AREAS OF WORK

VISUAL ART:
Painting, Drawing, Conceptual (Post-it Note Project, Band-aid Project, photography / book works, other ongoing projects)
CREATIVE WRITING:
Poetry, Fiction, Hybrid Works

EDUCATION

Central St Martins College of Art and Design: MA Fine Art, London, UK, 2006
Brown University: BA Visual Art and Creative Writing, Providence, RI, 2004
Slade School of Fine Art: Studio Programme in Painting, London, UK, 2003

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016:
I feel both ways, Virginia Inn, Seattle, WA
2015:
Thank Goodness / Tough Luck Huh, University Unitarian Church, Seattle, WA
Walking Home After Work, Fremont Space, Seattle, WA
Clare Johnson: Drawings and Paintings, Office Nomads, Seattle, WA
2014:
(love songs), Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA
Clare Johnson: Paintings and Drawings, Pelicano, Ilwaco, WA
2013:
Drawing from Literature, Seattle Storefronts (South Lake Union), Seattle, WA
Clare Johnson, Q Cafe, Seattle, WA
Community Artists Program, Museum Quality Framing South Lake Union Gallery, Seattle, WA
2012:
Post-it Note Project, Ballard Underground, Seattle, WA
2011:
Post-it Note Project, Richard Hugo House Gallery, Seattle, WA
Clare Johnson, Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport, UK (curator Polly Gifford)
2009:
Will I live here when I grow up, The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford, UK
2004:
Clinging to my sister, Brown University, Providence, RI

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2014:
Trees in All Their Glory, Mount Baker Neighborhood Center for the Arts, Seattle, WA
Local Artists Showcase, Gatewood West Seattle, Seattle, WA
Community Artists Program (Seattle Design Center), Seattle, WA
2013:
Miniature Art Extravaganza, Ghost Gallery, Seattle, WA
Miniature Art Extravaganza, All City Art, Seattle, WA
2012:
Classics Revisited: Art by Derek Erdman, Clare Johnson and Mare Odomo, Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA
Community Artists Program (Meyer Wells, Seattle Design Center), Seattle, WA
2011:
quiet Speaks (Fall), Q Cafe, Seattle, WA (gender-themed exhibition curated by quiet)
Barnstorm: The Cabaret Re-Imagined, Quiet Heroes on a Rainy Night, Seattle, WA (Post-it Note Project)
Community Artists Program (Meyer Wells, Seattle Design Center), Seattle, WA
Tacoma Urban Forest Project (banners throughout downtown streets), Tacoma, WA
The Art of the Written Word, ArtEAST, Issaquah, WA (curator Donna Gelinas)
2010:
Community Artists Program (Capitol Hill Display), Seattle, WA
CoCA Annual Art Marathon, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
Walker Evans: The Third Room, Burr Projects at Axen Farm, Dorset, UK (curator Nancy J. Clemance)
At Play 2, South Hill Park, Bracknell, UK (curators Outi Remes and Cally Trench)
East Wing Nine: Exhibitionism, Courtauld Institute, London, UK
2009:
Babylon Unwrapped, Babylon Gallery, Ely, UK
Queer Projections, SHOUT Festival, Birmingham, UK
Self Portraits, Williams Art, Cambridge, UK
ArtWorks Open, Barbican Arts Group Trust, London, UK (judges Charlotte Hodes and Timothy Hyman)
Oxford Contemporary, OVADA Gallery, Oxford, UK (curator Astrid Bowman)
2008:
Fishmarket Art Fair, Fishmarket Gallery, Northampton, UK (curator Amy Pettifer)
untitled arts: Clare Johnson, Steven Jugg & Amy Tufts, Lauderdale House, London, UK
Pride in the House, Lauderdale House, London, UK
untitled arts: A Showcase, the Babylon, Ely, UK
2007
Festive Spirit, Babylon Gallery, Ely, UK (curator Joanne Clemance)
Black and White, Angela Mellor Gallery, Ely, UK
Small Pictures Exhibition, Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury, UK
Deep Inspiration, Jerwood Space, London, UK (curators Rachel Dickson and Emma Russell)
2006:
Quick and Dirty, Bargehouse Gallery, London, UK
2004:
Senior Ladies Show, Sarah Doyle Center Gallery, Providence, RI
Opening Showcase, Glenn & Darcy Wiener Center, Providence, RI
Juried Student Exhibition, Bell Gallery, Providence, RI
2002:
Queer Art, Brown University, Providence 2002
Juried Student Exhibition, Bell Gallery, Providence, RI

