Ruth Jones is an artist based in South Wales. She has exhibited widely in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and internationally in Poland, USA, Spain and Quebec. She studied Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art, Liverpool John Moores University and most recently at The University of Ulster where she completed a Masters degree in 1997 and a practice led PhD in 2002 and taught part time between 1996-2003. In 2006 she was awarded an AHRC Fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts at The University of West England in order to devlop and expand her ongoing practice based research into the generation of liminal experience in contemporary art practices and the effect this has for viewers or participants.

Ruth has also made a contribution to curatorial practice, working as a director of Catalyst Arts, Northern Ireland’s leading artist run space, between 1997-99. She also co-curated a major exhibition for The Ormeau Baths Gallery in 2003 called And the One Doesn’t Stir without the Other. She is the co-editor of the publication for this project, which was published in 2005 (see www.andtheone.org.uk) In 2008, she curated a series of temporary public art projects in Cardigan, West Wales called Holy Hiatus. The publication for this project will be launched in 2010.

Ruth has also published articles in a number of catalogues and journals, including ‘Betwixt and Between’ in no place I’m going to, ‘Chora’ in Skin, ‘No metaphor completes her’ in One place Twice, ‘Becoming-hysterical, becoming-animal, becoming-woman in The Horse Impressionists’, in JVAP, 3:2 and ‘Between a flashing star and a gravestone, sleepers, liminality and communal dreaming’ in the AHRC funded website Imaginal Regions (link) .

Qualifications
DPhil:                                                             The University of Ulster, Belfast, 1999 - 2002
MA Fine Art:                                                  The University of Ulster, Belfast, 1995 - 1997
BA(Hons) Fine Art (First Class):                Liverpool John Moores University, 1992 - 1995
Dip. Foundation Studies (distinction):     Wimbledon School of Art, London

Selected Exhibitions and Upcoming Projects
Feb 2010 Cloddfa - Collaborative film installation with Andrea Williams at Howard Gardens Gallery, Cardiff

April 2009 Vigil - video installation at Tregwynt Manor Ballroom, St. Nicholas exploring Strumble Head Lighthouse

Jan 2008 So Near, So Far - group exhibition at APT Gallery, Deptford, London

Feb 2007         sleepers - solo exhibition at Oriel Mwldan, Cardigan
Oct 2006          Bordering - public art-geography project in conjunction with Qube Gallery, Oswestry
2004 – 2006    chimaerae verae - Collaborative book and DVD project with Iain Biggs
Nov 2005         Screening of I:Crow at UCG cinema, Cardiff in conjunction with Trailerpark
Sept 2005        Fabryka Fantasmagoria Public art project with Galeria Wschodnia, Lodz, Poland, Site-Ations project co-ordinated by UWIC and The Artists Project, Cardiff.
Feb 2005          Bestiarios - Solo exhibition in Galeria Formiguer, Castéllon, Spain
March 2004     The Suicide of Objects - Catalyst Arts, Belfast
Jan 2004          Transformations commissioned exhibition at The Manchester Museum.
April 2003        Traditions: The Blessing and the Curse, group exhibition, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago.
Nov 2002:         Folds, Public art project in conjunction with the Context Gallery, Derry.
Sept 2002:        Claremorris 2002, Co. Mayo.
July 2002:        sleepers, solo exhibition at The Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast.
June 2001       The Value of Straight Thinking, four person exhibition at The Old Museum Arts Centre., Belfast.
March 2001     Artwords, touring exhibition of work by artists and poets in Northern Ireland.
March 2001     Eva+ 2001, Limerick City Gallery.
Dec 2000         En el Umbral, two person exhibition at Galeria Lae.Sferazul, Valencia, Spain.
June 2000       Liminal, solo exhibition at The Proposition Gallery, Belfast.
July 2000         Contributer to the art newspaper Fold published London.
Dec 1999         Perpetuate, four person exhibition at The Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast.
Sept 1999        Milieux, group exhibition at Le Lieu, Centre for Art Actual, Quebec City.
Aug 1999         Horsehead International Sculpture Project, Belfast.
June 1999       Horsehead International Sculpture Project, Seattle.
May 1999         Lengua de Trapo, co-ordinator of an exchange between Catalyst Arts and Lae.Sferazul, Valencia, Spain.
Dec 1998         V/O, Catalyst Arts committee collaboration at Catalyst Arts.
Oct 1998          Perspective 98, The Ormeau Baths Gallery.
Oct 1998          Six, group exhibition at the West Cork Arts Centre, Skibberean, Co.Cork.
May 1998        Reverend Todd’s Full House, group exhibition College Green House, Belfast.
April 1998        Intermedia 98, festival of mixed media work, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork.
June 1997       MA Show, The University of Ulster, Belfast.
May 1997        Housestyle group exhibition at The Bedroom Gallery, Belfast.
Nov 1996        Pour, two person exhibition at The Bedroom Gallery, Belfast.
Oct 1996         Splatter, Live Art event, Crawfordsburn, N.Ireland.
July 1996        Irish Days 4, The Baltic Art Centre, Ustka, Poland.

