MENU CLOSE

Carolyn Wren

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Carolyn Wren studied visual art at the University of Western Ontario.  Wren has been exploring themes of lost knowledge and metanarratives in her recent work of transcribing iconic texts to create her installations.  In the past she has used relief print methods and processes in non-traditional ways.  Key exhibitions include: Rodman Hall Art Centre- Brock University. Kelowna Art Gallery. The University of Sherbrooke. Cram International Gallery, St. Catharines. Open Studio, Toronto. Linen Biennale- Portneuf, Quebec.  She has been exhibiting her work since 1990 in group and solo shows across Canada in public galleries and in artist-run centres.

Carolyn Wren CV

Selected Exhibitions

  • Pindrop (solo) Niagara Artist Centre, St, Catharines, Ontario, 2024
  • Beinnale internationale du lin de Portneuf (group) curated by Laurie Beland, Portneuf, Quebec. July- October 2023
  • Interlace (solo) Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Minden, Ontario, July 2020
  • Line and Verse (group Canadian-Taiwanese Exchange) University of Toronto Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library November – January 2019 The Cultural Meeting Place, Chiayi, Taiwan July – September 2019
  • Task at Hand (solo survey) Rodman Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario May 24 – October 20, 2018
  • Dwell (solo) Open Studio, Toronto, Ontario.  January 2017
  • The Bible Project (solo) Rodman Hall, St. Catharines, Ontario.  January – May 2015
  • A Terrible Joy (solo) Gallery Cram, St. Catharines, Ontario. June 2012
  • Searching for the Sublime (solo) Art Gallery of Kelowna, British Columbia, August – October 2011
  • The Lion and the Lamb (2 person with Tobey C. Anderson) Universal Gallery Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, March 2011
  • Remembrances (2 person with Tobey C. Anderson) University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec Jan – Mar 2011
  • Echoes (new work inspired by François Sullivan) ,Niagara Artists Centre, Apr – June, 2010
  • Palimpsest (2 person) Engramme, Quebec City, Nov 6 – Dec 13 2009
  • Two Groups of Seven + two (group) Mount Carmel Chateau Park Museum and Art Centre, Niagara Falls. Oct 2009.  Gallery Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.  Apr 2009
  • Biennale internationale du lin de Portneuf (group) curated by Pascale Beaudet. Portneuf, Quebec. June- Sept 2009
  • Territories (solo) Gallery Cram, St. Catharines, Ontario. Jan 2009
  • Philosopher’s Dream (solo) Niagara Artists Centre (member’s gallery), St. Catharines, Ontario. Sept 2008
  • Vigilance (solo) Gallery Cram, St. Catharines, Ontario. November 2006
  • Informal Bookworks (group – 4 person – curated by Penelope Stewart) Open Studio, Toronto, Ontario. Sept 2006 | University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.  Oct 2006
  • Butterick 3577 (solo) Niagara Artists Centre (member’s gallery), St. Catharines, Ontario. July 2006
  • Map-quest (group) curated by Steve Remus Niagara Artists Centre (member’s gallery), St. Catharines, Ont. July 2006
  • Fibreworks (group – juried) Art Gallery of Peterborough, Peterborough, Ontario. May 2005 | Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge, Ontario.  August 2004
  • War Map Dress Trinity (solo) Niagara Artists’ Company, St. Catharines, October 2004
  • War Map Dress (solo) Forest City Gallery, London, Ontario. November 2003
  • Habitat, Wasteland, Sanctuary (group – 3 person) Grimsby Art Gallery, Grimsby, Ontario. October 2002
  • Mapping the Conscience (solo) Rodman Hall, St. Catharines, Ontario.  December 2001
  • Lamentations (solo) Open Studio, Toronto, Ontario. November 2000
  • Anatomical Permutations (group – curated by Dianne Pearce) National Centre for the Arts, Mexico City, Mexico. March 1999. Museo del Pueblo, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Guanajuato, Mexico.  October 1998
  • Personal Mythology (solo) Brock University, Centre for the Arts, St. Catharines, Ontario. January 1997
  • Virtues (solo) Women’s Art Resource Centre, Toronto, Ontario. September 1996
  • Spiritual and Material Substance (group – 3 person) Niagara Artists’ Company, St. Catharines, Ontario, 1994

 

Curatorial Projects

  • The Alice Project. co-curator with Penelope Stewart, Tobey C. Anderson and John B. Boyle, Durham Public Gallery, Rodman Hall and Niagara Artist Co, 1998 – 2005.
  • Collected Stories. a group exhibition with side by each: Julie Aubin, Audrey Fawn, Debra Jackson, Claudette Losier, Pat Roberston and Audrey Shimizu. July 2002.
  • Women and Medicine: A Feminist Critique. a group exhibition with Rochelle Rubenstein-Kaplan, Catherine Heard, Jaclyn Shoub, Rebecca Baird, Alison Brannen, Madeleine Lamont, Julie Aubin and Alice Crawley, co-curator with Alison Brannen and Tobey  C. Anderson, Niagara Artist Company, 1995.
  • The NAC 22nd Anniversary project involved developing and organizing three exhibitions: two group exhibitions, one solo show of Alice Crawley, a performance by Elizabeth Chitty, and a lecture and historical exhibition of NAC archival materials, co-curator with Reinhard Reitzenstein & Tobey C. Anderson, Niagara Artists’ Company, 1991-92.