HONORS / AWARDS / GRANTS

Writing Program Fellow, Jack Straw Cultural Center, Seattle, WA, 2015 (program curator Kevin Craft)
Funding Recipient, 4Culture Projects, Seattle, WA, 2015
Grant Recipient, Artist Trust GAP, Seattle, WA, 2014
Selected Artist, Seattle Storefronts Artist Roster, Seattle, WA, 2013 - 2014
Selected Artist, Bellevue Storefronts Artist Roster, Bellevue, WA, 2013 - 2014
Best of 2011 (Literature Category, for Post-it Note Project), Seattle Magazine, Seattle, WA, 2011
City Arts Artwalk Awards: Finalist, City Arts Magazine, Seattle, WA, 2011
Hugo House New Works Competition: Finalist, Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA, 2011 (judge Peter Mountford)
Aesthetica Creative Works Competition: Highly Commended (Visual Art Category), UK- and world-wide, 2009
Pride in the House Competition, Lauderdale House, London, UK, 2008
Babylonengagedbursary: Shortlisted, ADeC, Ely, UK, 2007
Festive Spirit: Highly Commended, Ely, UK, 2007 (judge Lyndall Phelps)
Polly Campbell Award: Runner-up, Jerwood Space, London, UK, 2007 (panel of judges including Gavin Turk)
Michael S. Harper Poetry Prize, Providence, RI, 2004 (judge Michael S. Harper)
Small Project Grant, Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK, 2003
Narramore Art Prize, Seattle Public School District, Seattle, WA, 1995

LECTURES / READINGS

Cephalopod Appreciation Society, Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA, April 2016 (reading)
Cheap Wine & Poetry, Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA, 2016 (reading)
Senior Synthesis: The Business of Art, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, 2015 (artist talk / guest lecture)
"2015 Jack Straw Writing Program," Central Library, Seattle, WA, 2015 (reading)
"A Reading by Poetry Northwest," Lit Crawl, Sole Repair, Seattle, WA,2015 (reading)
"Jack Straw Writers," Big Ideas Series, Walla Walla Library, Walla Walla, WA, 2015 (reading)
Redmond Association of Spokenword, Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, Redmond, WA, 2015 (reading)
"Jack Straw Writers," University Bookstore, Seattle, WA, September 2015 (reading)
It's About Time, Ballard Library, Seattle, WA, September 2015 (reading)
Jennifer Jasper's A Family Affair, Jewelbox Theater at The Rendezvous, Seattle, WA, 2015 (reading)
Senior Synthesis: The Business of Art, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, 2015 (artist talk / guest lecture)
"Jack Straw Writers 2015," Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, WA, 2015 (reading)
Jack Straw May Reading Series, Jack Straw Cultural Center, Seattle, WA, 2015 (reading)
"Writers Under the Influence: Rainer Maria Rilke," Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA, 2015 (reading / artist talk)
"Post-its, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Little House on the Prairie: The Crucial Role Writing Plays in My Art," Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2014 (invitational lecture)
quiet Speaks (Winter), Q Cafe, Seattle, USA, 2013 (artist interview)
quiet Speaks (Winter), Q Cafe, Seattle, USA, 2012 (artist interview)
quiet Speaks (Winter), Q Cafe, Seattle, WA, 2011 (reading)
quiet Speaks (Summer), Q Cafe, Seattle, WA, 2011 (reading)
Sound into Language, University of Cambridge, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, UK, 2008 (invitational lecture for Cambridge University Festival of Ideas)
Cranky Vol. 3 Launch, Hugo House, Seattle, WA, 2005 (reading)
Cranky Showcase: Meet the New Editors, Victrola Coffee and Art, Seattle, WA, 2004 (reading)
Capstone Projects / Michael S. Harper Poetry Prize, Brown University, Providence, RI, 2004 (reading)
Performance Art, Bloomsbury Theatre, University College London, London, UK, 2003 (reading)