Curatorial Experience
May 2008        Holy Hiatus, public art project and publication around Cardigan area
July 2003        And the One Doesn’t Stir without the Other, curator of an exhibition of international women’s art exploring the themes of feminine desire and female genealogy. The Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast. (Reviews in Art Monthly, Source and Circa) The project included a seminar with invited speakers and a publication launched in 2005.
2001 - 2002    no place I’m going to at the Context Gallery, Derry.
1997 - 1999    Co-director and secretary of Catalyst Arts, artist run gallery and organisation, Belfast.

Teaching and Lecturing Experience
2006 – 2009    Supervisor for PhD students UWE, Bristol
2004 -2006      Part-time lecturer at University of Wales in Cardiff
2005-2006       Part-time lecturer Pembrokeshire College
1996 - 2003     Part-time lecturer at The University of Ulster, Belfast.
2002                 Part-time lecturer at Limerick Institute of Technology.
June 1999       Visiting Lecturer Art College, Valencia.
Dec 1998        Visiting Lecturer, University of Wales, Cardiff.
Dec 1998        Visiting Lecturer, The University of West England, Bristol.
Oct 1998          Invited speaker / panelist for the National Artists Association conference Cardiff.
Oct 1998          Visiting Lecturer, Liverpool John Moore’s University.

Awards
Jan 09 AHRC Practice Led and Applied Research grant for Cloddfa

March 08 Artists Newsletter Collaborative Bursary for Cloddfa

Feb 08 Arts Council of Wales Production Grant for Holy Hiatus

June 2006-09  AHRC Fellowship Creative and Performing Arts, at UWE, Bristol
Dec 2005         Arts Council of Wales Project Grant for ‘sleepers’
June 2005       Wales Arts International Travel Bursary to Poland
Feb 2005         Wales Arts International Travel Bursary to Spain
April 2003        Arts Council of Northern Ireland General Arts Bursary
Feb 2003         Arts Council of Northern Ireland Travel Award.
June 2001       Arts Council of Northern Ireland General Arts Bursary.
May 2000        Arts Council of Ireland Visual Arts Bursary.
July 1999        Alice Berger Hammerschlag Travel Bursary
May 1998        Arts Council of Northern Ireland Visual Arts Bursary.

Published essays and papers
Tidings                          ‘Calling it Home’ - essay for book produced by artist Christine Mackey, Dublin
Imaginal Regions        Article ‘Between a Flashing Star and a Gravestone’ published on the website www.imaginalregions.co.uk. Supported by AHRC 2005.
Skin                                Article ‘Chora’ printed in the Catalyst Arts publication in conjunction with the exhibition Under Your Skin, May-June 2002.
no place I’m going to  Collaboration with the artist aimnin in conjunction with the exhibition no place i’m going to at the Context Gallery, April 2002.
En el Umbral                Collaboration with the artist Ima Pico in conjuction with the exhibition En el Umbral at Galeria Lae.Sferazul, Valencia, Spain.
Folds                              In Context publication produced as part of the Folds project in conjunction with the Context Gallery 2002
JVAP                              Article ‘Becoming hysterical, becoming animal, becoming woman’ published in this journal of visual art practice 2003. Vol 3:2
Circa                              Editorial advisor for the Winter issue of Circa 2003

Selected Reviews
Circa Spring 2000, review of ‘this from that’.
Circa Autumn 2000, review of ‘Liminal’
The Newsletter June 12th 2001, review of ‘one + one + one + one’
Circa Autumn 2002, review of ‘sleepers’.
The Newsletter July 9th, 2002, review of ‘sleepers’
Circa Spring 2004, ‘review of ‘Transformations’