Kirsten McCrea is a Canadian artist whose work explores issues of cultural memory, looking at pop vs. underground culture, the media, and popular mythologies. Known for her bright colours and figurative subject-matter, Kirsten is quickly establishing herself as a prominent emerging Canadian artist. Primarily a painter, she is also the founder and editor of Papirmasse, an affordable art subscription that sends a monthly print to hundreds of people around the world every month. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and her work has been reviewed by The Walrus, Chatelaine, and The Montreal Gazette, amongst others. She has illustrated for the Polaris Music Prize & the Under Pressure Graffiti festival, and her patterned drawings can be found on notebooks and apparel in stores across the country. When not working on her own she collaborates with the art collective Cease and the drawing initiative En Masse, whose work was recently shown in the form of a massive installation in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal. QC. |
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| E: KIRSTENMCCREA(at)GMAIL(dot)COM |
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EDUCATION |
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| 2008 Concordia University, Montreal. Bachelor of Fine Arts with Great Distinction | |||
| SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS |
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2012 Flora & Fauna, Arbor Gallery, Vankleek Hill |
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| SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS | |||
2012 Live Free, The Hellion Gallery, Portland |
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| CURATORIAL | |||
| 2011 Papirmasse-a-thon, Exposure: Queer Arts Festival, Edmonton Nuit Blanche Papirmasse-a-thon, Maison Kasini, Montreal * 2009 Papirmasse Montreal Launch, SNAP! Gallery, Montreal |
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| ART FAIRS | |||
| 2012 PAPIER, with Maison Kasini, Montreal 2011 San Diego Art Fair, with En Masse, San Diego PAPIER, with Maison Kasini, Montreal |
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| RESIDENCIES | |||
| 2012 Sparkbox Studio Residency, Prince Edward County | |||
| PRESENTATIONS | |||
| 2012 The Art of Collecting: Panel discussion at Papier 12, Montreal Collaborative Canadian Art Initiatives: Artist Talk at Loyalist College, Belleville, Chrissy Poitras 2011 Becoming an Artist: Panel discussion and Workshop for Exposure: Queer Arts & Culture Festival Artist Talk at Concordia University, ARTH373: Issues In Contemporary Canadian Art, Mark Clintberg Artist Talk for Studio HCE’s presentation of Hot Topic (online exhibition) |
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| SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS | |||
| 2011 Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec, Up-and-Coming Artists Grant YES Artist Project Plan Contest, Second Place 2010 Digital Miniprint Exhibition, Voix Visuelle, Second Place Expozine Small Press Awards nominee 2008 Fine Arts Students Association Special Project Grant 2005 Frances Henderson Klingle Barbara and John Poole Family Endowment for the Arts 2001 Rutherford Scholarship Maya Reinking Award for Excellence in the Arts Edmonton Public School Board Art Award |
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| BIBLIOGRAPHY | |||
| Bettina Forget, “Kirsten McCrea: Hot Topic”, The Belgo Report: Highlights From 2008 - 2011, 2012 Alanna Glassman, “Build Up Your Collection for $5 a Month”, Chatelaine Magazine, February 2012 Victoria Fawkes, “Art That Comes to You”, The Capilano Courrier, 27 January 2012. Carol Off, Radio Interview for As It Happens on CBC Radio 1, 5 January 2012. Paul Blinov, “Exposure Festival”, Vue Weekly, 19 October 2011. Mike Maxwell, Interview with En Masse for Live Free Podcast, 11 September 2011. Megan James, “A Montréal Artist Offers Cheap Art Subscriptios”, Seven Days in Vermont, April 6, 2011 Cedric Taillon, Artist Profile, Décover Magazine #9, February 2011. Elizabeth Tomaras, “An Art Gallery in Your Mailbox”, The Concordian, 1 February 2011: 13. Lori Callaghan, “Montreal Has a Lot to Offer Anglo Artists”, The Montreal Gazette, 17 July 2010. Janice Ryan, “Edmonton’s National Portrait Gallery: Exhibit reignites debate about Canadian identity”, The Edmonton Journal, July 9,2010. David Berry, “Picture Perfect: The NPG goes beyond cheeky reactions”, Vue Weekly, June 16, 2010. Andrew Paul, “Portrait of a Gallery: Grassroots movement creates NPG in spite of Ottawa”, See Magazine, June 10, 2010. Paula Simons, “The Guerrilla Portrait Gallery”, The Edmonton Journal, May 25, 2010. Nathan Marshall, “Artist Profile: Kirsten McCrea”, Georgie Magazine, 1 March 2010. Emily Testa, “The Edmonton Manifesto”, The Walrus Magazine (online), 21 December 2009. Julia Rothman, “Magazine Appreciation Week: Papirmasse”, Book By Its Cover, 10 December 2009. Mari Sasano, “Where did Where Are You From? come from?”, See Magazine, 23 September 2009: 12. David Berry, “Made in Edmonton”, Vue Weekly, 3 September 2009: 18. Gabe Wong, “Explorations of Origins by Canadian Visual Creatives”, Skewed Magazine, September 2009 Justin Wayne Shaw, “Artist Profile: Kirsten McCrea”, Notebook Magazine, issue 10, Fall 2009. Shayle Prisk, “Artist of the Month”, SNAP! Magazine, Summer 2009. Adam Volk, “Pop Goes the Hamster”, Ottawa Express, 28 May 2009. Sarah Hamilton, “Hot Topic Vs. Wednesday Lupypciw: Up for debate”, Vue Weekly, 13 November 2008 Saba Mossagizi, radio interview, Adament Eve on CJSR 88.5, Edmonton, 12 November 2008. Nick Cabelli, “Don’t Tick Me Off: Con-U art school exhibition is simply fab”, The Link, 14 April 2008 Artist Profile. “Bearded Ladies Take the Fashion World by Storm!”, Ms. Guided, Spring 2008. Karen Herland, “Show Shakes the POMPOM”, Concordia Journal, 14 February 2008 Jesara Sinclair, “Ten Nights, Three Artists, One Gallery”, The Link, 8 February 2008 Artist Profile, “Hot Topic: Gertrude Stein & Vaginal Creme Davis”, Soliloquies Art Journal, Fall 2008. Christa O’Keefe, “Expressing Isms: Local branch of IWW shows their Art”, See, 5 January 2006 Christa O’Keefe, “Beyond Olympia”, See Magazine, 3 March 2005: 22. Artist Profile, Confluence, 2005: 37 - 38. Agnieszka Matejko, “Surprise Endings”, Vue Weekly, 26 August 2004: 24. |
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| Kirsten McCrea is a Canadian artist with a penchant for pop culture, politics, & patterns. Continuing on the “P” theme, she is also the Founder & Director of Papirmasse, an affordable art subscription that delivers a monthly art print to people around the world for $5 a month. When not painting on her own Kirsten illustrates & makes collaborative art with some really rad people. Learn more here. |
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