 

Professional Associations

  • Juror of In the Soil Film Festival (2010)
  • Member of the Cram Collective (2005 – present)
  • Juror of Niagara Film Festival (2001, 2002)
  • Cultural Policy Development Steering Committee, City of St. Catharines, Ontario (97-99)
  • Niagara Artists’ Company, St. Catharines, Ontario; Member (1990 – present), President (92-96), Secretary (1991-92)
  • Women’s Arts Resource Centre, Toronto, Ontario; Member (1995 – 2000)
  • Head of the Visual Arts, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, St. Catharines, Ontario (1986 – 2015)

 

Publication and Media Coverage

  • The A Word art history blog, [re]making her [stories]: Carolyn Wren by Bart Gazzola2019.
  • Open Studio brochure with essay, Dwelling in Possibilities by Milijana Mladjan 2017
  • A Needle Pulling Thread Periodical, with essay, Textiles Doing Their Bit: Monopoly, Maps and Uniforms that Convert into Civilian Dress by Joe Lewis, Spring 2011
  • Kelowna Art Gallery Dossiers brochure with essay, On a Clear Day by Liz Wylie, 2011
  • University of Sherbrooke brochure with essay by Suzanne Presse, 2011
  • Catalogue published by NAC and CRAM on the Cuban project with essay by Steve Remus, 2009
  • Opuscule 2009, Linen Biennale booklet with intro and explanation of work by Pascale Beaudet, 2009
  • Open Studio brochure with essay by Penelope Stewart, 2006
  • N.A.C. brochure with essays by Julia Blushak, Nicole Vribeck, Ed Aoki, 2004
  • The St. Catharines Standard, “Beauty from Horror”, November 5, 2004
  • National Post, ” Where History meets pret-a-porter”, December 4, 2003
  • Catalogue published by Grimsby Public Art Gallery with essay by S. Doyle, Oct 2002
  • Catalogue published by Rodman Hall with essay by Greta Hildebrandt, Dec 2001
  • Open Studio brochure with essay by Catherine Osbourne, 2000
  • Artes de Mexico. Numero 45, 1999
  • Espacio Critico Para Las Artes. Numero 14. Enero-Junio de 1999
  • Voices of Mexico. Number 46., January-March 1999
  • XXVI Festival Internacional Cervantino Catalogue, curated by Dianne Pearce. “Permutaciones Anatomicas: Diez artistas canadienses y el cuerpo humano”, Museo del Pulebelo de Guanajuato, Mexico 1998
  • Matriart: Contemporary Visual Art; Women’s Art Resource Centre; Toronto, Ontario; Vol 6 No 4, 1997.
  • “Small things come in big package for artists”, St. Catharines Standard, June 1996
  • “Making It Personal”, St. Catharines Standard, June 1994
  • N.A.C. News, Niagara Artist Company, June 1994
  • “Artists prescribe visual experience”, St. Catharines Standard, Dec 1995

 

Published Articles written by Artist

  • “In Calling: an essay about Rena Burns”, Cram Brochure, 2012
  • “Transitions: an essay about Jose Armando Medina”, Cram Brochure, 2010
  • Trilogies: 33 Years of Painting catalogue essay on Tobey C. Anderson’s retrospective, Rodman Hall, December 2007
  • Melanie MacDonald: an essay about “Chachkas”, Gallery Cram, September 2006
  • “The Alice Project”: an essay putting Crawley’s work in historical perspective, Exhibition catalogue, Rodman Hall and Niagara Artist Co, 2006
  • “Collected Stories: an essay about side by each, Exhibition catalogue, Impact Gallery, Buffalo, NY July 2002
  • “Robert Andersen: an essay about An Easy Night’s Sleep”, Exhibition brochure, NAC, June 2002
  • “Catherine Kozyra: an essay about Visera in Situ”, Exhibition brochure, NAC, April 2002
  • “Power in the Blood: an essay about Bev McNaughton’s Capilliary Magnificata”, Exhibition brochure, NAC, March 2002
  • “Labryinths: another essay about Tobey C. Anderson”, Educational handout, Beirkart, April 2001
  • “Labryinths: an essay about Tobey C. Anderson”, Educational brochure, NAC, November 2000
  • “Grass and Grids: An Interview with Lois Andison”, NAC News, June 1998
  • “Liminal Spaces: An Interview with Penelope Stewart”, NAC News, May 1997
  • “Interview with Alice Crawley”; NAC News; Niagara Artists’ Company, St. Catharines, Ontario; March 1992

 

Education

  • Bachelors of Arts – Visual Arts, University of Western Ontario, 1981
  • Bachelors of Education – Visual Arts & English, Brock University, 1983