oppenheim Downs Award

1998 - Arts Council of Wales

1995 - Arts Council of Great Britain

Public commissions

2002 - Marker Stone for the Millenium, Sites of Meaning, Middleton by Youlgreave, Derbyshire

2002 - Slate fence, Creu-ad, Countryside Council for Wales, Newborough Warren, Angelsey

2001 - Tree of Life, Stoke-on-Trent Council, Staffordshire Partnership, North Staffordshire

Health Trust, Sutherland Centre, Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent

2000 - Millenium Project, Newport City Council, CDG, Park Square, Newport

1998 - Shells, SUSTRANS, Cywaith Cymru, Y Felinheli, Gwynedd

1998 - Stone Roses, SUSTRANS, Cywaith Cymru, Bangor University Botanical Gardens

1997 - The Old Allotments, SUSTRANS, Cywaith Cymru, Gwynedd Council, Caernarfon, Gwynedd

1995 - Public seats and table, Margam Sculpture Trust, Arts Care, Margam Park, South Wales

1993 - Commemorative Plaque, Powys County Council, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd

1992 - Font, Garden Festival Wales, Garden Festival Wales, Ebbw Vale

1992 - Public seating, Gloucester City Council, Gloucester City Centre

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