PUBLICATIONS

Grant, Bernard. Puzzle Pieces, Paper Nautilus Press (Debut Chapbook Winner), 2016 (cover art)
"The Glass Essay (after Anne Carson)," Poetry Northwest, Vol. X, Issue 1, Summer & Fall 2015 (commissioned art)
"Stuck Between Light / Stuntman (after Emily Bedard)," Poetry Northwest, Vol. X, Issue 1, Summer & Fall 2015 (commissioned art)
"Excerpts from Will I live here when I grow up," Jack Straw Writers Anthology, Vol. 19, 2015 (poetry / fiction)
Rainer Maria Rilke (translations David Need), art by Clare Johnson. Roses, Horse and Buggy Press, Durham, NC 2014 (art and poetry book)
Frogmore Papers, Number 84, Fall 2014 (cover art)
CoCA Artist Card Deck, Spring 2014 (playing cards)
Frogmore Papers, Number 83, Spring 2013 (selected drawings)
quiet Shorts, Vol. II, Issue 2, 2012 (cover art)
Frogmore Papers, Number 80, Fall 2012 (selected drawings)
quiet Shorts, Vol. II, Issue 1, 2012 (cover art)
"Here I Am," quiet Shorts, Issue 4, Winter 2011 (poetry)
"I Imagine I Come From Somewhere," quiet Shorts, Vol. I, Issue 4, Winter 2011 (poetry / fiction)
"We Never Lock Our Door," quiet Shorts, Vol. I, Issue 4, Winter 2011 (poetry)
"Young Women, Well-Situated, No Family to Speak of," quiet Shorts, Vol. I, Issue 3, Fall 2011 (fiction)
"It might look like I'm asking," quiet Shorts, Vol. I, Issue 3, Fall 2011 (poetry / fiction)
New Walk Magazine, Issue 2, Spring / Summer 2011 (selected paintings)
Frogmore Papers, Number 77, Spring 2011 (selected drawings)
Fourteen Magazine, Issue 11, 2011 (selected drawings)
Fourteen Magazine, Issue 10, 2010 (selected drawings)
Lumina Literary Journal, 2010 Issue (selected paintings and drawings)
"The Miles," Cranky Literary Journal, Volume 3, 2005 (fiction)
"It might look like I'm asking," Blithe House Quarterly, Summer 2002 Issue (poetry / fiction)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Mise en Zine (to spotlight underrepresented voices in the arts), upcoming 2016 issue (interview)
Constant, Paul. "Writing center gets written on," Seattle Review of Books, May 11, 2016 (event review)
Constant, Paul. "Started from the bottom now we're here," Seattle Review of Books, October 23rd, 2015 (review)
Constant, Paul. "Lit Crawl itinerary #2: Meet the poets," Seattle Review of Books, October 2015 (review)
Chakraborty, Sumita. "Night Made of Many Bright Roses," Rain Taxi Review of Books, Summer 2015 Online Edition (essay / review)
Holmes, Dan. "The Impossible Economy of Rilke's Roses: An Interview with Translator David Need," Numero Cinq Magazine, Vol. V, No. 12, December 2014 (review / profile)
Darst, Lightsey. "David Need picks Rainer Maria Rilke's Roses," Indy Week, October 4th, 2014 (review / profile)
Editorial team, Seattle Magazine. "Best New Take on the Memoir: Clare Johnson's Post-it Note Project," Seattle Magazine, December Issue, 2011 (editorial picks of the year)
Bridewell, Stacey. "Small Canvas, Big Ideas: Notes on Clare Johnson," Real Change, Vol. 18 No. 37, 2011 (cover feature, interview)
Miller, Brian. "Tiny Yellow Memories," Seattle Weekly, September 7th 2011 (review)
LCC MA Publishing. Undiscovered Artists 2010, London College of Communication, London, UK 2010 (book)
Mayhew, Sarah. "A Showcase of Talents," Oxford Mail, January 20th 2009 (review)
Craig, Miriam. "Pride in Art," Hendon and Finchley Times, August 4th 2008 (review)
Spero, Josh. "All the Fun of the Fair," Hope Springs: All Arts, All the Time, March 14th, 2007 (arts website)
Jerwood Foundation. Deep Inspiration, Jerwood Space, London, UK 2007 (exhibition catalogue)
CSM MA Fine Art. MA Fine Art 2006, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK 2006 (exhibition catalogue)

COLLECTIONS

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (Asthma and Allergy Unit), London, UK (35 drawings)
Glucksman Ireland House, New York University, New York, NY
Private Collections, UK, USA, Turkey, Japan, France

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Art Teacher / Lead Instructor, Thrive Drawing School, Seattle, WA, 2010 to present
Creative Writing Teacher, Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA, 2011 to 2012
Creative Writing Instructor, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, UK, 2008 to 2010
Drawing Instructor, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, UK, 2009 to 2010
Creative Arts Facilitator, Momentum Arts, Cambridge, UK, 2008 to 2009
Creative Writing Instructor, Lauderdale House, London, UK, 2007 to 2009
Drawing and Painting Teacher, Lauderdale House, London, UK, 2007 to 2009
Fiction Editor, Cranky Literary Journal, Seattle, WA 2004 to 2005

CURRENT / RECENT PROJECTS

Our Town, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (in development)
- Art for an upcoming production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder, designing and creating original drawings and paintings to be converted by RPI faculty collaborators into experimental interactive digital backdrops for the play.

Post-it Note Project, Seattle, WA (ongoing since 2005)
- Every night I draw a picture on a post-it note using words and imagery to show something from the day or whatever I'm thinking about at the time. Currently there are over 3,000 drawings, with the project growing nightly.

Drawing from Literature, Seattle, WA (first stage 2012, currently expanding)
- Expanding series of drawings inspired by my favorite works of literature, originally consisting of 25 drawings made in 2012 and exhibited at Richard Hugo House and Storefronts Seattle.

Will I live here when I grow up, Seattle, WA (current)
- Writing project combining fiction and poetry, exploring historical westward migration and family histories along with unspoken gaps and overlapping generations of voices, looking for traces of my own homosexuality in a past where no one spoke of that.

Rainer Maria Rilke's Roses, Durham, NC (published 2014)
- Set of 27 drawings to accompany new translations of Rilke's set of poems, for a limited edition book with translator David Need. Rather than illustrating roses, the art responded to and reinterpreted conceptual frameworks in the poetry.