photography
Karen Melvin was born in Michigan, USA., studied Fine Art at the University of Michigan and University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (B.A. Hons), lectured in photography at Newcastle Polytechnic and most recently at Cleveland College of Art and Design for 15 years, was advisor on photography for Northern Arts, and was a founding member and arts advisor for the environmental project, Ladycross Nature & Art. She was photographer in residence for the Middlesbrough 2000 Millennium Festival.
Solo Exhibitions
Flying Falling
Main Gallery, the Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, 8 April- 21 May 2017
Down South: End of the Road
Upper Fusion Gallery, the Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, 8 April- 21 May 2017
Beyond Paper Dolls
Art@830, Key West, Florida, USA / 2010
Pavilion:New Work
Round Foundry Media Centre, Leeds / 2006
Paper Dolls
Myles Meehan Gallery, Darlington and Queens Hall Gallery, Hexham / 2005
Paper Dolls and Constellation
MAC Centre, Birmingham and tour / 2004
Constellation
The Gallery, Gateshead Library, Gateshead / 2002
Heaven and Earth
Tom Blau Gallery, London / 2001
Pride Middlesbrough 2000
The Millennium Dome, London, and Middlesbrough tour / 2000
The Seal Woman
Queens Hall Gallery, Hexham and Real Art Tour, Northumberland / 1997
Frocks in the Cupboard; Life is a Series of...
Photography section of collaboration with writers and designers The Buddle Art Gallery, Tyne and Wear & tour for Visual Arts Year / 1995-96
Devils Water
Queens Hall Gallery, Northumberland / 1986
Blanchland Moor to Hexhamshire
Wansbeck Square Gallery, Ashington and tour / 1982-84
Two Worlds
Moot Hall, Hexham, Northumberland / 1981
Indonesia
DLI Arts Centre, Durham City / 1980
Unity in Diversity, Taman Ismael Marzuki
National Art Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia / 1976
Northern Pennine Hill Farms
Northern Arts Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and tour / 1974-76
American Wooden Buildings and the Rural Scene
Bede Gallery, Tyne and Wear / 1973-75
Selected Group Shows
Ladycross Picnic at Stone Circle and Nature Notes, 2019
No.3, installation, High Green Arts, VARC and Great Northumberland, Tarset, 2018
Karen Melvin & Jane Veitch
Dennis Kilgallon Gallery, Northumberland, 2017
Flavinus
Hexham Abbey, 2017
Thoughtful Planet
Thought Foundation, Birtley, Gateshead, 2017
Collection No.2
Shepherds Dene, Riding Mill, 2016
Open Up North
Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal / 2014
Art Squared
The Forge, Allendale /2014
Points of Conjecture
Duchess Gallery, Kielder Castle, Northumberland / 2012
28:A Celebration of the Myles Meehan Gallery
Darlington / 2012
Hospitality, A year in the Life of Shepherds Dene
Riding Mill, Northumberland / 2012
Dover Prize
Myles Meehan Gallery, Darlington / 2010
Water
Queens Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Northumberland / 2009
Bridging
Kirkharle Arts & Crafts Centre, Northumberland and Brisbane, Australia / 2008
Green Thoughts in a Green Shade
The Garden Station, Northumberland / 2008
Night Thoughts
Royal West of England Academy, Bristol / 2008
Shakespeare & The Natural World
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick / 2008
Edge 2
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick / 2007
In Praise of Sheds
The Garden Station, Northumberland / 2007
Shakespeare, the Artists’ View
Gossipgate Gallery, Alston and Lamplight Centre, Stanley / 2007
Borealis 1
Angela Flowers East, London / 2005
The Unlimited Dream Company
The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle upon Tyne / 2005
Thinking the Unthinkable
NGCA, Sunderland / 2005
…..Some food for thought
Queen’s Hall Gallery, Hexham, Northumberland / 2005
New new, new old
Kent Gallery, Key West, Florida, USA / 2005
Edge
The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle upon Tyne / 2003
Dialogue with the Environment
Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk / 2003
Ancient Woodland and Venerable Trees
Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Nortumberland / 2002
On the Edge
Moot Hall, Hexham, Northumberland / 2002
International Women’s Festival: We Create
University of Teeside / 2002
2000 Print Auction
Houston Center for Photography, Texas, USA / 2000
The Egg and I
Helio Gallery, Key West, Forida, USA / 2000
Signpost
Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Northumberland / 2000
Frozen Moments
The Discovery Centre, Bishop Auckland, Durham /1999
The Royal Photographic International Print Exhibition
The RPS Octagon Galleries, Bath and tour / 1998
Celebration (selected by John Bradshaw)
Hexham Abbey, Northumberland / 1997
The Middlesbrough Open
Cleveland Gallery, Middlesbrough / 1996
The Claremorris Open
Claremorris, Ireland and tour / 1996-97
The Dawn of the Millennium
Queens Hall Gallery, Hexham, Northumberland / 1996
Inaugural exhibition
Collingwood College, University of Durham, Durham / 1996
Resourceful Women
Flaxman Gallery, University of Staffordshire / 1994
Who We Are - Women `94
Zone Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and tour / 1994-95
Books and Bindings - Hand-made books
University of Newcastle upon Tyne / 1993
Leaving These Things
Stamfordham Gallery, Stamfordham, Northumberland / 1992
The Garden
Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby and tour / 1990-92
The Laing Exhibition
University Gallery, The University of Northumbria at Newcastle / 1990
Northern Landscape
Gray Art Gallery and Museum, Hartlepool / 1987
A Woman's Place
The Royal Festival Hall, London / 1984
Other Information
Commissions and Residencies
Photographer in residence for Middlesbrough 2000 Festival, Teeside / 2000
Design and execution of 'Eye' planting scheme for Tynedale District Council / 1996
Year of Visual Arts 1996 planting scheme at St, Lunaire Garden, Hexham / 1996
Grants and Awards
Arts Council England, North East, Photography production grant for Paper Dolls / 2004-5
Arts Council England, North East, Mentoring Scheme award / 2004-5
Northern Arts training grant, digital imaging suite at Isis / 1999
Arts for Everyone Lottery grant for 'The Seal Woman', performance and exhibition / 1997
Visual Arts 1996 grant for 'Ladycross Stone Circle', Ladycross, Northumberland / 1996
Northern Arts major photography award for 'Fairytale, Myth and the Landscape' / 1995
Northern Sights 'What's the Idea?' grant for The Cockatrice Story Trail / 1994
Northern Sights 'What's the Idea?' grant for 'From Lead to Stone' environmental art development at Ladycross Nature Reserve / 1993
Northern Arts touring exhibitions grant for 'The Garden', photography, maze, and sculpture 1990
Northern Arts grant for photography, drama collaboration, 'Dilston and Devils Water' / 1986
Northern Arts photography grant for project research in a local community / 1984
Northern Arts grant for 'Blanchland Moor to Hexhamshire', documenting a local hill farming community / 1981
Northern Arts grant for photography production and exhibition 'North Pennine Hill Farms' / 1973
MidNAG grant for 'American Wooden Buildings and the Rural Scene' exhibition / 1973
Prizes
Second prizewinner, The Claremorris Open, Ireland / 1996
Contact Karen
To contact Karen about her photographic work please click on the link below to send an email:
All images copyright Karen Melvin 2020